Biden ends 2024 campaign: George Clooney, Ashley Judd among stars who called for president to step down

Biden ends 2024 campaign: George Clooney, Ashley Judd among stars who called for president to step down

Join Fox News to access this content

Plus, you get special access to select articles and other premium content with your account, for free.

By entering your email address and clicking Continue, you agree to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Financial Incentive Notice.

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

Ahead of President Biden’s decision not to run again as the Democratic candidate in this year’s race, several big names in Hollywood called for his resignation.

George Clooney wrote an op-ed earlier this month explaining why he wanted Biden to step down, despite years of vocal support and fundraising from the actor.

“I love Joe Biden. As a senator, as a vice president and as a president. I consider him a friend and I believe in him. I believe in his character. I believe in his morals. Over the last four years, he has won many of the battles he has faced,” Clooney wrote in The New York Times.

“But the one battle he can’t win is the battle against time. None of us can. It’s devastating to say this, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the big f–ing deal Joe Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same guy we all saw at the debate.”

HOLLYWOOD STARS REACT TO PRESIDENT BIDEN WITHDRAWING FROM 2024 RACE

George Clooney was one of the major names in Hollywood to call for President Biden’s resignation following his performance in the recent presidential debate. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Clooney added: “We’re not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we’re not going to win the House of Representatives and we’re going to lose the Senate. That’s not just my opinion, that’s the opinion of every senator, congressman and governor that I’ve spoken to privately. Every single one of them, regardless of what he or she says publicly.”

Read on to see other celebrities who spoke out in support of Biden’s resignation in the months leading up to his decision.

GEORGE CLOONEY’S HOLLYWOOD CAREER IN THE SPOTLIGHT AFTER PRESIDENT BIDEN’S CALL FOR RESIGNATION

Ashley Judd

Ashley Judd wrote an op-ed calling on Biden to “step aside voluntarily and gracefully.” (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

Ashely Judd wrote an opinion piece for USA Today published on July 12, calling on Biden to “step aside voluntarily and gracefully.”

“The defense of our most precious rights and freedoms, the moral imperative to do better for more people and for our bodies, cannot be left to voters who see and are frightened by the consequences of President Biden’s obvious limitations, or who will not vote now. We risk a bad night and downplay the warning signs at our peril,” she wrote.

Judd has noted that she frequently supports Democratic campaigns alongside her Hollywood career. In 2017, she read a poem at the Women’s March titled “I Am a Nasty Woman” in which she quoted Donald Trump’s comment calling his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, “such a nasty woman” during the debate. Judd has said she lost an endorsement deal because of her commitment to speaking out against the former president.

She added later in her essay: “So because of the very real pain that millions of people would feel when [Trump] “If Biden is president again, the Democratic Party must quickly thank President Biden and support a talented and robust Democrat to be our party’s nominee. We cannot afford another day of distraction or division among ourselves.”

ASHLEY JUDD SAYS GRIEF-RELATED ILLNESS LED TO HER FRACTURED LEG AFTER MOTHER’S DEATH

John Cusack

John Cusack criticized Biden not only as a Democratic candidate, but also for his handling of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (Laura McDermott/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

John Cusack criticized Biden’s handling of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, expressing his views on X.

“If Biden stays in power and the numbers stay on the trajectory they’ve been on, Senate candidates will be forced to leave Biden — to keep their seats. This existential threat isn’t just about Biden — it’s about millionaires who want to hold on to power,” he wrote.

After Biden’s announcement, Cusack retweeted the president’s statement and said, “And now the fight begins.”

John Cusack claims Democratic elite have ‘sold out the working class for decades’: They’re ‘full of bullshit’

Rob Reiner

“When Harry Met Sally” director Rob Reiner has called on Biden to resign in recent weeks. (Paul Archuleta)

“When Harry Met Sally” director Rob Reiner has called on Biden to resign in recent weeks.

“It’s time to stop messing around. If the convict wins, we lose our democracy. Joe Biden has served America with honor, decency, and dignity. It’s time for Joe Biden to resign,” he wrote in a tweet.

Cusack retweeted it, saying: “There has been no greater supporter of Biden’s domestic policies than Rob – he’s right.”

In recent days, Reiner has reiterated his view, posting: “The writing is on the wall in bold, capital letters: It is time for President Biden, for whom we have nothing but the utmost respect, to save our democracy by passing the torch to a new generation.”

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Stephen King

Stephen King wrote on X that “Joe Biden has been a good president, but it is time for him – for the sake of the America he so clearly loves – to announce that he will not seek re-election.” (Content by Lou Rocco/Disney General Entertainment via Getty Images)

Horror author and icon Stephen King took to X to express his feelings about Biden in early July.

“Joe Biden has been a great president, but it is time for him – for the sake of the America he so clearly loves – to announce that he will not seek re-election,” King wrote.

King has spoken out against Trump on social media. On Saturday, the “Shawshank Redemption” author wrote: “The Republican Party has nominated a convicted felon for President of the United States. Think again.”

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

Mia Farrow

Mia Farrow said, “Biden is a good man and he’s been a great president,” but she wanted him to resign for the sake of “American democracy.” (Jamie McCarthy/WireImage)

Mia Farrow has called on Biden to step down multiple times since the debate.

In June, she wrote: “Biden is a good man and he has been a great president. But this upcoming election is about much more than Joe Biden. It is about the survival of American democracy.”

“If Biden can’t win – as the polls now indicate – he needs to pass the torch. We can’t give America to Trump,” she wrote on X.

She also noted that she would vote for whoever replaces him, saying: “If Biden were to resign, my commitment would be the same: I would vote for the Democrat, not the convicted felon who aspires to be a dictator and surrounds himself with sycophants, liars and other unsavory characters.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Michael Douglas

Actor Michael Douglas told “The View” co-hosts he’s worried about whether President Biden can win re-election. (Screenshot/ABC)

Michael Douglas appeared on “The View” days after Clooney’s New York Times op-ed, and he said he agreed with his fellow actor.

“I think that’s a valid point of view,” he said. “I’m deeply, deeply concerned. I mean, it’s particularly difficult because the Democrats have a deep bench, they have a lot of heavyweights, a lot of talent.”

He also shared his thoughts on Biden’s performance in the debate, saying, “And I worry because with the debate – I mean, it was relatively simple. First of all, they should have just told the president to stand up, put on a little bit of makeup for the debate, and then figure out where to look and not worry about all the facts, but just worry about [Trump’s] lies.”

Douglas did not specifically call for Biden to step down, but he said: “It’s a very difficult decision. I love the guy. Fifty years of public service, a wonderful man, and it just so happens that this is one of those elections that is just crucial. I’m not necessarily worried about today or tomorrow, but a year from now, I am worried. I’m concerned.”