Celebrities Who Publicly Hate John Wayne

Did you know that John Wayne and Frank Sinatra almost got into a fight over the latter figure hiring a blacklisted Communist director and that Clark Gable refused to star in John Wayne’s directorial debut because he didn’t think the Western legend was going to be a good filmmaker? John Wayne was a movie star whose conservative politics, as well as his penchant for speaking his mind, caught the ire of many of his peers. There were several stars that couldn’t stand John, and we’ll be taking a look at some of them in this video! While plenty of John’s peers couldn’t stand him, the ones who hated him the most weren’t afraid to talk about it.

▬Contents of this video▬
00:00 - Intro
00:15 - Katharine Hepburn
02:14 - John Lennon
03:47 - Spike Lee
05:05 - Clark Gable
06:19 - Frank Sinatra
07:20 - Outro

Some celebrities who publicly hated John Wayne include Katharine Hepburn, John Lennon, and Frank Sinatra. All three of these celebrities had a distaste for John Wayne as a result of their differing political beliefs. More recent celebrities, such as Spike Lee, have spoken out against John Wayne’s legacy because they feel that he was racist. From Katharine Hepburn to Frank Sinatra, join Facts Verse as we explore celebrities who publicly hated John Wayne.

Celebrities Who Publicly Hate John Wayne

[christineobrien]

How ironic that John Lennon believed Wayne's movies were violent I guess his memory slipped when he was physically abusive to some women in his life. Hypocrite!

[bobboscarato]

Never ever mix politics with business; it's a bad combination!

[alynsyms]

If I like someone's movies I don't really want to know anything about them personally. Most of them will disappoint you. I loved Jerry Lewis comedies but I can't even watch them now because of what was revealed about him. He was a terrible man. I think most celebrities were and are failures as people.

[thegreatdominion]

I understand that Robert Ryan (a staunch Democrat) and Duke had more than a few dust-ups over politics on the sets of the movies in which they were co-stars. Kirk Douglas was another co-star that didn't see eye to eye with him on political matters. Doubtful their differences resulted in "hate" in either case.

[daveides]

So let me get this right - Katharine Hepburn and Frank Sinatra both had problems with Wayne over politics in the 1950s, but came to mutual respect and affection later. Spike Lee and John Lennon - who can barely have known the man - didn’t like what (little) they knew of him. And Clark Gable didn’t want to play Davy Crockett because it was Wayne’s directorial debut. Hardly “hated John Wayne” is it? And while Wayne might be controversial- surely no one disagrees he was a fine actor in his genre and willing to take on controversial roles - like Ethan Edwards in the Searchers.

[southtexasprepper]

"The Alamo" is one of my favorite John Wayne movies. Along with "Green Beret, " "Fort Apache, " "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, " and "The Horse Soldiers."

[davidhodges]

John Wayne was a great actor that I still enjoying watching. If Spike Lee and John Lennon do not care for him, means nothing to me.

[malcolmcook]

Mr. Wayne was a Silver Screen Icon. Again his views, political beliefs may be adverse, diverse, discriminate but he, like all Americans are protected by the Constitution. The right to choose, believe, speak no matter how abrupt or misunderstood!

[angelorollo]

Clark Gable not taking the Davey Crockett role and his John Wayne criticism is most surprising

[RayPointerChannel]

John Lennon has something of a big mouth by making cavalier statements to draw attention to himself. Many of them were a bit self-centered. His most famous statement was in saying that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ! That was an unfortunate and imprudent remark, if not a but egotistical. As for his remarks about John Wayne, there are two issues. First of all, John Wayne a part of American Culture and was essentially a fantasy figure. Aside from certain controversies, he was a respected actor in the American Motion Picture industry. Lennon, who was from England failed to view Wayne's films within context, and also failed to see the bigger picture. While he had the choice not to watch Wayne's films or expose his son to them, his making public remarks in the way he did was a problem. He could be rather curt, which is said to have contributed to the tensions that broke up the Beatles. It might also be said that his callous remarks, made essentially for publicity may have contributed to his being shot. When one is in the position of celebrity, it is best to appreciate being in that position and try to avoid making harsh critical remarks about peers regardless of whether there is a disagreement about political viewpoints.

[HappyBear]

He was my hero when I was a little boy. He's been a role model for me ever since.

[yabonjin]

I was a fan of John Wayne from a young age. But i realized he was a celebrated actor because he gradually became the roles he played. He wasn’t an especially skilled actor. Later i realized he was a bigoted, small minded, xenophobic, and stupidly worked to blacklist anyone who didn’t fit his view of patriotism. But perhaps he is best seen as a mirror of many of the people of his time. This video portrays the people who disliked JW in a superficial way. But I feel sorry he caught cancer and ironically got it from filming close to a nuclear test area from which half of the cast eventually got cancer. And he was perfect for the role in True Grit and deserved an Oscar for that.

[questfortruth]

I'd say that it was beneficial for Sinatra NOT to have gotten in a "physical altercation" with The Duke! As it is, he lived a long, healthy life for years after what would have been a life-threatening situation!

[profileincourage]

Duke was an overall good man with good intentions, who was raised in a wholesome conservative midwest home with conservative ideals. He was in his prime in the 1930s and followed suit with the interests of our country at a time when international tensions were tight and Nazi Germany was spreading propaganda like a wildfire. If John Wayne had been born in the 50s, his rhetoric would have been a lot different. His messages to America had good intentions and his movies tell fun stories. I'm a centrist Democrat who leans very slightly left of moderate. I believe in a socially organized system of taking care of those less fortunate with foundations that provide aid as nothing more than a starter kit toward self sustained living. If they fumble and fall off track they get one more chance, after that, figure it out yourself. When it comes to race, I'm color blind. When it comes to social injustice and racial persecution, I am appalled. Grow up and learn acceptance. You would be amazed at who could become your best friend.

[pathathaway]

I’m sure there was and is a lot of jealousy as far as celebrities goes!

[davemoyer]

John was a true patriot! We need him today. Sadly, the Commies have taken over just about all areas of our great country. Of course John Lennon hated Wayne- he was a threat to Lennon’s Commy beliefs. God bless John Wayne and all he stood for!👍🇺🇸❤️

[cadeevans]

I loved John Wayne great actor king of the cowboys there's gonna be haters out there that hate on him but loved him and loved his movies a he was great

[jamesbond-lmzf]

WELL PILGRIM. NOBODY'S PERFECT. THE GOLDEN AGE WAS, WAYNE'S WORLD. I LOVE HIS MOVIES.

[kathyhaynes]

Always haters in every aspect of life. So sad. I did not know John Wayne personally but artistically he was a very talented man.

[jeffreyjacobs]

I love to see the trash talking, backstabbing & arrogance of those that LOVE TO HATE the Man himself ! The Duke - a man that just did what he did in the same way .... never an unkind word from those that KNEW HIM, WORKED with Him and were professionals who saw what he was Personally and KNEW HE SPOKE HIS MIND, Loved America, would not tolerate those that put it down, ducked out of supporting it and said so often ... I loved that about him. As a fan - I never met Him but, saw all his movies and own DVDs with his work .... John Houston, Maureen O'Hara & many loved working with him. Talk is cheap.... so are those that smear a man AFTER ALL THIS TIME makes it worse than those BACK IN THE DAY .... this "Grandson" has no knowledge of what went on .... just running his mouth. Sad. jj