George Clooney appeared on the March 23 episode of CBS’ “60 Minutes” to promote the Broadway production of “Good Night, and Good Luck,” based on his Oscar-nominated 2005 film. Clooney directed the movie and now stars in the play as CBS broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow, who confronts U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy’s pursuit of alleged Communists in the early 1950s. The actor said on “60 Minutes” that the story’s focus on media responsibility and the clash between journalists and political figures could not be timelier.
“When the other three estates fail, when the judiciary and the executive and the legislative branches fail us, the fourth estate has to succeed,” Clooney said about journalism. “ABC has just settled a lawsuit with the Trump administration. And CBS News is in the process … We’re seeing this idea of using government to scare or fine or use corporations—to make journalists smaller.”
“Governments don’t like the freedom of the press. They never have,” Clooney continued. “And that goes for whether you are a conservative or a liberal or whatever side you’re on. They don’t like the press.”
ABC News agreed in December to pay $15 million and issue a statement of apology to settle Trump’s defamation lawsuit against George Stephanopoulos and the network after the anchor inaccurately stated the president-elect was liable for rape. Trump is currently suing CBS and “60 Minutes” for $10 billion, alleging the news program tried to mislead voters by airing two different edits of remarks made in an interview with Kamala Harris before the election. The president has called for “60 Minutes” to be “terminated.”
Following Clooney’s interview on “60 Minutes,” Trump took to his Truth Social page to once again attack the news program and the actor.
“Why would the now highly discredited ’60 Minutes’ be doing a total ‘puff piece’ on George Clooney, a second rate movie star and failed political pundit?” Trump wrote. “He fought hard for Sleepy Joe’s election and then, right after the Debate, dumped him like a dog. Later, I assume under orders from the Obama camp, pushed all out for ‘Kamala,’ only to soon realize that was not going to work out too well. ’60 Minutes’ even fraudulently inserted Fake answers into her disastrous interview, aired just before Election Day, in one of the most embarrassing and dishonest events in broadcast history…And now George Clooney again? His press agent should be making a fortune!!!”
It’s not the first time Trump has attacked Clooney on social media. The Oscar winner made headlines before Election Day for writing an op-ed for The New York Times asking Joe Biden to drop out of the election in order to give the Democratic party a real chance at defeating Trump, who responded in a Truth Social tirade calling Clooney a “fake movie actor.”
“So now fake movie actor George Clooney, who never came close to making a great movie, is getting into the act,” Trump posted at the time. “He’s turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are. What does Clooney know about anything?…Clooney should get out of politics and go back to television. Movies never really worked for him!!!”
Clooney then responded to Trump’s post during an interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” by saying: “I will if he does. That’s a trade-off I’d do.”
“I’ll make it kind of easy. I was raised to tell the truth,” Clooney explained to “60 Minutes” about why he wrote the op-ed asking Biden to step down. “I had seen the president up close for this fundraiser, and I was surprised. And so I feel as if there was a lot of profiles in cowardice in my party through all of that. And I was not proud of that. And I also believed I had to tell the truth.”
“Good Night, and Good Luck” is now in previews on Broadway ahead of its April 3 opening night. Watch Clooney’s full interview on “60 Minutes” in the video below.
