David Spade is calling out California’s leadership for the collapse of Hollywood.
During a recent episode of his podcast, “Fly on the Wall,” which he co-hosts with Dana Carvey, the 61-year-old actor and comedian said “the Hollywood industry is dying” and that he’s “just trying to put the blame somewhere.”
“Dude, I’m so old,” he said. “I was on the lot at, uh, CBS Radford when we were doing ‘Just Shoot Me.’ … And also they were doing ‘Seinfeld,’ and I’d see him on his bike. It was the greatest lot. Of course, just filed for bankruptcy, the lot. Terrifying in LA Thanks, [LA Mayor] Karen Bass. Thanks, [Gov.] Gavin [Newsom].”
Carvey agreed that “the Hollywood studio system is dying” and insisted changes need to be made to revive it.
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“The amount of productions is dying, and so they have to do something so more production comes back, and that starts with negotiating with the union and also subsidizing the industry tax breaks to compete with Romania,” Carvey said.
The mayor’s press office responded to Spade’s claims, telling Fox News Digital in a statement, “Mayor Bass has championed the entertainment industry because it’s a bedrock of our middle class.
“The fact of the matter is that Mayor Bass oversaw the creation of California’s first Film and TV Tax Credit Program as speaker of the State Assembly and backed its expansion last year,” the statement added.
“This year alone, she slashed filming fees at Griffith Observatory and reopened the LA Central Library to film production for the first time in over a decade. Under her leadership, more than 3 million square feet of studio and creative office space have been approved, and over 120 sound stages are now under construction across Los Angeles.”
Spade and Carvey are not the only celebrities concerned with the current state of Hollywood and the growing trend of producing movies and TV shows not only in other states, but also in other countries.
Stars Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson were named special ambassadors to Hollywood by President Donald Trump in January 2025, with the hope of bringing the city “BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!” according to Trump’s post on Truth Social at the time.
In an interview with Variety in May 2025, Voight spoke about the importance of bringing these jobs back to California and showed his support for Trump’s decision to place 100% tariffs on filming overseas.
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“It’s come to a point where we really do need help, and thank God the president cares about Hollywood and movies,” Voight said. “He has a great love for Hollywood in that way. We’ve got to roll up our sleeves here. We can’t let it go down the drain like Detroit.”
When speaking to the outlet, Voight explained that “every studio has a lot of smart people” who have made use of the many benefits “and the gifts that are being given out throughout the world to lure people to different countries.”
He explained that rather than just “level[ing] the playing field,” Hollywood “need[s] to be competitive” to get people back.
“This shouldn’t be political,” Voight added. “I don’t know the political identities of the people we’ve talked to. We’ve talked to a lot of people here. I don’t distinguish them on their party affiliation. And If we can come up with [a plan that can be executed], he’ll back us. He wants us to be the Hollywood of old. If we all come together, I believe we have a bright future.”
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In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, Voight said he has been in the business long enough to see the “slow deterioration” of Hollywood through the years.
“I’m old enough to have touched some years of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and I’ve seen its slow deterioration since,” he said.
“Today, we are in pretty bad shape. Very few films are made here now, but we are fortunate to have an incoming president who wants to restore Hollywood to its former glory, and, with his help, I feel we can get done.”
Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
