David Spade blames Karen Bass and Newsom for Hollywood’s ongoing decline

David Spade calls out California leaders 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 that “the Hollywood industry is dying” and that he’s “just trying to place the blame somewhere.”

“Man, I’m so old,” he said. “I was on the CBS Radford lot when we were doing ‘Just Shoot Me’…And also they were doing ‘Seinfeld,’ and I saw him on his bike. It was the best lot. Of course, I just filed for bankruptcy, the lot. Terrifying in LA. Thanks, [LA Mayor] Karen Bass. THANKS, [Gov.] Gavin [Newsom]”.

Carvey acknowledged that “the Hollywood studio system is dying” and insisted that changes needed to be made in order to revive it.

Spade denounced California executives for their mismanagement of the Hollywood studio system. (Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Netflix)

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“The number of productions is going down, and so they have to do something to get more production back, and that starts with negotiations with the union and also subsidizing tax breaks for the industry to compete with Romania,” Carvey said.

Spade and Carvey aren’t the only celebrities concerned about the current state of Hollywood and the growing trend of films and TV shows being produced not only in other states, but in other countries as well.

Stars Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson were named special ambassadors to Hollywood by President Donald Trump in January 2025, hoping to bring 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 support for Trump’s decision to impose 100% tariffs on overseas filming.

Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight have been chosen as special ambassadors to Hollywood by President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

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“We’re at a point where we really need help, and thank God the president cares about Hollywood and film,” Voight said. “He has a great love for Hollywood in that way. We have to roll up our sleeves here. We can’t let this fall by the wayside like Detroit.”

Speaking to the outlet, Voight explained that “each studio has a lot of smart people” who have taken advantage of the many perks “and the freebies that are distributed around the world to attract people to different countries.”

He explained that rather than simply “the level[ing] the playground, “Hollywood” needs[s] be competitive” in order to bring people back.

“It shouldn’t be political,” Voight added. “I don’t know the political identity of the people we’ve talked to. We’ve talked to a lot of people here. I don’t distinguish them by party affiliation. And if we can come up with an idea [a plan that can be executed]he will support us. He wants us to be the Hollywood of yesteryear. If we all come together, I believe we will have a bright future. »

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Voight doesn’t want Hollywood to “fail like Detroit.” (Valéry Hache/AFP via Getty Images)

In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, Voight said he has been in the industry long enough to see the “slow deterioration” of Hollywood over the years.

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“I’m old enough to have touched a few years of Hollywood’s golden age, and I’ve seen its slow deterioration since then,” he said. “Today we are in a pretty bad situation. Very few films are being made here now, but we are fortunate to have a new president, who wants to restore Hollywood to its former glory, and with his help, I think we can achieve that.”