LOS ANGELES--A Hollywood "Dembargo" on political donations has ended, as key fundraisers and celebrities from rapper Cardi B to Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis and TV producer Shonda Rhimes endorsed Kamala Harris as the next Democratic nominee for U.S. president.
Relief and excitement spread across Los Angeles, the world's film and television capital and an important source of Democrats' campaign funds, following President Joe Biden's decision to end his reelection campaign on Sunday.
"Lost" producer Damon Lindelof said he had halted what he called a "Dembargo," a call for Hollywood backers to stop donating money to Democrats after Biden's disastrous debate performance in June. Lindelof, writing on Instagram, said he felt "profound relief, gratitude ... and then, for the first time, genuine EXCITEMENT for the election ahead" after Biden's withdrawal.
"Suffice to say, the DEMBARGO is lifted. And here. We. GOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lindelof added.
Hollywood often is described as an "ATM for Democrats." A June fundraiser hosted by actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts raised more than $30 million in what the Biden campaign said was the largest Democratic fundraiser in history.
But after Biden's halting performance at the June 27 presidential debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump, Clooney and others publicly called for the president to end his campaign. A representative for Clooney did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Lindelof did not back a particular Democratic candidate, but others in Hollywood threw their support behind Harris. "We are all in for Kamala Harris! Started to work on her behalf the moment she announced," Andy Spahn, a Democratic fundraiser in Hollywood and president of consulting firm Gonring, Lin, Spahn, said via email.
Disney heiress Abigail Disney, who had called on Biden to drop out, told CNBC she was resuming her donations to Democrats and that she thought Harris would be an excellent candidate. "I'm with her," actor Bradley Whitford, who played a fictional White House staffer on "The West Wing" TV show, wrote on X, next to a picture of himself with his arm around Harris.
Curtis, recent Oscar winner for "Everything Everywhere All At Once," said she supported Biden's decision to endorse Harris. Singer Barbra Streisand said Harris "will continue Joe Biden’s work and will be a great president."
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political analyst and co-host of the podcast "Inside Golden State Politics," said she expected Harris to receive strong financial support from Hollywood. One reason is that her husband, former entertainment lawyer Doug Emhoff, "is very well-liked and respected" in the industry. "The floodgates will open," she said.
