In a recent appearance for Real America’s Voice, conservative media personality and alumna of the Trump campaign media advisory board Gina Loudon made provocative comments about the Hollywood blockbuster Wicked. Loudon certainly pulls no punches in calling the movie “offensive” and “racist” against white people, stirring up heated debate on everything from race to representation in the shifting narrative of Hollywood.
Loudon, who was highly anticipating the movie’s release, made her thoughts known after viewing the film that starred pop sensation Ariana Grande as the lead character Glinda the Good Witch. Comments by her were made about what she sees as a growing trend in Hollywood to portray white characters in a negative light.
“I was very excited at the idea of seeing this interpretation,” Loudon said on air. “But I should have known its Holly-weird,” the apparent disappointment with how the move did turn out. Loudon claims that Wicked told “a damaging backstory because all the white actors now are dumb and evil … “That’s what is going through movies today.” -She believes that has become too goodly common in today’s modern films.
One of the most jarring elements of Loudon’s critique came when she misidentified Ariana Grande‘s ethnicity. Loudon referred to Grande as “obviously a Hispanic woman,” which raised eyebrows since Grande is Italian-American, with Sicilian and Abruzzese roots. The comment-many saw it as a factual error-quickly became a focal point in the conversation, overshadowing Loudon’s original point about Hollywood’s supposed bias against white people.
“I just thought the racism and racial appropriation were offensive,” Loudon furthered, referencing Grande’s role as a “ditzy, blonde, white villain.” Although Wicked will see Grande in a slightly different character than usual, consider, for context, that the Glinda character in Stephen Schwartz’s musical Wicked was based upon traditional fairy-tale depictions and never intended to portray one race over another.
Loudon also voiced her belief that Wicked is another example of Hollywood pushing what she describes as “woke” ideology. According to her, the film is part of a broader trend where stories are reimagined to align with contemporary social justice themes rather than sticking to traditional narratives.
“I should have known they’d try to make it ‘woke’ in every way they could think of,” Loudon said.
To her, it will only mean that Hollywood’s embracing of diverse casting and inclusive storytelling is not so much a creation worth doing as about social expectation. She, meanwhile, is frustrated that films like Wicked have to pander to the progressive attitude of the present time to be taken seriously, which the star sees as an injustice being done to the narratives per se and to their sets of audiences who have loved and grown up with them through all these years.
Loudon’s commentary in this regard wasn’t fully about Wicked. Her remarks fell within a wider narrative fact, a belief that others hold That white people are being represented through the most unfair means in the media. “It’s almost like there is this concerted effort to make white people look bad or inferior,” Loudon argued. She cited Wicked among many examples whereby negative bias against white people has so villainously characterized someone as Glinda.
This has been echoed by other conservative commentators who have felt, with increasing frequency, that Hollywood is portraying the traditional white character in a way that reduces them to caricatures less than one-dimensional. Loudon spoke as debates over race and identity have continued to roil media, where debates about diversity and representation repeatedly meet conservative critiques of “woke” culture.
Loudon’s comments have been severely criticized by both the Wicked fandom and everybody who has been criticizing her for her views. Many pointed to the inaccuracies in her comments; she had mislabeled Grande’s ethnicity. Many called her comments tone-deaf, pointing to playing into racial stereotypes and simplification where depth was needed.
Some even took issue with Loudon’s general critique of the “woke” movement and felt she spoke from a place of disregard for the representation of marginalized communities. Where Loudon presents her comments as a defense of the value of traditional storytelling, her critics see her remarks as evidence that she has difficulty with race and culture in Hollywood’s current changing dynamics.
“It’s one thing to have opinions, but when you’re misinformed or generalizing, that’s when things get dicey,” one critic responded online. “Hollywood isn’t perfect, but there’s a difference between celebrating diversity and trying to tear it down.”
One can never expect Loudon to be short on controversy. This ultra-conservative commentator has made her voice loud and clear on almost every trend in Hollywood, from the recent hullabaloo over the casting of The Little Mermaid to her polemics against Disney’s recent plea for diversity in storytelling. Her take on Wicked reflects a greater critique of a perceived erosion of traditional values in popular culture.
Outside of media appearances, Loudon has been involved in politics, notably to support the candidatures of Donald Trump for president. Her observations about Wicked and Hollywood come at a time when cultural debates are polarizing, with conservative voices accusing mainstream media of promoting liberal ideologies that, in their view, harm the integrity of storytelling.
On Real America’s Voice, she also touched on other current issues close to her heart, including election integrity, border control, and the persecution of Christians worldwide. These issues, in addition to her commentary on the media, make her one of the leading figures in conservative circles, where her opinions on race, culture, and politics remain a talking point.
The question of race and representation in Hollywood is far from over. Loudon’s comments join a growing conversation on how various racial and ethnic groups are portrayed on the screen, big and small. While some observers view diverse casting as a positive move toward more realistic and representative storytelling, others Loudon view such a trend as one intent on denigrating traditional stories and values.
While movies like Wicked keep the debate going, there is little doubt that Hollywood’s attitude toward race and representation will continue to be debated for years. Whether you agree with Loudon or not, her comments brought into sharp focus the difficult task of navigating this cultural shift in an industry that has always been a mirror to the values and struggles of society.
Ultimately, Wicked may be more than just a film about witches and magic. For some, it’s a microcosm of the broader cultural battles being fought over race, identity, and the future of storytelling in Hollywood.