Ben Shapiro's Attack On Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy Backfires Brutally
Ben Shapiro, king of bad takes and putting planks of wood in dainty plastic bags, never seems to get tired of attacking more famous and successful people online. Such is the burden of the reactionary grifter, but unfortunately for Shapiro, he rarely comes out on top in these scuffles. And now, the right-wing commentator has started his 2024 off with a failed jab at Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
"Kathleen Kennedy is legitimately the worst entertainment executive of my lifetime," Shapiro wrote on X on January 3. His dig is part of a larger wave of conservative ire sparked by recent comments about "Star Wars" from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. In a New Year's interview with CNN's Obaid-Chinoy, who will direct the upcoming Rey Skywalker-centric "New Jedi Order" "Star Wars" film for Disney, discussed her unique role in the history of the franchise and how excited she is for the new movie. "We're in 2024 now, and I think it's about time we had a woman come forward to shape the story in a galaxy far, far away."
The multi-Oscar winner was clearly alluding to the fact that only white men have ever directed "Star Wars" movies. But it took no time at all for bad-faith commenters online to go after both Obaid-Chinoy and her project, claiming she forgot all the work that women have contributed to the franchise over the years. Whenever there's conservative clout to be gained, Shapiro shows up with bells on, but his attack on Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy quickly backfired.
Star Wars fans let loose on Ben Shapiro online
It didn't take long for Ben Shapiro's quip to be ripped apart by the denizens of X. Writer-director Joe Russo posted a simple comparison of all of Kennedy's successes compared to Shapiro's. "Kathleen Kennedy: Indiana Jones, Poltergeist, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, The Goonies, Batteries Not Included, Who Framed Roger Rabbit Cape Fear, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Twister, Star Wars (and more)," Russo wrote. "Failed Screenwriter Ben Shapiro: Lady Ballers."
Trolls like to ignore all the work Kennedy was a part of prior to the "Star Wars" sequels began: her eight Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, her co-founding of Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg, and her status as the third-highest-grossing producer ever at the global box office. They also ignore the fact that "The Force Awakens' is the fifth-highest-grossing movie ever made, that "The Last Jedi" is number 20, or that "Rogue One" and "The Rise of Skywalker" are both in the top 50.
Shapiro himself famously failed in an attempted screenwriting career — something that X users were quick to point out. "If Ben Shapiro thinks Kathleen Kennedy is the worst entertainment executive of his lifetime, wait until he hears about Ben Shapiro," @Dreamking89 wrote in a post. User @IronGiante echoed the sentiment, calling Shapiro a "failed little screenwriter who couldn't even make it in Hollywood."
The toxic Kathleen Kennedy narrative continues to be false
There's no question that Disney's time as steward of "Star Wars" has been bumpy. The combination of dipping box office hauls, fan polarization, and the rise of streaming prompted Lucasfilm to abandon theatrical "Star Wars" films in 2019 and focus primarily on Disney+ content, which has been of varying quality. Despite the misses, though, fans have gotten some fantastic stories, including "Andor," the first two seasons of "The Mandalorian," "Star Wars Rebels," "The Clone Wars" Season 7, and "The Bad Batch."
And that's without mentioning the movies, which by and large have also been successes both critically and commercially. If there's one particular failing at Kennedy's feet, it's the lack of a cohesive plan for the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, which led to ongoing debates over the quality of "The Last Jedi" and "The Rise of Skywalker." But it's also true that no other major Hollywood producers are given the same amount of blame for every decision made under their watch.
Shapiro's comment that Kennedy is a historically awful executive, however, remains what such claims have always been — sexist tirades from reactionary trolls who believe the women are coming for us all. It may get his fanbase of basement shut-ins mashing their keyboards in agreement, but it doesn't change anything about Kennedy's prestigious track record, or that Shapiro himself has failed to produce much beyond Internet temper tantrums and hate.