David Mamet Describes Hollywood’s Diversity Programs as ‘Fascist Totalitarianism’

David Mamet blatantly claims that his conservative politics or inflammatory statements are not the reason for his fall from grace. Rather, he says that he’s been pushed out of Hollywood by his age as, according to him, young directors want to work with friends of their own generation. He said, “Nobody’s going to pay me a lot of money anymore. Nobody’s going to let me have a lot of fun.”

If Mamet thinks so, he is certainly living more in his delusion, as the author, playwright, screenwriter, and filmmaker is known as one of the most controversial figures of the Hollywood industry. Now, he is once again in the spotlight for his unsolicited opinion on the liberal establishment in Hollywood.

Recently, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author stirred controversy by stating, “DEI is garbage. It’s fascist totalitarianism,” to a packed house at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

David Mamet comes with another controversial statement without the fear of any setback

Recently, during a session at USC’s Newman Recital Hall, David Mamet spoke about his tell-all memoir, “Everywhere an Oink Oink,” with Times deputy entertainment editor Matt Brennan. During the session, he told the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, “DEI is garbage. It’s fascist totalitarianism.”

For the unversed, DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The term is used to describe policies and programs that promote the representation and participation of different groups of individuals. DEI encompasses people of different ages, races, ethnicities, abilities, disabilities, genders, religions, cultures, and sexual orientations. It also covers people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, skills, and expertise.

Just like his films and theater works, Mamet’s political and social statements have made many headlines for more than a decade. And now he has targeted the new diversity rules that the Academy of Motion Pictures instituted for Oscar-eligible films to help advance the representation of LGBTQ+, women, ethnic minorities, and disabled people. In his aforementioned statement, he added that the idea that “I can’t give you a stupid f— statue unless you have 7% of this, 8% of that … it’s intrusive.”

However, Mamet acknowledged that discrimination once prevented certain groups from having opportunities in Hollywood for years. Although, he believes that the emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion has now become excessive. In his book, Mamet describes the leaders of these diversity programs as “diversity capos and “diversity commissars.” The author said to a few loud laughs in the crowd, “The [film industry] has little business improving everybody’s racial understanding, as does the fire department.” Mamet even argued that his colleagues are better off selling popcorn than trying to improve representation for women, queer talent, and other marginalized groups. While sharing his opinion, Mamet opted for a straightforward approach rather than using some filtered words. He used the outdated term “transsexuals” when talking about transgender people and railed against gender-neutral bathrooms. He said to even louder guffaws in the crowd, “It politicizes the human excretory function.”

Film executives and writers were also caught in the crossfire of Mamet’s critiques. Mamet blamed film studios for the “hegemony” that’s smothered the voices of independent filmmakers. He said, “There’s no room for individual initiative.” He also added that the film industry is experiencing the “growth, maturity, decay, and death” that “happens to everything that’s organic.”

As for his book, Everywhere an Oink Oink: An Embittered, Dyspeptic, and Accurate Report of Forty Years in Hollywood, it was published in 2023 and accounts for his last 40 years in the moviemaking business and falling out of grace as his politics shifted him from a progressive “red diaper baby” of two communist Jewish parents raised on the South Side of Chicago to a present-day Trump-loving conservative.