Ben Stiller unleashed a public rebuke against the White House on Friday after the Trump administration used footage from his 2008 satirical war comedy “Tropic Thunder” in an unauthorized social media video promoting military strikes against Iran.
The actor and director took to X to demand removal of the clip from a montage the White House posted Thursday evening captioned “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.” The video featured scenes from “Tropic Thunder” alongside clips from “Braveheart,” “Gladiator,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Breaking Bad,” “Star Wars,” and other Hollywood franchises, interspersed with actual combat footage from strikes on Iranian targets. The compilation ended with the iconic “Flawless victory” voiceover from the “Mortal Kombat” video game.
“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie,” Stiller wrote in his Friday response.
The confrontation marks the latest clash between the entertainment industry and President Donald Trump’s administration over the unauthorized use of copyrighted material for government messaging. Stiller, who directed and co-wrote “Tropic Thunder,” has been a vocal critic of Trump. He supported former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential race, appearing in campaign advertisements and making substantial donations to her campaign.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung dismissed complaints from artists in a statement that suggested the controversy only amplified the administration’s message. “All these ‘singers’ keep falling for this. This just gives us more attention and more view counts to our videos because people want to see what they’re bitching about,” Cheung wrote on X.
The White House video is part of a pattern of social media posts blending pop culture references with military operations. Earlier in the week, the Trump administration posted a video combining clips from the “Grand Theft Auto” video game franchise with real footage of strikes on Iranian targets, captioned “Ah ****, here we go again.” Another video interspersed “Call of Duty” killstreak animations with actual military strike footage.
Stiller joins a growing list of entertainment figures who have objected to the administration’s use of their work without permission. Singer Kesha criticized the White House after officials used her song “Blow” in a February 10 TikTok video featuring footage of military strikes. “It’s come to my attention that The White House has used one of my songs on TikTok to incite violence and threaten war. Trying to make light of war is disgusting and inhumane,” Kesha wrote on Instagram.
In December, pop star Sabrina Carpenter expressed outrage after the White House used her song “Juno” in a video promoting Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. “This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” Carpenter wrote on X. The White House removed that post following her complaint but later posted an edited clip from her “Saturday Night Live” appearance, dubbing her voice to say “illegal” instead of “hot.”
Radiohead issued a blistering statement in late February after ICE used their song “Let Down” in a video about what the agency called “criminal illegal alien violence.” The band demanded ICE “take it down” and added: “It ain’t funny, this song means a lot to us and other people, and you don’t get to appropriate it without a fight. Also, go **** yourselves.”
In October, Kenny Loggins condemned Trump for using his song “Danger Zone” in an AI-generated video showing the president wearing a crown, flying a fighter jet labeled “KING TRUMP,” and dumping brown sludge on “No Kings” protesters. The Trump administration has faced similar objections from Céline Dion, Bruce Springsteen, and Olivia Rodrigo over unauthorized use of their music.
Stiller was among more than 400 artists who signed an ACLU open letter last September supporting late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr pressured ABC to suspend the comedian over remarks he made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The letter called the suspension “a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.”
The actor and filmmaker, who became a comedy staple with films like “Meet the Parents,” “Zoolander,” and “Dodgeball,” serves as executive producer on the Apple TV+ series “Severance.” He directed eleven episodes across the show’s first two seasons but has announced he will not direct any Season 3 episodes due to other commitments. A fourth “Meet the Parents” film, titled “Focker In-Law,” is set for a Thanksgiving 2026 release with Stiller returning alongside Robert De Niro, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, Owen Wilson, and new cast member Ariana Grande.
The White House has not responded to requests for comment about Stiller’s demand or indicated whether it plans to remove the “Tropic Thunder” footage from the video, which remains posted on the official White House social media account.
As military operations against Iran continue, the White House shows no signs of changing its social media strategy despite mounting criticism from artists whose work appears in the videos without authorization.