Did Sylvester Stallone ban "woke crap" on the set of one of his movies, speaking against "a bunch of granola moms and their soy boy husbands"? No, that's not true. The claim originated from a satirical website that describes everything it publishes as "fiction."
The story initially appeared in an article (archived here) published by The Dunning-Kruger Times on March 7, 2023, under the title:
Sylvester Stallone Makes It Clear: 'No Woke Crap" On His New Movie Set
The article quoted Stallone as purportedly saying:
'I won't have a bunch of granola moms and their soy boy husbands telling me what I can and can't do on my set with my crew ... the wokeness can get lost. We don't need it.'
The article continued:
Stallone joins a growing number of Hollywood conservatives finally taking a stand against the establishment. According to his publicist, Joe Barron, Stallone already has a blacklist of actors and actresses he won't hire.
Here is what it looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Dunning Kruger Times screenshot taken on Mon Jun 12 15:09:30 2023 UTC)
The Dunning-Kruger Times is a satirical website run by self-described liberal troll Christopher Blair. Its About page (archived here) has the following disclaimer:
Dunning-Kruger-Times.com is a subsidiary of the 'America's Last Line of Defense' network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery...
Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical.
The website is named after the Dunning-Kruger effect, a term from a psychology experiment that describes the phenomenon of being ignorant of one's own ignorance. (That experiment has been disputed by a math professor.)
Joe Barron mentioned in the article as Stallone's publicist is not one. He was a Blair's friend who passed away and his name continues to be used in Blair's satirical stories as an homage.
A Google News search for the phrase "Sylvester Stallone + 'no woke crap'" only showed duplicates of the claim that continued to omit key details: When, where and to whom the actor allegedly made the remark.
A broader search across the web for the phrase "Stallone 'crap'" led to a November 2022 Fox News article that, in turn, cited an ET Canada interview with the actor where he expressed his concerns related to the production of a reality show about his family:
...Stallone also admits that he worried about the show being embarrassing 'every day' during filming.
'I'd think, 'Why do I need to do this c**p, seriously?' he conceded. 'So you had to set parameters. No one's coming into the bathroom and watching you brush your teeth.'
Nothing in the article discussed so-called "wokeism."
A November 2022 Hollywood Reporter interview with the actor provides insights suggesting he tends to avoid getting into highly politicized controversies:
Q.: Could you make a conservative-leaning major studio film now? Top Gun: Maverick was pro-military and did huge, but it straddled the line.
A.: A good story is a good story, and if you lean very hard on the politics, you're asking for trouble. Like everyone assumed Rambo is a conservative. President Reagan posted a picture going, "Rambo's a Republican." I went, "Uh oh." Rambo is totally neutral. He doesn't even live in this country. He feels scorned by it. And my politics are: "May the best man win." I voted on both [sides], but I'm definitely in the middle. People assume I'm the same as my character -- and I do talk to everybody; I think it's crazy not to. Actually, I avoid some people because it sends out the wrong [message]. You're asking yourself, "Do I really need this controversy?"
Yet, in the spring of 2023, besides English, the claim circulated in Portuguese.
In late May 2023, the Dunning-Kruger Times story was republished verbatim without proper attribution by Vietnamese-based website Ngeh.Info, and that triggered another wave of reposts on social media.
The website did not disclose information about the team behind it, but its Terms and Conditions page also contained a disclaimer:
The materials on NGEH website are provided on an 'as is' basis. NGEH makes no warranties, expressed or implied, and hereby disclaims and negates all other warranties including, without limitation, implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement of intellectual property or other violation of rights. [...]
NGEH does not warrant or make any representations concerning the accuracy, likely results, or reliability of the use of the materials on its website or otherwise relating to such materials or on any sites linked to this site.
It was not the first time false claims involving Stallone appeared on the web. For example, Lead Stories previously debunked a rumor that the actor walked in public wearing a Trump T-shirt -- that image was digitally altered.
