The hosts of ABC’s daytime program The View tore into Billy Bob Thornton after the actor explained that he prefers not to discuss politics, claiming that remaining quiet amounts to complicity.

Thornton, currently starring in the Paramount+ series Landman, made the remarks during an appearance on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast.

He told Mandel that he intentionally avoids political commentary, citing comedian Ricky Gervais’s past warning to award show attendees to accept their trophies and move on.

“I don’t know anything about politics,” Thornton said.

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“I have no idea. And the stuff that I do believe, I don’t want to force it down somebody else’s throat because I’m not an expert on that.”

After playing a clip of the interview, The View’s hosts reacted strongly to his approach of steering clear of political debates and focusing instead on entertainment.

Joy Behar blasted Thornton’s remarks, saying, “Imagine bragging about how uninformed you are,” and described his stance as foolish.

Sunny Hostin agreed, emphasizing what she sees as a civic duty for public figures to speak out. “We are at a crisis point in this country. I think democracy is participatory,” she stated.

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Hostin went further, arguing that celebrities with influence have a responsibility to use their platform. “When you have a platform, that means I have an outsized voice and when you have a platform, I think that you have a responsibility to speak up about what’s going on in this country and my view silence is complicity. We need every single ally to speak out.”

However, Alyssa Farah Griffin countered that the panel’s reactions showed inconsistency. She pointed out that the same hosts had previously criticized George Clooney when he publicly urged Joe Biden to step aside.

“A lot of this table criticized George Clooney when he wrote his Biden op-ed,” Griffin said. “That is a celebrity using his voice, saying what he believes, it can’t just be when they agree with your position.”

Behar pushed back, arguing that criticizing Thornton was her own exercise of free speech. She noted that while Thornton could speak freely, so could she in disagreeing with him.

Griffin maintained that forcing actors to speak out was unfair and counterproductive. She dismissed much of Hollywood activism as “slacktivism,” saying too many celebrities speak out without understanding the issues. “I don’t think we should bully people, saying, ‘You have to speak out,’” she added.

Sara Haines also expressed skepticism about celebrity activism, noting that much of what entertainers say only resonates with people who already agree with them and rarely persuades anyone new.

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Throughout the exchange, the panel remained divided over whether artists have a social responsibility to engage politically or if choosing neutrality is just as valid a stance.

Thornton, for his part, has not responded publicly to the panel’s criticism and continues to promote his current series.