Actor and filmmaker Ben Stiller slammed the White House recently for making use of a clip from his 2008 comedy film Tropic Thunder in a social media video promoting US military actions. The video mixed scenes from popular movies with real footage of military strikes and was posted online with the caption: 'Justice the American Way!'
Stiller replied in a fierce manner on the public platform of X, stating that neither he nor the film's creators gave permission for this clip to be used. He then asked the White House to remove it and strongly slammed the footage on display
In his message, he mentioned that they had no interest in being a part of the propaganda machine and emphasized that the war is no movie.
The controversy is part of a bigger backlash from artists whose music or film content appeared in similar government videos.
Several musicians and creators have complained that the work was used without permission in posts linked to military actions or political messaging.