Published 11:49 08 Sep 2017 GMT

George Clooney has been quietly housing a Yazidi refugee

Whenever celebrities get vocal about a cause, people are quick to point out their hypocrisy. Particularly when it comes to immigrants and refugees, wealthy movie stars who advocate for limitless immigration are accused of not putting their money where their mouth is, leaving common people to deal with housing and employment issues while they skate by unaffected. These people certainly have a point. Immigrants will ultimately bolster a Western country's economy and ageing population, but how exactly are they supposed to compete for housing, or jobs? Won't citizens be pushed out of their already tepid standing in society? Well, when it comes to refugees, George Clooney has decided to take matters into his own hands. In The Hollywood Reporter, the veteran actor revealed that he and his wife Amal have been allowing a Yazidi refugee to stay in one of their homes, in Augusta, Kentucky. The Yazidi are a Kurdish ethnic and religious minority in Iraq, and ISIS in particular is hunting them down. ISIS, in its fanatical approach to Islam, considers the Yazidi to be devil-worshippers because they believe that the Luciferic fallen angel figure of Islam and Christianity has been redeemed and returned to Heaven, not been cast into Hell. They're considered infidels by Al-Qaeda, and faced several genocidal attacks throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Clooney did not give out any personal information about the particular refugee he was hosting, but described how he got there. "He was on this bus to Mosul, and ISIS shot the two bus drivers and said, 'Anybody who wants to go to college, we will shoot them.'" It's a common feature of totalitarian ideologies, from the old Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, to ISIS in the Middle East: education is vilified. "He survived and came to America. He got through all the checks, and once he got through those, it was like, 'Listen, we got your back. You want to get an education? You want to move your life forward? This is something that we can do.' " Clooney says the man is now a student at the University of Chicago. We're not entirely sure how he commutes from Kentucky to Chicago, but hey, I'm sure Clooney has a lot of houses for him to stay at around the city. Clooney has been known for his philanthropy, and plans to give one million dollars to the Southern Poverty Law Center this year. Between raising money for Darfur and environmentalist causes, he certainly tries to do some good, along with his wife Amal, who is a human rights lawyer and has even worked for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. If you have several houses and hundreds of millions of dollars, why not use them to do what you think is right? After all, you don't need higher taxes to start giving away some of your own money, and you don't need to wait for the government to start housing refugees if you've got empty homes. In related news, it seems that Cher may also be providing comfort for some other people who need a place to stay - immigrants. At least, if Twitter can rid itself of collective amnesia long enough to hold her to it: [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/cher/status/905116735216517120]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/bwebb56/status/905124843892256768]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/cher/status/905125640504041472]] Let's hope she follows through! If Hollywood actually uses its money to house and help those they sympathise with, then they'll at least be active in their beliefs.

uncategorised3 min(s) read

Published 02:37 12 Jan 2018 GMT

Trump says he doesn't want immigrants from 'sh*thole countries'

Tom Wood

Donald Trump is no friend of foreigners, unless you're a dictator from Russia, or a supermodel from Slovenia. I mean, remember when he peddled that idiotic conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii? How about when he launched his presidential campaign by calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals? Since he became president, he's remained America's racist grandpa, tweeting racist images, calling Senators racial slurs and attempting to "ban all Muslims" from entering the country. For someone who claims to be "the least racist person you've ever met," he sure makes a lot of racially charged remarks. Currently, Trump is negotiating with lawmakers over how to help "Dreamers" - young undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. The Obama-led Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program - aka DACA - granted short-term passes to these 700,000 undocumented immigrants, so they could live and work without fear of deportation. However, last September, Trump killed the program, for seemingly no reason. And now he says he won't sign any legislation that helps dreamers unless it includes a plan to build his famous "wall." (Even though it's impossible, ineffective and ridiculously expensive - also, Mexico's not paying for it!) During today's negotiations, some congressional lawmakers proposed granting visas to people from Haiti, El Salvador and African nations who are here on temporary protected status. That status has already been terminated for more than 200,000 immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and Nicaragua, who now have just a few months to decide whether they should leave or face deportation. In response to this reasonable request that shows the basic minimum of human decency, Trump scoffed, asking "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?" Then he suggested the U.S. "should have more people from places like Norway." (White countries are good and brown countries are bad, apparently.)

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/RepBonnie/status/951577336834600967]]

Sources told The Washington Post about Trump's remarks, and the comments were later confirmed by NBC News, BuzzFeed and CNN. But since it's not being reported by Breitbart, InfoWars or a crazy skinhead waving a tiki torch, I'm sure his supporters will dismiss all of this as "fake news." Sad!

White House press secretary Raj Shah responded with a typical jingoistic statement, that danced around the "shithole" remark. “Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries," said Raj. "But President Trump will always fight for the American people. He will always reject temporary, weak and dangerous stopgap measures that threaten the lives of hardworking Americans, and undercut immigrants who seek a better life in the United States through a legal pathway." (Notice he doesn't deny that Trump called certain countries "shitholes.")

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/RepBonnie/status/951577336834600967]]

Democratic lawmakers and people who aren't total jerks condemned the president's "racist attitude." Representative Bonnie Coleman called him a "cowardly racist who has no business being the President of the United States. Meanwhile, Elisa Massimino, the CEO of Human Rights First, called his remark "disgusting" and "shameful." "Congress must not give in to this hateful, racist, and divisive narrative coming out of the White House," wrote Elisa. "America is counting on you to defend human dignity by standing firm for our commitment to protect the persecuted." Hopefully one day someone will inform Donald Trump that America was founded as a nation of immigrants, and that, ironically, killing the DACA program makes us seem like a 'shithole country.'

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donald trump barack obama

uncategorised5 min(s) read

Published 15:51 12 Jun 2018 GMT

7 famous people you didn't know were once refugees

Tom Wood

Half of the 65 million people displaced by conflict in 2016 were children. With a bloody and ongoing war in Syria, climate change making its impact felt across regions of East Africa and South Asia, and repressive regimes in control in various countries across the globe, this refugee crisis looks set to continue. But displacement is nothing new. From the "boat people" of the Vietnam War to the millions of people who moved across Europe in the shadow of the Second World War, history has seen its fair share of forced migration. But what happens to these people once they reach a place of safety? Some will go on to live entirely normal lives. Some, it seems, go on to make history. So, let's take a look at a few of the famous faces in entertainment, politics and education who were once refugees.

1. Albert Einstein

Arguably the world’s most famous scientist, Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany in 1879. As a man of Jewish faith, Einstein faced persecution at the hands of the Nazis and fled to the US in 1933. His cottage was later turned into a Hitler Youth Camp by the SS. Once in the US, he used his influence to help obtain visas for others fleeing Germany. In later life, he was vocal about his disdain for racism, nationalism and nuclear weapons - so much so that the FBI actually put him on a watch list.

2. Mila Kunis

Actress Mila Kunis and her family arrived to the US in 1991, when she was just seven years old, having been forced to leave their home in Ukraine amid a surge of antisemitism. In interviews, Kunis has talked about the fact that both of her parents had to give up good jobs to make the move, about the difficulty of moving to the US with no English, and her lack of understanding of American culture. Unsurprisingly, both her and husband Ashton Kutcher have been highly critical of Donald Trump's anti-Muslim, anti-refugee rhetoric. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/aplusk/status/825821589027463168]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/aplusk/status/825824829697699840]]

3. Rita Ora

Born to Albanian parents in Kosovo, Ora fled to the UK with her family at the age of one due to the ill-treatment faced by Albanians in the country at that time. She has since spoken of the racism she faced growing up, giving speeches calling for greater tolerance and support for refugees arriving from Syria: “This is an opportunity for all of us to reach out and embrace families and people in a time of need… we can approach this crisis with compassion and care. If we take action, we help everyone thrive.” [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcf8mubhzSL/]]

4. Madeline Albright

Madeline Albright may be best known as the first woman to hold the position of Secretary of State in the US, but she was originally born in Prague as the daughter of a Czech diplomat. The family were forced to leave the country in 1938, when Germany occupied Czechoslovakia and her father's political links put them in conflict with the new regime. They briefly returned at the end of the Second World War, before being forced out again by the rise of the Soviet Union and communist ideology. Having arrived in the US in November 1948, she spent her entire career helping to promote and safeguard refugee rights. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/madeleine/status/938063376957222912]]

5. M.I.A

Born in London in 1975, rapper M.I.A moved to Sri Lanka, where her father was involved in the Tamil separatist movement, when she was just a baby. With civil war in the country raging - in one interview she recalled being shot at in school by soldiers - she returned to the UK with her brother and mum at the age of 11, this time as refugees. The musician has used her work to shine a light of the experience of refugees, describing her first album as intended to “make every refugee kid that came over after me have something to feel good about.” [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BP4sSX5BwNM/]]

6. Regina Spektor

Singer-songwriter Regina Spektor was born in Moscow, Russia and left the Soviet Union in 1989 as a result of antisemitism and religious repression. Although the Soviet Union would collapse just two years later, the family could not return as Russian citizens as their passports were reportedly destroyed by border security as punishment. It was only in 2012 that Spektor returned to the country of her birth for the first time, describing the experience as beautiful, but noting that oppression still exists in the country: "You get plopped into your family language and feel a natural connection to the way of thinking, but the kind of Russia it is now, with Putin, the anti-gay laws… It’s this alternate weird reality." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/respektor/status/838827967593779204]]

7. Freddie Mercury

As the iconic frontman of and genius behind British rock band Queen, many people will no doubt be surprised to find out that Freddie Mercury was actually born Farrokh Bulsara, in colonial Zanzibar - now part of Tanzania - to Indian parents. Having spent much of his childhood in India, he returned to Zanzibar in 1963, but was forced to flee again in 1964 during the Zanzibar revolution, in which many individuals of Indian and Arab descent were killed. A British citizen from birth, Mercury settled in London. In general, it's fair to say that the media takes a pretty limited, stereotypical view of refugees, tending to characterise those fleeing persecution and conflict as either objects of pity or plague, depending on which end of the political spectrum their editorial line falls. But as these stars show, there is no such thing as a "typical" refugee - and there never has been.

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donald trump

celebrity3 min(s) read

Published 16:51 16 Nov 2021 GMT

George Clooney slams 'Rust' producers as he calls Alec Baldwin shooting incident 'insane'

Nika Shakhnazarova

George Clooney has weighed in on the tragic shooting that took place on the set of Rust.

Last month, actor Alec Baldwin unintentionally discharged a prop gun on the set of the Western movie in Santa Fe, New Mexico, injuring the director, Joel Souza, and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

At the time that Hutchins, a married mother-of-one, was accidentally killed, Baldwin was rehearsing for a scene that entailed pointing the prop gun at the camera before pulling the trigger, Souza revealed in an affidavit on October 24.

As the investigation into the tragic ordeal continues, Clooney has given his take on the devastating situation that could have been easily avoided.

Credit: Matt Crossick / Alamy

In an interview on WTF with Marc Maron, Clooney slammed the producers of the film, saying: "Why for the life of me this low-budget film, with producers who haven't produced anything, wouldn't have hired, for the armorer, someone with experience."

He then called the situation "insane" and "infuriating".

Clooney also detailed his experience of working with guns on movies: "I've been on sets for 40 years and the person that hands you the gun, the person that is responsible for the gun is either the prop person or the armor. Period."

The set of the movie 'Rust' in New Mexico. Credit: ZUMA Press Inc / Alamy

He added: "Every single time I’m handed a gun on set, I look at it, I open it, I show it to the person I'm pointing it to, we show it to the crew, every single take you hand it back to the armor when you're done, and you do it again. Everyone does it."

Clooney also talked about the safety process when he has used a gun in a film: "We need to be better at making the heads of department experienced and know what they’re doing. Because this is just infuriating. Every time I get handed a six gun, you point it at the ground, and you fire. You squeeze it six times. Always."

The actor and director also addressed claims the assistant director called out "cold gun" on set signifying that the gun was safe to use: "I've never heard of the term 'cold gun', they’re just talking about stuff I've never heard of. It's infuriating."

Featured image credit: Sipa US / Alamy

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coronavirus server doordash alec baldwin george clooney

uncategorised3 min(s) read

Published 12:16 07 Nov 2017 GMT

George Clooney set to retire from acting

Tom Wood

George Clooney: the man who every man in the world is jealous of. The actor, who is widely regarded as the most handsome man on the planet, has had a long and illustrious career, winning several awards and starring in plenty of huge films along the way. Films such as Ocean's 11, O'Brother, Where Art Thou? and Burn After Reading will go down as as some of his greatest works. Oh, and who can forget his ~~awful~~ incredible depiction of Batman in the ~~absolutely sh*t~~ amazing Batman & Robin - what a film. But while Clooney may be one of the most famous and successful actors in the world, it seems like he may be about the finally hang up his boots and take a step away from the camera. Obviously, George Clooney is a pretty wealthy bloke - I mean, just look at him. You don't look that healthy and that suave when you're living hand to mouth every day, do you? And this is the exact reason why he doesn't see himself appearing on the big screen anytime soon. While Clooney was pocketing a cool $16.5 million per movie, the main reason he's decided to give up his day job is due to his tequila company... which he sold for one billion dollars. "Look, I acted for a long time and, you know, I’m 56. I’m not the guy that gets the girl anymore. "Well, yeah, I shouldn’t be the guy that gets the girl. But, look, if somebody’s got Paul Newman in The Verdict, I’d jump. "But there aren’t that many like that. Acting used to be how I paid the rent, but I sold a tequila company for a billion f*cking dollars. I don’t need money." Clooney has been moving away from Hollywood ever since he founded his tequila company back in 2013 with his friends. Despite the company being only four years old, Clooney sold it in June for one billion dollars. Yep, one BILLION DOLLARS. However, don't fear - Clooney is not leaving the Hollywood lifestyle completely. He's been transitioning from his role in front of the camera to the seats behind it, with him beginning his foray into the world of directing. His latest project, a movie called Suburbicon, has an all-star cast as well as an incredible production team that only a man with significant Hollywood connections could pull together. Despite being written by Clooney and the legendary Coen brothers, as well as starring Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac, the film has completely bombed upon release, with critics and moviegoers being less than impressed with the movie. Even though critics and the general public haven't taken too kindly to Clooney's first foray into the world of directing, I doubt he will care too much. At the end of the day, what's a bad review when you've just sold your company for a billion dollars? George Clooney: the man who every man in the world is jealous of.

entertainment news3 min(s) read

Published 11:07 01 Jan 2026 GMT

President Donald Trump shares furious rant after George Clooney and Amal are granted French citizenship

Phoebe Egoroff

President Donald Trump has launched a scathing rant after reports emerged that George Clooney, his wife Amal, and their twin children have been granted French citizenship.

The US president reacted to the news with a lengthy post on Truth Social on Wednesday, December 31, framing the Clooneys’ move as “good news” – though not in a complimentary way.

Trump Takes Aim at Clooney Over Politics and France Move

In his post, Trump mocked the Hollywood star and human rights attorney, calling them “two of the worst political prognosticators of all time” following their reported naturalisation as French citizens.

He also used the moment to criticise France’s handling of immigration, comparing it to what he described as failures under former President Joe Biden.

“Good News! George and Amal Clooney… have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem,” Trump wrote, before blaming immigration policy and taking a swipe at Biden using his usual nickname.

Credit: Truth Social

Trump Reignites Feud Over Clooney’s Biden Op-Ed

Trump also revisited George Clooney’s July 2024 New York Times op-ed, in which the actor urged President Biden to step aside following a widely criticised debate performance and allow Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic ticket.

Referring to that moment, Trump claimed Clooney had abandoned Biden during a fundraiser before backing Harris, whom he mocked alongside several Democratic governors.

He went on to accuse Clooney of using politics to gain publicity, suggesting the actor received more attention from political commentary than from his film career.

“He wasn’t a movie star at all,” Trump claimed, calling Clooney’s films “mediocre” before signing off with his trademark slogan.

Donald Trump has taken aim at the Clooneys. Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.

George Clooney Responds to Trump Lawsuit Settlement

While Clooney has not responded directly to Trump’s latest comments, he recently spoke candidly about the former president during a recent interview with Variety.

The actor criticised CBS News after the network agreed to pay $16 million to Trump’s future presidential library to settle a lawsuit over alleged deceptive editing of Kamala Harris’ appearance on 60 Minutes.

“If CBS and ABC had challenged those lawsuits and said, ‘Go f*** yourself,’ we wouldn’t be where we are in the country,” Clooney said.

Clooney Reflects on Knowing Trump Before Politics

Clooney also revealed he knew Trump well before his political career, describing him as a “big goofball” who frequently called him and socialised in New York.

George and Amal Clooney. Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Apple TV+/Getty Images.

“That all changed,” Clooney added, suggesting Trump became a different person once he entered politics.

The actor has been a long-time critic of Trump, previously saying the Trump name would be permanently associated with the January 6 Capitol riots.

Why the Clooneys Now Live in France

George and Amal Clooney, along with their eight-year-old twins Alexander and Ella, currently live in France, where they own a farm.

Clooney has said the move was partly motivated by a desire to raise his children away from Hollywood culture.

“They have dinner with grown-ups, they take their dishes in,” he told GQ. “They have a much better life.”

According to French newspaper Journal officiel, the family officially obtained French citizenship in December 2025.

Featured image credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images.

Tags:

entertainment news us news donald turmp george clooney amal clooney

uncategorised5 min(s) read

Published 15:51 12 Jun 2018 GMT

7 famous people you didn't know were once refugees

Tom Wood

1. Albert Einstein

2. Mila Kunis

3. Rita Ora

4. Madeline Albright

5. M.I.A

6. Regina Spektor

7. Freddie Mercury

Tags:

donald trump

George Clooney has been quietly housing a Yazidi refugee

Trump says he doesn't want immigrants from 'sh*thole countries'

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7 famous people you didn't know were once refugees

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George Clooney slams 'Rust' producers as he calls Alec Baldwin shooting incident 'insane'

Featured image credit: Sipa US / Alamy

Tags:

George Clooney set to retire from acting

President Donald Trump shares furious rant after George Clooney and Amal are granted French citizenship

Trump Takes Aim at Clooney Over Politics and France Move

Trump Reignites Feud Over Clooney’s Biden Op-Ed

George Clooney Responds to Trump Lawsuit Settlement

Clooney Reflects on Knowing Trump Before Politics

Why the Clooneys Now Live in France

Featured image credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images.

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George Clooney has been quietly housing a Yazidi refugee

Follow Up Articles

Trump says he doesn't want immigrants from 'sh*thole countries'

7 famous people you didn't know were once refugees

George Clooney slams 'Rust' producers as he calls Alec Baldwin shooting incident 'insane'

George Clooney set to retire from acting

President Donald Trump shares furious rant after George Clooney and Amal are granted French citizenship

Trump says he doesn't want immigrants from 'sh*thole countries'

Tags:

7 famous people you didn't know were once refugees

Tags:

George Clooney slams 'Rust' producers as he calls Alec Baldwin shooting incident 'insane'

Featured image credit: Sipa US / Alamy

Tags:

George Clooney set to retire from acting

President Donald Trump shares furious rant after George Clooney and Amal are granted French citizenship

Trump Takes Aim at Clooney Over Politics and France Move

Trump Reignites Feud Over Clooney’s Biden Op-Ed

George Clooney Responds to Trump Lawsuit Settlement

Clooney Reflects on Knowing Trump Before Politics

Why the Clooneys Now Live in France

Featured image credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images.

Tags:

Follow Up Articles

Trump says he doesn't want immigrants from 'sh*thole countries'

7 famous people you didn't know were once refugees

George Clooney slams 'Rust' producers as he calls Alec Baldwin shooting incident 'insane'

George Clooney set to retire from acting

President Donald Trump shares furious rant after George Clooney and Amal are granted French citizenship