How an Oscar Blogger Became a MAGA Darling

As I delve deeper into the captivating narrative of Sasha Stone, a woman who has navigated the treacherous waters of Hollywood and politics with equal parts passion and perseverance, it is impossible not to be in awe of her tenacity. Born and raised in Ojai, California, she defied societal norms by daring to pursue a career in acting, only to find her true calling in the world of movies as a writer and blogger extraordinaire.

On July 30, following the “White Dudes for Harris” meeting that gathered Kamala Harris supporters on Zoom, Sasha Stone, a well-known figure in Oscar punditry who often attends prestigious film festivals like Telluride and Savannah, posted the phrase “White power!” from her X account at Awards Daily, an entertainment news site she owns. Stone claimed that she was making a humorous comment about the left’s inconsistent use of identity politics, stating that she was merely highlighting its absurdity by segregating themselves based on race. However, the post, which has since been deleted along with all her tweets older than a few days, generated controversy and attracted the attention of studio executives, film festival organizers, and publicists.

“An executive shared with me that a quote from Sasha Stone is no longer appropriate for them, as their studio was withdrawing their advertising funds from Awards Daily. Similarly, another studio’s representative stated they would cease inviting her to screenings and events. A prominent Academy member expressed that if Stone was attempting humor, it wasn’t amusing. Over the next fortnight, three of Awards Daily’s most active contributors decided to depart from Stone’s site and establish a new one instead.”

In the realm of my personal perspective as an admirer, I’ve noticed a fascinating transformation shining through in the political journey of the esteemed Oscar blogger, whom many know from her Substack, “Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning.” Initially, a vocal Democrat, she has recently veered towards conservative views over the past few years, crafting an intriguing persona as a former Hollywood liberal reborn.

Stone admits that she was aware of the risk in taking this political path and concealed it for a considerable period. She laments that many of her former friends no longer engage with her. Although Stone’s statements about race, gender, and sexuality have elicited everything from discomfort to fury, her white power comment might be the one that ultimately banishes her from Hollywood. In a sense, this isolation appears to validate her belief in the increasing intolerance on the left.

As an ardent netizen, I’ve always found myself expressing unique viewpoints, much like the esteemed Stone. In her late fifties, she has carved out a niche with an unconventional voice, and to those within the tight-knit film awards community, her perspective serves as a refreshing counterbalance to what is often perceived as the monolithic echo chamber of Film Twitter. “She was somewhat anti-nonsense,” shares one publicist who represents numerous Oscar winners. “Her insights were genuine and raw. We admired that.”

2017 saw film criticisms label Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri as racist, prompting writer Stone to pen a defense for the movie. Similar debates about racial politics erupted around Green Book in 2019, leading to Stone’s comments in the Wall Street Journal denouncing the “ruination” of the filmmakers. Stone expressed frustration, stating that political points seemed to be the only focus, saying at the time, “It seems as if nothing else matters except these political issues.” She also stood by Ansel Elgort during the 2020 release of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, when he was accused of sexual assault (which he denies). Despite these controversies, the movies generally performed well in the Oscar race; Green Book won best picture and both it and the other films received seven nominations each for best picture. However, Stone herself admits that she was hurt by these experiences. She likened her treatment on “Film Twitter” to the Red Scare of the 1940s and 50s, saying, “I was bullied,” and as a result, she began to distance herself from the left.

Stone’s connection with attention is intricate and despite her flamboyant online persona, she tends to be introverted face-to-face, frequently avoiding social events such as cocktail parties, packed screenings, and other networking events during awards season. For a prolonged period, she publicly displayed nude images of herself on Flickr. “I was restless and I sought a romantic life,” she confesses. “I ceased because it didn’t satisfy me.” Stone acknowledges her loneliness – one of her few remaining companions is Jeffrey Wells, a self-proclaimed anti-woke writer from Hollywood Elsewhere, whom she dated in the past and who is recognized for requesting explicit outtakes from a director and commenting on subjects like Emma Stone’s “narrow, spade-like feet” in a review of last year’s Oscar contender Poor Thing. (Wells had written about this story before its publication).

Stone’s fiery reputation is deeply rooted in her personal experiences. Raised in the countercultural enclaves of Topanga Canyon and Ojai, California, she was the daughter of a waitress and a troubled jazz drummer who divorced when she was three. Her mother, whom she once described as a “hellcat,” remarried, ventured into real estate flipping, and eventually achieved success. Stone has hinted at experiencing child abuse in her past. In an episode of the David Fincher-produced Netflix show Voir, she recounts how movies, particularly Jaws, provided an escape from a difficult reality. Speaking about a “new man” in her mother’s life and the terror of Jaws, she said, “It gave us something to turn to instead of someone to run away from.” When asked about the abuse, Stone prefers not to revisit the topic. “We spend a lot of time on the left in therapy,” she says. “My story was always, ‘I’m an abused child,’ but I don’t want that to be my story anymore. Growing up in the 70s was tough, and my mother had four children before the age of 25.” Today, Stone resides in a small city near Los Angeles, in an Accessory Dwelling Unit on one of her mother’s properties.

Following her graduation from high school in Ojai, Stone relocated to Los Angeles with aspirations of acting. However, she didn’t succeed in that field. Instead, she earned a degree in playwriting from UCLA, secured recognition in the Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards, and started writing about films as a pastime on early internet discussion groups. In 1998, she gave birth to a daughter with a man she connected with online; their relationship didn’t last long.

Back in 1999, residing in a guest house in Van Nuys with her newborn, Stone established one of the initial Oscar-focused blogs, which she originally named Oscarwatch before the Academy filed a lawsuit and it was renamed Awards Daily. The extensive Oscar coverage field, where THR is also involved, flourished during the 2000s, and Stone was a significant figure within this scene. She constructed her site while juggling various roles such as horoscope writer, janitor, and teacher’s aide. She handled the writing, web design, and ad sales herself initially, before later incorporating some freelance contributors. Stone is recognized for enthusiastically supporting films rather than critically panning them, and her predictive abilities have proven to be quite accurate throughout the years. In 2023, Awards Daily reportedly generated income ranging between $200,000 and $300,000, as per Stone’s statements.

Following the movie “Green Book”, Stone found herself targeted by harsh critics, and she started empathizing with Trump’s plight. In May of 2020, her frustration with the political left escalated as Covid-19 forced college campuses to close, causing her daughter’s NYU graduation to be celebrated at home on their balcony in Burbank. “We were all making our own masks, sanitizers, and suddenly George Floyd was killed,” Stone recalls. “The lockdowns ended, and yet Democrats and their experts argued that systemic racism was a greater threat than the pandemic.” Stone’s anger grew, she says, when she witnessed the 2022 FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, which ultimately resulted in Trump’s indictment for handling classified documents. “I believe what our government has done to Trump is risky,” she states. “The objective was to prevent him from running again.”

Initially writing critically about the left, Stone found herself gaining a new following. Her Substack now boasts over 17,000 subscribers and she’s made appearances on Megyn Kelly’s SiriusXM show. “Trump-related content tends to be popular,” Stone admits. “People seem drawn to it out of curiosity or because they support Trump. I sense opportunities opening up ahead.” However, as more Trump supporters have come on board, some of Stone’s Hollywood readers have expressed concern. “Is she alright?” a studio insider asked me after the white power tweet. “It appears she’s ventured deep into a rabbit hole.”

As Stone has been attracting a new political following, several freelance writers who have contributed significantly to Awards Daily’s content are parting ways. Megan McLachlan, one of those writers who spent a decade covering Stone for the site and is now leaving as TV editor, explained that Stone’s journey doesn’t resonate with the rest of the Awards Daily team. “Her content was evolving in a direction that didn’t align with our goals,” said McLachlan, who is starting The-Contenders.com along with other departing writers.

Stone intends to go to the Telluride Film Festival during Labor Day weekend, a place where she feels accepted. She also expresses no concern about potential losses in her income from entertainment awards. Stone admits that part of her has yearned for a time when she could honestly participate in the Oscars without fearing backlash from publicists. If they were to remove any advertising money or special access, Stone believes it would be wonderful, as she could then openly speak out.

2024-08-14 17:25

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