Never Trust a Celebrity

From the “never trust a politician” files (see Milei and his reversion to the mean with his political rhetoric) we now have the latest edition of “never trust a celebrity.” Our latest victim (or shall we say perpetrator) is Rob Schneider’s X post (March 27, 2026) .

Briefly, Scheider is now promoting (non-ironically) the idea of reinstating the draft in the US (a sadly “new” idea re-emerging). Upon publishing his unsolicited opinion he received a tidal wave of backlash (or “ratio” in X-posting parlance). He soon doubled down to “explain” it was meant to be a legal instrument to de-incentivize politicians from sending other kids off to war if they know their own children might get called up.  The most charitable interpretation of this stance is that he is incredibly naïve, not only about politics but likewise American history (e.g. the recent wars where there has been no congressional approval of military incursions along with well-publicized Vietnam era draft dodging by politically connected youth).

However, this stance is even more disappointing (although not surprising) given his somewhat recent “coming out” as a pro-Misesian in 2021 (originally highlighted in a Tweet of his showcasing a stack of Austrian economics textbooks provided by the Mises Institute ca August 2021 – now curiously deleted). At the time he (rightly) argued that the Misesian view that central planning (of states) is destined to fail and infringes on natural rights (that is, the right to bodily autonomy, such as, say, not having your body drafted into a war machine against your will).

Such repudiations are not surprising given how common they have become among a range of celebrities. This behavior should make any libertarian cautious about linking their reputation to that of some fly-by-night celebrity’s “revelation” on liberty. Some notable examples include:

Arnold Schwarzeneggar – from a Milton Friedman-promoting young buck (1990 – promotional intro to Friedmans “Free to Choose” series on PBS) to the “Screw your freedom!” former Governor of California

Howard Stern – From 1994 Libertarian party candidate for NY Governor to shouting “F*ck your freedom” during the Covid era (September 2021 – live broadcast, widely cited)

Penn Jillette – A one-time Fellow at the Cato Institute and longtime pro-liberty advocate (with such views often highlighted during the “Penn & Teller – Bullshit!” series) likewise shed his libertarian label during Covid (during an interview with Joe Rogan .

The operative thread contributing to these Peter-esque denialisms of their former savior appears to be fear. Liberty is fine for thee and me while we feel safe, but the moment one’s safety is (apparently) at risk these sorts are quick to dispense with their (former) principles as they scuttle back into the burrow of statism. In that regard celebrities are not all that dissimilar to everyone else. Sad.