Nolte: Woketard Olivia Wilde Under Fire for Disputed Claim She Fired Shia LaBeouf

One of my favorite woketard-affirmative action stories has been the unearned elevation of actress Olivia Wilde into a “major director.”

So far she’s directed two movies. The first was the woketard flop Booksmart (2019), which critics pretended to enjoy just before it crashed and burned in theaters.

Her new film, Don’t Worry Darling, is set for a September release, laughably advertised as “From Director Olivia Wilde,” and shaping up to be one of those Hollywood trainwrecks that eventually result in a tell-all book or HBO movie.

According to the rumors, Wilde (who also co-stars in the movie) got embroiled in a steamy affair with her leading man, Harry Styles, which angered star Florence Pugh because Pugh is friends with Jason Sudeikis. Sudeikis had been Wilde’s significant other since 2011. In fact, they have two kids together. Sudeikis has already begun legal proceedings against Wilde to obtain custody of the kids. Better yet, Wilde was served those papers while on stage presenting Don’t Worry Darling at Cinemacon.

Pugh and Sudeikis are beloved in Hollywood. Everyone likes them. So Wilde’s already losing that PR battle in a big, big way.

Pugh has let her disgust with Wilde (and possibly the final film) be known through endless excuses not to participate in promoting Don’t Worry Darling. Pugh has also pretty much ignored the movie on her social media accounts.

If that’s not bad enough, the early buzz is that Don’t Worry Darling, which looks like another tired, woketardathon assault on the patriarchy, some knock-off of The Stepford Wives, is receiving all kinds of bad buzz that it’s a misfire.

Anyway… Wilde likes to throw others under the bus to prove her woke bona fides or “earn performative clout” — which is how woketards describe it. For example, she did this to Clint Eastwood before the release of Richard Jewell.

And here’s a hilarious example of how this overrated cupcake speaks woketard:

Wilde says she wanted to create paradise [with the setting for Don’t Worry Darling], but clarifies: “Paradise as defined by the largely monogamous, misogynistic media and world that we’ve grown up with … My version of paradise is very nostalgic and actually comes from a world that doesn’t serve me as a woman at all,” she says. “We can talk about our complicity. Or someone who’s willing to burn the whole motherfucker down.”

So with all this going on with Sudeikis and Pugh, Wilde was apparently pretty desperate to earn some more of that “performative clout” when the far-left Variety showed up to do a glossy, butt-smooching cover story with her. And who better to throw to the wolves than Shia LaBeouf, who is currently in all kinds of #MeToo hot water? Wilde not only told Variety she’d fired LaBeouf off Don’t Worry Darling (and replaced him with Styles) but also that she fired him to protect Florence Pugh. Here’s how she explained it to Variety. You might need a woketard translator:

[Shia’s] process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions. He has a process that, in some ways, seems to require a combative energy, and I don’t personally believe that is conducive to the best performances. I believe that creating a safe, trusting environment is the best way to get people to do their best work. Ultimately, my responsibility is to the production and to the cast to protect them. That was my job.

…

I find myself just really wishing him health and evolution because I believe in restorative justice. But for our film, what we really needed was an energy that was incredibly supportive. Particularly with a movie like this, I knew that I was going to be asking Florence to be in very vulnerable situations, and my priority was making her feel safe and making her feel supported.

And now that’s unraveling in the most humiliating way…

Wilde probably expected LaBeouf to sit there and take it. After all, he’s in enough trouble with the woke crowd. So is he really going to pick a fight with this month’s cover girl for Woke Affirmative Action? The answer to that question is a firm yes.

LaBeouf not only went public by calling Wilde a liar, but he also has emails, texts, and a video from Wilde that appear to back his case that he was not fired; he quit. The video is one Wilde apparently sent to LaBeouf that appears to show her asking him to reconsider his decision to leave the production. Wilde also appears to suggest Florence Pugh (“Miss Flo”) is part of the problem and needs a “wake-up call” to “really commit” to the work:

I feel like I’m not ready to give up on this yet, and I, too, am heartbroken and I want to figure this out. You know, I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re open to giving this a shot with me, with us. If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace — and I respect your point of view, I respect hers — but if you guys can do it, what do you think? Is there hope? Is there hope? Will you let me know?

Three days have passed since LaBeouf struck back, and Wilde has said nothing so far. What can she say?

How do you lose a PR battle to a guy credibly accused of the “relentless abuse” of singer FKA Twigs in 2020, to a guy who’s been a walking trainwreck for the better part of a decade?

I do want to point out that LaBeouf appears to be working diligently on his sobriety and making amends to the people he hurt, including FKA Twigs. He is also handling his feud with Wilde like a thoughtful adult. I hope he’s able to stay on this path. After years of laughing at him, I think he’s grown into a legitimate talent. Fury (2014) made me eat a lot of words.

As far as Wilde, the only thing that can save her now is the movie. If Don’t Worry Darling is a hit, if the early buzz is wrong and it’s any good, she’ll be fine. But if not…

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.