Editor’s Note: Whether on screen or off, Hollywood can always be counted on to keep us entertained. This is especially true when it comes to politics. Liberty Nation’s HollyWeird column shines the spotlight on Tinseltown’s A-listers and their wild and wacky takes on today’s current events.
In this special Valentine’s edition of The Politics of HollyWeird, we “celebrate” the famous – or infamous – couples entertaining us today. Who made our top five list, and why?
Valentine’s Day Lovers and Losers
Joe and Jill Biden
To some, especially those on the left, Joe and Jill Biden are America’s sweethearts. They are the couple everyone should aspire to become in their relationships. Let’s face it, Dr. Jill has set a high bar as first lady, so bold and brave as to continue working full time while her husband runs the country. From breakfast tacos to fist-bumping Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, we could all learn a lot from this power duo.
In 1975, Joe’s brother introduced him to Jill; Joe was a 33-year-old senator and she was a 24-year-old college senior. After their first date, where they went to the movies to see A Man and a Woman, Jill went home and told her mother, “Mom, I finally met a gentleman,” the Insider reported. Jill has stood by her husband and supported him since he first ran for president in June 1987, and when he withdrew from the race in September amid a scandal over plagiarizing his speeches and exaggerating his academic success. At the time, The New York Times described Jill’s expression as “a study in dejection.”
In 2007, Jill earned her PhD in education from the University of Delaware, and the next year Joe became Barack Obama’s running mate. J&J were on their way to fame and fortune. They wrote books describing their love for each other, and Joe even placed a plaque on the grounds of the vice president’s residence on Valentine’s Day in 2010 that read: “Joe Loves Jill.”
In Iowa, in 2019, we got to see their playful side as Jill, who was giving a speech, gestured with her hand and Joe took the opportunity to lovingly nibble on her index finger. But the couple’s popularity tanked after Joe took over as leader of our nation, as various polls have pointed out. From the Afghanistan fiasco to the president’s many gaffes, the Bidens seem more like a dangerous comedy duo than inspirational leaders. One only had to watch the latest State of the Union address to understand.
Nancy and Paul Pelosi
Paul and Nancy Pelosi (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME)
This Valentine’s couple has been married for 60 years, just a few years longer than Nancy Pelosi has had her hands in government. They met as college students in a class at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service called “The History of Africa, South of the Sahara” in 1962. They were married a year later on Sept. 7. Paul and Nancy had five children in six years, and then she decided to go into politics. In 1987, she was elected to California’s Fifth District in the House of Representatives.
Paul didn’t mind his wife having the spotlight, saying, “It’s her career. It’s her responsibility” and that he was proud of her. However, Nancy’s showboating and strong opinions just might have tested their relationship. From eating gourmet ice cream and getting her hair blown out during the pandemic lockdown to arguing for open borders (while having a fence surround their mansion) and tearing up a copy of Trump’s speech during his SOTU address, the former Speaker of the House was a force to be reckoned with.
But then Paul started making the news: From drunk driving arrests to being beaten with a hammer in his home, Mr. Pelosi found his name splattered across headlines. And now, as Congress decides whether lawmakers and their spouses should be able to dabble in the stock market, Paul is busy making massive trades to try to add to their $46.1 million bankroll. But remember, folks, Nancy is all about making things equal for every American citizen.
Harry and Meghan
Meghan and Harry (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)
This high-profile couple didn’t meet the conventional way. Harry saw Meghan’s picture on social media and was later set up on a blind date with Miss Markle. To hear them tell the story, it was a whirlwind romance, a tragic love meant for the ages akin to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. But the drama princess could not handle being a real princess, so she and her ginger prince moved across the pond to escape the evil royal family and intrusive media.
But wait — what happened to all the popularity? Where was all the bowing and scraping, the inflated praise and adoring fans? It was time to let the world know just how horrible they’d had it. Off the not-so-royal couple went to give a tell-all interview to Oprah, explaining how unfair and mean the royal family was to them. Still not satisfied, Harry and Meghan created a docuseries, essentially repeating everything they’d already revealed in their first exclusive television interview appearance. Then the prince released his book, Spare, repeating yet again all their horrible hardships, with a sequel expected soon.
While blathering on and on about the intrusive nature of the media, this Valentine’s couple have sought out every outlet that would let them rehash and repeat their trials and tortures.
Alec and Hilaria Baldwin
Alec and Hilaria Baldwin (Photo by Bruce Glikas/WireImage)
This Hollywood couple may have found a way to keep their relationship from turning rusty. The glitter-and-glitz duo have been together since they met at a New York City restaurant in 2011 and have so far stood by each other through thick and thin.
Not an easy thing to do when one is currently facing criminal charges.
Alec, ever the actor, has been very vocal in his liberal opinions. A verified Trump-hater, he’s advocated for everything short of drawing and quartering the former president. While vilifying the media and especially social media, The Shadow star took to his Instagram account to defend his Boston-born wife, who claimed she had been birthed in Spain. And then on March 2, 2021, Alec condemned an Instagram user for accusing him of using clickbait to announce the couple’s sixth child, since Hilaria had not been pregnant. A day later, it was revealed by several outlets that they had used a surrogate.
And now the couple face the biggest challenge yet: Alec’s involuntary manslaughter charge for the on-set shooting death of Halyna Hutchings, the cinematographer for the film Rust.
Will and Jada Pinkett Smith
Will and Jada Pinkett Smith (Photo by Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic)
A match made in, well, not heaven, this couple’s relationship is no Valentine’s fairy tale. Although they have been together for more than 25 years, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have evidently recently decided to have what some would term an open relationship.
Will and Jada met when she auditioned to play his girlfriend on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1994. Although she wasn’t cast because she was too short to play the male lead’s significant other, according to Insider, that didn’t stop the then 19-year-old from a relationship with the prince – well, after he got a divorce in 1995. For years, the couple denied rumors of trouble in paradise and that they had an open marriage until finally, in 2021, the couple admitted they no longer were in a monogamous relationship. At the time, Will said, “And marriage for us can’t be a prison. And I don’t suggest our road for anybody.”
But then the slap heard ‘round the world happened, and people speculated that Will’s marriage woes had pushed him over the edge. Some claimed Jada’s domineering personality contributed to her husband’s show of violence, while others suggest it was due to “black pain.” Whatever the reason, slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars hurt the I Am Legend star’s career, got him banned from the grand affair, and resulted in him apologizing to the media and fans. That couldn’t have helped Will and Jada’s relationship, either.
Tune in next time to see what else Tinseltown has planned.
