Ben Stiller Slams White House Over ‘Tropic Thunder’ Clip Use: ‘War Is Not a Movie’

Ben Stiller has publicly criticized the White House for using a clip from his 2008 film Tropic Thunder in a recent promotional video. The video, which featured footage of U.S. And Israel’s recent strikes on Iran, included clips from various movies and video games.

Stiller took to X (formerly Twitter) on March 6, 2026, to express his outrage, stating, “Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.” Observe the post here.

The White House’s video montage, captioned “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY,” featured scenes from Tropic Thunder, including Tom Cruise’s cameo as Les Grossman and a clip of Grossman dancing. Other films included in the supercut were John Wick, Superman, Iron Man 2, Braveheart, Star Wars, Breaking Bad, Gladiator, Transformers, Deadpool, and Halo. Deadline reports.

Stiller is not the first celebrity to object to the White House using their work in this manner. Deadline notes that Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish have previously criticized the use of their songs in videos related to sensitive government actions.

The Motion Picture Association has not yet commented on the situation. Deadline