Josh Duhamel believes celebrities should stay silent on politics

Josh Duhamel has revealed that he believes celebrities should refrain from speaking out on political issues.

The 53-year-old actor has explained that while he holds "strong opinions", he prefers to keep them private in order to avoid "alienating" half of his audience.

"I have real strong opinions about things but I don't really talk about it because it's like, 'Why would I alienate half my audience?'" Duhamel said during an appearance on Megyn Kelly's podcast. "Because I respect their views on things but I'm not going to preach to them."

"They can believe what they want to believe," the Life as We Know It actor continued. "I'm just here to, you know, make cool stuff."

When political commentator Kelly acknowledged that there has been a "growing trend" of stars avoiding political discussion, Duhamel noted that it "makes perfect sense" to keep personal beliefs separate from professional work.

"If you really want to be successful in this business, why would you make half of your audience despise you by your beliefs?" he questioned. "Maybe they don't care. I don't know."

"I mean, I look at it as a business decision, you know? I'm here just to make cool movies, cool TV. I'm here to make cool stuff. I'm the court jester, you know?" the Safe Haven star continued. "If I want to preach to you about what I believe politically, I will go run for office, which I'm not (going to do)."

While Duhamel has chosen to remain tight-lipped about his political views, the North Dakota native has previously shown support for Republican politician Doug Burgum. He backed Burgum's successful gubernatorial campaign in 2016 and later endorsed his presidential bid in 2023.

"I don't normally get involved in politics, but Governor Burgum has become a good friend over the years and I can't think of anyone better than him to be our president,' he wrote in an Instagram post at the time.