This is pretty much what we were expecting; we just hadn’t expected the shadow governor of Georgia come right out and say it.
As Twitchy reported, nearly 50 celebrities signed onto Alyssa Milano’s letter to Brian Kemp threatening to boycott the state if he signed the state legislature’s heartbeat bill into law. Disney’s CEO said it would be “very difficult” to keep productions in the state if the law went into effect. Netflix threatened to “rethink” its “entire investment in Georgia.” CBS/Showtime said it was “concerned.”
The thing is, no one seemed to pull up stakes and leave; they’d found an out: they’d still work in Georgia while the law worked its way through court challenges. If the law survived, then they’d leave the state … maybe.
We say maybe because now Stacey Abrams has come up with a new hashtag sure to please everyone in Hollywood enjoying Georgia’s tax incentives: #StayAndFight.
Stacey Abrams urges Hollywood to "stay and fight" in Georgia amid mounting calls for boycotts over the state's anti-abortion law. https://t.co/sGWROVkMN6
— ABC News (@ABC) June 13, 2019
Sorry, “governor,” but didn’t all those celebrities and production companies pledge to leave the state if the bill became law? This is quite a change of plan.
Abrams met with a group of studio executives, celebrities, showrunners and the president of abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America on Tuesday in Los Angeles amid some calls from production companies to boycott the Peach State over a law passed last month that bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected — usually after six weeks of pregnancy.
Um, ABC? It’s not a “heartbeat” anymore; you’re supposed to call it “fetal pole cardiac activity” or “embryonic pulsing.”
By making the trip to Los Angeles, Abrams is ramping up her efforts to convince the film industry to support abortion rights groups on the ground, as opposed to boycotting the state which has come to be known as the “Hollywood of the South.”
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Yeah, it’s going to be really tough to convince the Hollywood studios to keep working in Georgia after all.
We had productive conversations with execs, show runners, actors & more. If companies #StayAndFight, we can save jobs, build power and most importantly, protect women. While the call to leave resonates for some, we must leverage the time before a final determination to lead. 1/2
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) June 12, 2019
Hope the left enjoyed the show but Hollywood wants to keep its tax breaks and Democrats don't want the loss of business on their shoulders in 2020. https://t.co/DDIxltfwgk
— Dan ?? (@danieltobin) June 13, 2019
But good for R's on not budging.
— Dan ?? (@danieltobin) June 13, 2019
Hollywood isn’t going anywhere, as long as Georgia maintains its film industry tax breaks. It’s the only reason Hollywood’s there in the first place.
Georgia allowed a 20% tax credit for filming that spend $500,000 or more on production or post production.?Not insignificance.
— Thomas (@wwmayoremeritus) June 13, 2019
No they should do business in a state that shares their values…and belief in high taxes.
— Punches In Bunches (@eplacentia) June 13, 2019
lol
— Matthew Battle (@librab103) June 13, 2019
Losers can never accept defeat
— Franky (@Franky42586322) June 13, 2019
Because, I mean, after all, she should be getting that message any day now that she’s been the governor of Georgia all along, instead of the pretend governor, so she can really make things happen now. Yeah, that’s what it is.
— Tom Fellows (@tomfellows65) June 13, 2019
And Hollywood can pretend it’s still standing up for “women’s reproductive rights” while enjoying those tax breaks because they’re going to stay and “fight,” i.e., business as usual.
Related:
These celebrity ‘boycotts’ of Georgia after heartbeat bill signed into law seem to be softening https://t.co/w9XB6QmX0v
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 21, 2019
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