Mick Foley addresses fan reaction to anti-Trump stance
Mick Foley believes the political stance he’s taken is an important one, even if it’s lost him a few fans.
The 60-year-old Foley announced last month that he is “parting ways” with WWE due to the close association the company has with President Donald Trump. Foley will not be making any appearances for WWE while Trump is still in office, and he will not be renewing his WWE Legends contract when it expires this June.
While Foley has been outspoken about his criticism of the Trump administration in the past, the final straw for him was the “incredibly cruel comments” that Trump made after the death of director Rob Reiner. WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque has ties to Trump through being a member of his Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
Foley spoke to Orlando Weekly for a new interview published this week. He chose not to answer questions about the reasons behind his split from WWE but did address how fans have reacted to his political stances.
“People know that I’m not on board with a lot of things the current administration is doing,” Foley said. “I have fans who feel different, and still like and support me. And I have [fans] who dropped out of the fandom, which is obviously their right.”
The Orlando Weekly interview was to promote Foley’s one-man show that’s taking place at the Funny Bone comedy club tonight (January 6). The show is part of his “40 Years of Foley” tour. He noted that he does not talk about politics during these shows.
“People know I’m outspoken,” Foley said. “But the closest I get to making a political statement in the show is saying that kindness is cool.”
Performing one-man shows has become a regular gig for Foley, who feels like he gets better at them with each stop.
“I think with anything, you get better with practice,” he told Orlando Weekly. “The more reps you get in, the more natural it feels. And the more natural it feels, the better the show is. The stories are always evolving and changing. I can honestly say I never get bored of doing these shows. I really enjoy them, and I enjoy seeing the smiles and hearing the laughs.”
WWE has not commented publicly on Foley’s decision to part ways with the promotion. Both Foley and Trump are members of the WWE Hall of Fame, with Trump being a celebrity inductee.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.