Long before the invention of Twitter, celebrities have been using their bully pulpits to influence the political and social opinions of the masses with their own. Despite the constant soapboxing, one thing that I’ve noticed is that actors and rappers are a lot like politicians in the sense that they’ll sell out to the other side if the money is right faster than a kid at fat camp with a Snickers bar dangling in front of his face. Apparently, the road to green goes through blue and yellow with this bunch. Without further ado, here are the top cop hating celebrities happy to play the Benedict Arnold of their misguided side for money and fame.
#12: Chris Tucker
Tucker showed up on the map in 1995 when he played the eternally stoned, “Smokey”, in the cult hood-classic Friday – yet, he set himself up for life playing opposite Jackie Chan in 1998’s Buddy Cop meets Kung Fu Classic – Rush Hour. Despite making 45 million to play LAPD Detective James Carter in the second and third installments of the franchise, Tucker was proud to strike a “hands up, don’t shoot” pose with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, rappers Ludacris and Yung Jeezy, and a few other rich socialites at a swanky 2015 gala.
#11: Danny Glover
Danny Glover co-starred alongside Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon franchise from 1987-1998 as Detective Roger Murtaugh. I once had a black partner in my career as a cop here in the real world claim I was his real-life Martin Riggs. It’s safe to say I heard him quote Glover’s Murtaugh with “I’m too old for this sh*t” on more than a few occasions. If you expected the 70 year-old Glover to be an “old school” guy, you’re dead wrong – as he’s got nothing but glowing things to say about the ultra-divisive Black Lives Matter group famous for chants like “What do we want? Dead cops! When do we want them? Now!” and “Pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon!”
#10: Will Smith
Throughout his storied career, Smith has played a police officer several times, but he’s arguably most famously known for his role as Miami PD Narcotics Detective Mike Lowrey of the Bad Boys franchise. While they are undoubtedly entertaining, the films feature Smith as a playboy living in a posh beachfront Miami condo and driving a Porsche 911 Turbo – all on a cop’s salary! Yet it was Smith, not the world’s most wealthy detective that he plays, who donated 150K to Louis Farrakhan’s “Justice Or Else!” march in September of 2015 – just one month after Farrakhan called for “10,000 fearless men” to kill whites and police officers. You’re a fine actor, Will, but shame on you.
#9: Martin Lawrence
Lawrence has cashed in on playing a police officer more times than probably anyone else on this list, but he’s best known for playing Miami PD Detective Marcus Burnett in the Bad Boys franchise opposite Will Smith. In his comedy special Runteldat, Lawrence famously joked about how white people can get away with everything from cursing out police officers on a traffic stop to speeding while black Americans have typically been the most docile and compliant of the races in a post-Rodney King world. Why? “…Cause you never know if that’s going to be us”. It is important to note, however, that Lawrence survived an encounter with the LAPD in 1996 in which he ran through the streets armed with a handgun shouting “Fight the establishment!” at vehicles in a likely drug induced stupor. It appears that we all – no matter what race – get lucky from time to time.
