Kirstie Alley claims she was ‘blackballed’ by Hollywood due to Trump support

Cheers star compared being a Republican in film and TV industry to living in The Twilight Zone

Kirstie Alley has said that it is more acceptable to take illegal drugs and “sleep with” sex workers than be a Republican in Hollywood.

The Cheers star is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, having previously voted for Barack Obama twice before the 2016 election. She faced backlash online after stating her plans to vote for Trump last year because he was “not a politician”.

In a new interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox Nation on Wednesday (19 May), Alley said that she was advised in 2015 to keep her political views to herself and that she was “blackballed” by Hollywood for not doing so.

“People go, ‘You’re so brave.’ I go, ‘No, I think I’m stupid’,” she said. “It’s so strange to me because artists are free-thinkers, for the most part.

“You can be cooking meth and sleeping with hookers, as long as apparently you didn’t vote for Trump. I feel like I’m in The Twilight Zone a bit, with the whole concept of it.”

She also claimed that many celebrities had unfollowed her on Twitter for sharing her political views, adding: “I’m going, ‘I’m the same person. I’m the girl who voted for Obama twice… You liked me when I voted for Obama and now you’re this?’ It’s made me have to rethink, weirdly, my whole friendships.”

Following Alley’s interview, Trump shared a statement calling the Emmy winner “strong and smart” and “a great actress”.

“Just got a very kind acknowledgement,” Alley tweeted as she reposted the former president’s words. “Thank you Sir, I wish you were still on Twitter ... as you should be.”