Michael Douglas Pushed Biden ‘Sharp as a Tack’ Hoax Before Debate Debacle, Now Says He’s ‘Deeply Concerned’

Actor Michael Douglas is now expressing deep concern about Joe Biden’s cognitive health  — a significant change from a few months ago when the Hollywood star shared misleading talking points on the president’s mental acuity.

In an appearance Wednesday on ABC’s The View, Douglas was asked for his reaction to fellow star George Clooney’s call for Biden to voluntarily quit the campaign.

“I think it’s a valid point,” Douglas said. “I’m deeply, deeply concerned. It’s especially difficult because the Democrats have a big bench. They have a lot of heavy hitters.”

However, in late April, Douglas defended Biden against questions about his mental fitness during an interview on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS.

“Well, I think that I walk a little similar to him [Biden]. And the people that I’ve talked to and everybody that I have say he’s sharp as a tack. He’s fine,” he said.

The “sharp as a tack” hoax was an apparent Democrat concoction that permeated the mainstream news media in the months leading up to Biden’s humiliating debate performance, with various pundits dismissing concerns about the president’s cognitive state by claiming that he is “sharp” and “sharp as a tack.”

Douglas also downplayed concerns about Biden in a recent GQ interview to promote his new Apple TV+ limited series Franklin, which dramatizes the several years Ben Franklin spent in France beginning in 1776.

“I was immediately struck. Like, 70 years old—in England or in America in 1800, the average lifespan was 39 years old. I think it gave me great faith in Joe Biden, and was a reminder that we can go on a lot longer than we thought,” the actor said.

Douglas even hosted a big-ticket Biden fundraiser in April with his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones. The couple donated $100,000 to the Biden Victory Fund for the privilege of hosting the event.

Hollywood donors are abandoning the Biden campaign in droves.

They include George Clooney, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, veteran studio boss Barry Diller, and Lost creator Damon Lindelof. On Sunday, Rob Reiner — one of Biden’s most loyal Hollywood supporters — called on the president to “step down.”

 Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.