For the past few days, we’ve been grappling with the heartbreaking news of Rob and Michele Reiner’s passing. As we’ve covered here, the tragedy has been compounded by a toxic political response, specifically from President Trump—comments that many found shockingly cruel. Today, that cruelty had a tangible consequence in the entertainment world. Mick Foley, a man known to millions as a hardcore wrestling icon but known to the general public as a New York Times bestselling author and one of the kindest figures in show business, has announced he is severing ties with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The reason? He can no longer associate with a company that aligns itself with Donald Trump in the wake of his comments about Rob Reiner.
For those who don’t follow wrestling, it might be hard to parse why this matters. WWE isn’t just a sports league; it is a global entertainment juggernaut with deep, decades-long ties to Donald Trump, who is himself a member of their Hall of Fame. In a powerful statement released on social media, Foley said he is “parting ways” with the company he helped build because he feels they are “coddling” the President. While Foley admitted he has been uncomfortable with the administration’s policies on immigration and marginalized communities for months, he identified Trump’s reaction to the Reiner murders as the “final straw.” Foley described the President’s comments—which framed the deaths as a result of “Trump Derangement Syndrome”—as “incredibly cruel” and evidence of a leader “void of compassion.”
To understand the weight of this, you have to understand who Mick Foley is. While he made his name jumping off steel cages, in his post-retirement life, he has become a beloved, grandfatherly figure in pop culture. He is a Santa Claus ambassador, a thoughtful writer, and a voice of reason in a typically chaotic industry. When a guy known for having a high tolerance for pain says something is too painful to stomach, people listen. Foley made it clear this decision wasn’t an attack on his fellow performers, but a stand against the normalization of cruelty. He wrote that he could not “in good conscience” remain linked to a corporate entity that celebrates a figure he views as marching the country toward autocracy.
This is more than just a celebrity tweeting disapproval; it is a genuine financial sacrifice. By stepping back from on-screen roles and refusing to renew his “Legends contract” when it expires in June, Foley is forfeiting a steady stream of income from merchandise, video games, and appearances. In the entertainment industry, “legacy” contracts are the pension plan, and walking away from one is a serious move.
For readers following our coverage of Rob Reiner’s death, this is a significant development. It demonstrates that the outrage over the political response to this tragedy isn’t just “Internet noise”—it is causing respected cultural figures to draw hard lines in the sand. Foley is betting his bank account on the idea that empathy is more important than entertainment. In a news cycle dominated by cynicism, that is a plot twist worth paying attention to.