‘Betrayed’ Julia Roberts Feels ‘Blindsided’ by George Clooney’s Call for President Biden to ‘Step Aside’
July 18 2024, Published 2:01 p.m. ET
George Clooney sparked controversy amongst his circle after penning a controversial op-ed pleading with President Joe Biden to step down from his 2024 presidential election campaign.
Following the media-frenzy and social fallout, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal the Ocean's Eleven actor's close friend and costar Julia Roberts felt "blindsided" and "furious" by his "sudden and public" stance on such a sensitive matter, according to a source.
A pal of the Pretty Woman actress told RadarOnline.com: "Julie feels betrayed by George’s unexpected political move, which has thrust her into the media spotlight for reasons she never anticipated."
"Julie [has] always been supportive of her friends, but this situation has put her in a tough spot, making her the center of attention in a controversy she didn’t ask for. Everyone is curious about the potential long-term impact on Roberts and Clooney’s friendship, now that she can’t trust him anymore."
RadarOnline.com reached out to Roberts' rep for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Clooney's op-ed warned Democrats they were turning a blind eye to the "warning signs" regarding President Biden's health and cognitive abilities.
The 63-year-old wrote: "The Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe 'big F-ing deal' Biden of 2010. He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."
And while Clooney commended Biden for his strong morals and his major political victories over the last four years, he said: "One battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can."
One insider revealed Clooney has since been uninvited from high-profile parties and even had his name "yanked" from upcoming projects after the release of his firmly-worded New York Times piece.
A separate source said: “The arrogance of Clooney is astounding. He has President Biden’s contact info. Why didn’t he just call his pal privately to air his concerns?”
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The View co-host Sunny Hostin shared a similar opinion in a recent episode of the popular talk show.
"I don’t like that George Clooney aired this dirty laundry to the world," Hostin said. "I think these conversations are happening [and] I think they should be happening because our democracy is at stake, but they should be happening privately with the Commander-in-Chief who we should have the utmost respect for."