Mick Foley believes the political stance he has taken is an important one, even if it has resulted in losing a portion of his fanbase. The 60-year-old legend announced last month that he is officially “parting ways” with WWE due to the company’s close association with President Donald Trump.
Foley has stated he will not make any appearances for WWE while Trump remains in office and will not renew his WWE Legends contract when it expires this June. While Foley has been outspoken in his criticism of the Trump administration previously, the final straw was reportedly the “incredibly cruel comments” Trump made following the death of director Rob Reiner. Additionally, WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque maintains ties to Trump as a member of his Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
In a new interview with Orlando Weekly published this week, Foley chose not to answer specific questions regarding the reasons behind his split from WWE but did address how fans have reacted to his public political stances.
“People know that I’m not on board with a lot of things the current administration is doing,” Foley said. “I have fans who feel different, and still like and support me. And I have [fans] who dropped out of the fandom, which is obviously their right.”
The interview was conducted to promote Foley’s one-man show taking place at the Funny Bone comedy club tonight (January 6) as part of his “40 Years of Foley” tour. Despite the headlines surrounding his departure from WWE, Foley clarified that he does not discuss politics during these performances.
“People know I’m outspoken,” Foley said. “But the closest I get to making a political statement in the show is saying that kindness is cool.”
Performing one-man shows has become a regular gig for the Hardcore Legend, who feels he improves with every stop on the tour.
“I think with anything, you get better with practice,” he told Orlando Weekly. “The more reps you get in, the more natural it feels. And the more natural it feels, the better the show is. The stories are always evolving and changing. I can honestly say I never get bored of doing these shows. I really enjoy them, and I enjoy seeing the smiles and hearing the laughs.”
WWE has not commented publicly on Foley’s decision to leave the company. Both Foley and Trump are members of the WWE Hall of Fame, with Trump having been inducted as a celebrity.
