Fact Check: Did Mark Wahlberg leave a $65 million project because of Tom Hanks? Woke creep claim debunked 

On Saturday, January 27, 2024, a website called Esspots claimed that actor Mark Wahlberg reportedly left a project worth $65 million because he did not want to work alongside Tom Hanks. The title of the article reads as follows:

“Breaking: Mark Wahlberg Bows Out of $65 Million Project with Tom Hanks, “What A Woke Creep”.”

The Esspots article claimed that Mark Wahlberg pulled out of the project because he found Tom Hanks’ “wokeness,” with regards to his comments on the current socio-political scenarios, unbearable. In fact, the website stated that an insider source of Wahlberg allegedly told them how he thought Tom Hanks was “overly progressive and out of touch with the common man.”

In the wake of this, the rumor quickly spread online. However, Esspots is a website known for satire, thus making the claim false. No credible publications have shed light on Wahlberg's decision to reportedly pull out of the alleged big-budget movie as well.

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Exploring Mark Wahlberg leaving $65 million project for Tom Hanks claim

Over the weekend, the satirical website Esspots alleged that Planet of the Apes star Mark Wahlberg bowed out of a $65 million project because he did not wish to work alongside Forrest Gump star Tom Hanks.

The website claimed that Wahlberg found Hanks “a woke creep,” who was often vocal about ongoing social and political issues, and considered him extremely “progressive,” with zero connection to the masses.

A netizen believes Wahlberg left a project for Hanks' "wokeness." (Image via X/JAMESMO11475342)

Not only that, but the Esspots article penned by satire writer Alex Robin mentioned how the project was a “film, a high-stakes drama about the founding of a tech giant,” and was based on the themes of ambition, betrayal, and innovation. While Tom Hanks was supposed to play the role of a “visionary CEO [Chief Executive Officer],” Mark Wahlberg was meant to enact the role of a “rough around the edges COO [Chief Operating Officer].”

Additionally, Esspots reported that Wahlberg will soon be replaced for the project, with someone like Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio signing in. However, there are no official reports of Hanks and Wahlberg collaborating on a multi-million-dollar project, let alone the latter’s abrupt exit because of the former.

A fact-checking website called Chimniii further debunked the claim, saying their research did not reveal anything to support the Esspots article, nor have any other reputed media outlets confirmed the departure of Wahlberg, citing it as misinformation.

Chimniii also cleared the air by saying that in the absence of specific details, including the name of the project, director, studio company, nature of the allegation, and official statements from the actors’ teams, the claim could be seen as fabricated.

According to IMDb, Tom Hanks and Mark Wahlberg last worked together on the 2023 documentary titled Commitment to Life, where they each played their own selves. Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz, it revolved around the battle against HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles and how A-listers such as the duo changed the trajectory of the epidemic.

Meanwhile, another claim that is doing the rounds on the internet is that Wahlberg allegedly told his Hollywood colleagues to “please leave” the USA if they didn’t like it here and took the names of Alec Baldwin, Cher, Madonna, Jennifer Lawrence, Rosie, Miley Cyrus, Mark Ruffalo, Sean Penn, Robert De Niro, Barbra Streisand, Matt Damon, Oprah, Colin Kaepernick, and more in the process.

However, as per Snopes, it was originally said by a writer on America’s Freedom Fighters (AFF) website, who recently gave his opinions of Wahlberg’s 2016 interview with Task & Purpose, where he said that the majority of Hollywood was “living in a bubble,” and they were “out of touch” to talk about politics and should let the experts handle it.