Do we like Hugh Jackman?
Our score: 7 out of 10. A clean record of his own words, backed by equality, climate and fair-trade work, marked down for friendly ties to the Trump family and a Murdoch party gig.
Jackman is one of the few big-screen stars who has also been properly honoured by Broadway. In 2012 he received a Special Tony for his contributions to the Broadway community. The Tonys' own wording also took in his charity work, according to reports at the time. That is the start of the picture: a showman who treats the stage as home.
The fresh stoush is a party. In March 2026 he sang Greatest Showman numbers and a closing 'I Still Call Australia Home' at Rupert Murdoch's 95th birthday at The Grill in New York. Variety reports Ivanka Trump was reportedly there cheering him on, and that Donald Trump sent a video message praising Murdoch. Jackman hasn't commented on the party, and Variety carries no reply from him.
Now the harm check. We found no anti-LGBTQ+, anti-vax or climate-denial words from him. What we did find is a friendship. In 2018 on The View he said he'd known Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner for years, and asked “do you just dump your friends?” Variety recalls his line that they “don't talk politics at birthday parties.” That is loyalty to old friends, not a policy position, but plenty of fans will find it a bit much.
On LGBTQ+ rights he has actually shown up. He signed an Australian marriage equality declaration in 2012. In 2017 he tweeted that all Australians deserve equal treatment under the law and said he'd vote yes in the postal survey. In 2022 he was photographed in Manly's pride jersey, in the middle of the club's jersey row. We found nothing from him on trans rights either way, which is a gap worth saying out loud.
On the planet, he has put words and money behind it. Ahead of COP26 in 2021 he called Australia's net-zero by 2050 pledge “the bare minimum” and said the commitments need to go further. After a trip to Ethiopia in 2009 he helped found Laughing Man Coffee, a fair-trade brand, and its profits go to the Laughing Man Foundation, which funds scholarships and housing for coffee farming families.
So where does that leave us? Nothing nasty in his own words, a record of backing equality and a business that actually helps farmers. Against that, he sings for Murdoch and stays chummy with the Trump circle. Where you land depends on whether you read that as loyalty to mates or as comfort with the company. We read it as a small mark, not a pattern. His split, new relationship and Met Gala outing have mostly been gossip-site noise, so tabloid territory, and we've left it out.