Do we like Jason Momoa?
Our score: 7 out of 10. Years of ocean and Native Hawaiian advocacy and no harmful words found, held back by an apologised-for 2017 joke and an unanswered crew allegation.
Momoa was born in Hawaii in 1979 but spent much of his childhood in small-town Iowa with his mum. After high school he moved back to Hawaii, where his dad lived, and learned to surf with his dad's family. Baywatch Hawaii gave him his start in 1999, then Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones made him a name, and 2018's Aquaman grossed over a billion dollars.
The scandal that sticks is a 2011 Comic-Con clip, resurfaced in 2017, where he joked about the wild things he liked doing on screen, including raping women. It was grim, and the internet said so. He apologised on Instagram, calling it a “truly tasteless comment” and saying it was unacceptable, and acknowledged that rape and harassment had touched people close to him.
The newer grumbles are allegations, not findings. In 2024 streamer Valkyrae said she saw him yell at crew on the Minecraft set, though she suggested he might still have been in character after an emotional scene. NZ Herald reported no response from Momoa or the film's reps. Separately, therapist notes from Amber Heard's legal fight allegedly claimed he turned up drunk to Aquaman 2 and wanted her fired, and a DC spokesperson said he behaved professionally at all times.
On the harm test, we found nothing from him against LGBTQ+ or trans people, women, migrants or public health, though the record on LGBTQ+ topics is thin, not loud support. What we did find is the opposite of grievance culture. He has used his platform for the planet, becoming the UN Environment Programme's Advocate for Life Below Water in 2022 and making a documentary on deep-sea mining.
His Native Hawaiian activism is the real thing. In 2019 he walked up the blocked Mauna Kea access road in front of about 600 people, and said he was thankful to the protectors and stewards of the land. At the UN that year he said he was ashamed not all leaders had honoured the Paris Agreement. Supporters of the telescope argue Mauna Kea has the best conditions for astronomy, so where you land depends on whether you read the protest as defending sacred land or blocking science.
The recent stuff is local and human. When the March 2026 floods hit, he said his family was safe but plenty of others weren't, and he handed out more than 200 plates of food to locals. “That’s what aloha is,” he said. He's also on a monster 2026 slate and calls himself an advocate who'd rather do something than complain.