Vice President Mike Pence tried to share a fairly typical Republican talking point in Georgia on Thursday, slamming Hollywood and the celebrities visiting the state to support Democrat Stacey Abrams, including Oprah Winfrey and Will Ferrell.
“I’d like to remind Stacey and Oprah and Will Ferrell, I’m kind of a big deal, too,” said Pence, who is not from Georgia. “And I’ve got a message for all of Stacey Abrams’ liberal Hollywood friends: This ain’t Hollywood. This is Georgia.”
He also tweeted it:
Georgia, however, is home to a booming film industry, thanks to more than $1 billion in tax credits over the past decade, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development said there were 320 films and TV shows shot in the state last year, generating an economic impact of $9.5 billion, including $2.7 billion in direct spending. Hit shows, such as “The Walking Dead,” “Stranger Things” and “Atlanta,” as well as top-grossing movies like “Black Panther” and the “Hunger Games” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchises have all filmed in the state.
Some have even started calling Atlanta “The Hollywood of the South” and “Y’allywood.”
Twitter users were quick to correct Pence: