Jeffrey Katzenberg is among the Hollywood moguls joining the boycott battle against the Sultan of Brunei — with powerful agencies WME and CAA warning their agents and talent not to go to the iconic Sultan-owned Beverly Hills Hotel.
The Sultan, who owns the Dorchester Collection, which includes the Beverly Hills Hotel, recently announced he would enact Shariah law in Brunei, which calls for death by stoning for homosexual activity and adultery.
The Gill Foundation, which advocates for LGBT equality, was the first to cancel an event at the hotel and was followed by other philanthropic organizations including the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s Night Before the Oscars event. The move was a board decision, and directors include Katzenberg, George Clooney and Fox Filmed Entertainment’s Jim Gianopulos.
Other events moved include Barbara Davis’ Carousel of Hope kickoff event and the Children’s Defense Fund gala chaired by “Star Wars” director J.J. Abrams.
A Hollywood source tells us, “There is a dark cloud over the Beverly Hills Hotel, and it is not lifting any time soon. Many events have been canceled, CAA has issued a directive to agents not to meet or take talent there. WME agents are also aware they and their talent shouldn’t be seen at the hotel. Anybody who risks being photographed there faces possible career ruin.”
Yesterday, the hotel’s power spot The Polo Lounge was deserted as the boycott ballooned further amid calls from the City Council for the Sultan to sell the hotel. But other sources say the Sultan, worth $20 billion, has no plans to sell.
The Human Rights Campaign has called on lawmakers to speak out against the planned expansion of the Sultan’s hotel chain to New York. Dorchester Collection CEO Christopher Cowdray said before the controversy that the company was looking to regain a New York presence. Sources say they failed in a bid to buy the Four Seasons hotel years ago, and are now looking for a smaller property of up to 200 rooms.