Danny Trejo's Son Speaks Out To Claim His Dad Was Misled Into Starring In Ben Shapiro's Pro-ICE Movie

Far-right weasel Ben Shapiro has apparently pulled one over on beloved Mexican-American actor Danny Trejo, and now the actor is legally trapped.

That's according to Trejo's son, who says his dad was duped by Shapiro (and, from the sounds of it, his own management) into appearing in a pro-ICE movie called Pawn Shop that Shapiro is producing.

The news of Trejo's casting has sparked fury among fans, Mexican-American fans in particular, who feel Trejo has betrayed them by appearing in the film.

But Trejo's son Gilbert says not only was he duped, but his dad is now both contractually obligated to do the film and legally muzzled from criticizing the project or Shapiro.

Gilbert explained the situation in a heated post on Instagram Stories.

@gilberttrejo/Instagram

Gilbert wrote:

“[Trejo's] agent described it as ‘a complicated story about a complicated time, where everyone looks bad except you, the hardworking Mexican shop owner who just wants peace.'"

“He jumped at the idea of playing a good guy. About 2 weeks into shooting everyone, including us, found out Ben Shapiro was involved."

He went on to explain that as an 82-year-old, Trejo had never even heard of Ben Shapiro.

Gilbert went on say that now, Trejo is stuck.

“My dad contractually can’t badmouth [Shapiro], the film or walk away without being sued for breach of contract. He couldn't even release the statement he wanted to."

That "statement" refers to Trejo's response to the furious backlash the announcement of his casting has inspired. Instead, he posted a tepid statement on X confirming he is a "proud Mexican" who is "not pro-ICE.”

But this being the internet, where pile-ons are the order of the day regardless of the circumstances, that statement has done little to quell the uproar.

Gilbert addressed this in his post, saying:

“It’s f***ed up. He’s handcuffed to this stupid project, and swaths of people have instantly turned their back on him without knowing any of the facts."

Trejo has long been known for his unsparing dedication to his craft, famously even appearing in student films just to help young artists break into the film business.

It seems pretty clear that Shapiro, whose Daily Wire far-right propaganda company has become well-known for duping people into appearing in its content, took advance of Trejo's open-heartedness. And it seems Trejo's management, in turn, didn't do its due diligence.

Online, many were outraged and heartbroken at what Trejo's son revealed about the situation.

Many online have pushed back that any blame directed at anyone besides Shapiro, like Trejo's management, is misplaced.

As has been discussed extensively, Shapiro was a failed screenwriter before he started the Daily Wire to become a viral propagandist.

And at this point, we should have all learned by now that any time Shapiro is involved in anything, skepticism is in order.

As Gilbert Trejo put it:

"Ben Shapiro got Mexicans to abandon one of their heroes, got his own name to the top of google searches, and made us look like angry fools lacking any nuance. He wins.”

Yep, sadly he does, because we all keep letting him.