"You're Fired" – The Growing Fallout From Celebrity Rants

While the beginning of the Trump era started with debates over the size of crowds and immigration bans, last week was all about brands and their affiliation (or desire to be unaffiliated) with President Trump. Most recently, this issue came to the forefront when Under Armour's CEO gave an interview on CNBC and called Trump "a real asset for the country."  In response, several Under Armour celebrity spokespersons – Stephen Curry, The Rock and Misty Copeland – voiced their disapproval with the CEO's comments.  While most people probably viewed this disapproval from a political lens, advertising/media lawyers immediately thought:  "I wonder what their contract says?"

It is highly unlikely that any of their contracts contain a provision that would allow the celebrity to terminate the contract because he/she doesn't agree with the political statements of a company executive.  Such a provision isn't practical or realistic from either party's perspective.  Further,