Roberta Aguirre
John Wayne Airport, which serves Orange County and the Greater Los Angeles area, has been the subject of controversy due to comments made by John Wayne in a 1971 Playboy interview, which have been interpreted as supporting white supremacy and racism. While some have called for the airport's name to be changed, others, including John Wayne's son, have argued that his comments have been taken out of context and that removing his name would be an injustice. The debate reflects the changing demographics and values of Orange County since the airport was named after Wayne in 1979.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for name change | John Wayne was a resident of Newport Beach and passed away in 1979 |
| Date of name change | June 20, 1979 |
| Name before the change | Orange County Airport |
| Current name | John Wayne Airport |
| Recent name change requests | June 2020 |
| Reason for recent name change requests | Racist comments made by John Wayne in a 1971 interview with Playboy |
| Opposition to name change | John Wayne's son, Ethan Wayne, and Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner |
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What You'll Learn
John Wayne Airport was originally named Orange County Airport
John Wayne Airport, located in Orange County, California, was originally named Orange County Airport. The airport serves Orange County and the Greater Los Angeles area and is located in an unincorporated area of the county, surrounded by the cities of Irvine, Newport Beach, and Costa Mesa.
The airport was renamed in 1979 by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to honor actor John Wayne, who lived in neighboring Newport Beach and passed away that year. John Wayne was a popular actor and a symbol of traditional American values. A 9-foot statue of John Wayne, nicknamed "The Duke", was installed at the airport in 1982, three years after the name change.
However, since the name change, there have been several debates and calls to revert the airport's name back to Orange County Airport. The discussions reignited in 2020 after the resurfacing of a 1971 interview with Playboy, in which John Wayne made comments believed to support white supremacy and racism. Local Democrats, academics, and community members have led the efforts to remove Wayne's name and likeness from the airport, arguing that Orange County's demographics and values have changed significantly since the name change.
While some people, including Wayne's son, Ethan Wayne, have defended his legacy and the impact he had on the world, others have acknowledged his controversial statements but believe that they should not define his entire life. Despite the ongoing debates, the airport's name remains unchanged as of 2025, with the county officials prioritizing operational and structural issues over the name change.
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John Wayne was accused of holding racist views
John Wayne, one of the best actors in Hollywood history, has been accused of holding racist and homophobic views. In a 1971 interview with Playboy magazine, he stated, "I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people... I don’t feel guilty about the fact that five or ten generations ago, these people were slaves". Regarding Indigenous Americans, he said, "I don’t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them. Our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival". He also referred to the film 'Midnight Cowboy' as "a story about two fags".
Many of Wayne's films rest on racist ideals, stigmatizing non-white cultures and claiming America for white people. In response to this, filmmaker Spike Lee stated, "Fuck John Wayne and John Ford," criticizing their depiction of Native Americans as "savages and animals". Wayne's views and comments have sparked controversy, with some calling for the removal of his name and statue from the Orange County Airport, which was originally named Orange County Airport and renamed in 1979 to honour the actor, who lived in neighbouring Newport Beach and died that year.
In 2016, the California State Assembly rejected "John Wayne Day". In 2019, his racist remarks resurfaced on Twitter, and the Los Angeles Times and OC Register published op-eds calling for his name to be removed from the airport. USC students also called for his memorabilia to be removed from campus. In June 2020, an airport name change was requested due to his comments in the 1971 Playboy interview, believed to be in support of white supremacy. However, Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner has opposed removing Wayne's name, noting the actor's "iconic Americana profile" and arguing that Wayne's views should not be the sole reason for renaming the airport.
Wayne was also a member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, which sought to uphold "the American way of life" in films and protect cinema from "communists and fascists". He actively worked to weed out Communist sympathizers in Hollywood, often pushing colleagues out of the business.
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A 1971 Playboy interview caused controversy
John Wayne Airport, originally named Orange County Airport, was renamed in 1979 in honour of the actor John Wayne, who lived in neighbouring Newport Beach and died that year. However, in 2020, there were calls to revert the name change due to comments John Wayne made in a 1971 Playboy interview, which were believed to be in support of white supremacy.
In the interview, John Wayne stated: "I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don't believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people". He also said: "We can't all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the blacks".
These comments caused controversy, with many people interpreting them as racist and offensive. In the wake of the George Floyd protests and the increased focus on racial justice, local professors, the OC Democratic Party, and other residents of Orange County called for the airport's name to be changed. They argued that John Wayne's views on race were unacceptable and that his name and likeness should be removed from the airport.
However, others, including Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner, defended John Wayne's legacy, arguing that he was being judged based on his worst days rather than the totality of his life. Wagner also claimed that John Wayne's comments were being taken out of context and that he did not advocate for the inherent inferiority of minorities. John Wayne's son, Ethan Wayne, also spoke out against the resolution to change the airport's name, stating that his father was not a racist and that his words were being misinterpreted.
The debate over the airport's name reflects the changing demographics and values of Orange County, which has become more diverse and politically liberal since the airport was named after John Wayne. The controversy highlights the ongoing discussions about racial equality and the re-evaluation of historical figures and their legacies.
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John Wayne's son defended his father's comments
John Wayne Airport (IATA: SNA), originally named Orange County Airport, was renamed in 1979 in honour of the actor John Wayne, who lived in neighbouring Newport Beach and died that year. However, in 2020, there were calls to remove John Wayne's name from the airport after controversial quotes from a 1971 Playboy interview resurfaced. In the interview, Wayne made disparaging remarks against Black, gay, and Native American people. He said: "I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility", used an anti-gay slur to describe films he considered "perverted", and said that Native Americans "were selfishly trying to keep [the US] for themselves".
In response to the backlash, John Wayne's son, Ethan Wayne, defended his father's comments, arguing that the interview was being taken out of context. Speaking to CNN's Michael Smerconish on "Smerconish", Ethan said: "It would be an injustice to judge someone based on an interview that's being used out of context... They're trying to contradict how he lived his life, and how he lived his life was who he was. So, any discussion of removing his name from the airport should include the full picture of the life of John Wayne and not be based on a single outlier interview from half a century ago."
Ethan Wayne further emphasised that his father did not hold racist or homophobic beliefs, and that his comments were made in the context of the changing landscape of the motion picture business, which distressed him. He said: "My father worked in Hollywood for 50 years, and Hollywood is probably, you know, one of the most progressive and diverse communities on Earth. He didn’t care what race, gender, sexual orientation you were. He cared about how well you did your job. He took everyone at face value."
Ethan also highlighted his father's achievements and the recognition he received during his lifetime, including a Congressional Gold Medal and a Medal of Freedom. He argued that the airport was named after his father to recognise his significant contributions to the country, his community, and his industry.
Despite the defence offered by Ethan Wayne, some people disagreed with retaining John Wayne's name on the airport. Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik stated that the views expressed by John Wayne in 1971 were extremist, even for that time. He argued that Orange County had changed since then, and that Wayne's views were no longer representative of the region. Additionally, some readers commented that John Wayne was a racist, and that his views on people of colour were unacceptable.
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The Orange County Board of Supervisors renamed the airport in 1979
The Orange County Board of Supervisors renamed Orange County Airport to John Wayne Airport on June 20, 1979, the same year the actor passed away. The board called Wayne a "man of humility, honesty, and a hero of the American West" and a "symbol to the world of traditional American values".
The John Wayne Associates commissioned sculptor Robert Summers to create a 9-foot statue of "The Duke" in cowboy garb, which was completed in 1982 and placed in the lobby of the Thomas F. Riley Terminal.
In recent years, there have been calls to remove Wayne's name and likeness from the airport due to his alleged support of white supremacy and racist views. In 2020, local Democrats and academics at Chapman University renewed efforts to strip the actor's name from the airport, citing his controversial 1971 interview with Playboy magazine.
Despite the controversy, the Orange County Board of Supervisors has not yet made a decision to change the airport's name. Supervisor Katrina Foley stated that her priority was on addressing operational, structural, and environmental issues at the airport. Another supervisor, Don Wagner, opposed removing Wayne's name, arguing that the actor was different from Confederate leaders memorialized for their "despicable views and treason against America".
The debate over the airport's name continues, with some calling for a return to the original name, Orange County Airport, or simply using the airport code, SNA.
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Frequently asked questions
The Orange County Board of Supervisors renamed the airport in 1979 in honour of actor John Wayne, who lived in neighbouring Newport Beach and died that year.
In 2020, local Democrats and academics called for the airport to be renamed due to comments John Wayne made in a 1971 interview with Playboy, which have been interpreted as supporting white supremacy.
John Wayne's son, Ethan Wayne, has said that his father was not a racist and that his words are being taken out of context. He also said that his father believed that "we can learn from yesterday, but not by erasing the past".
The proposal is to restore the airport's previous name, Orange County Airport.
