By Brian Lowry

Tech CEOs and billionaires occupied conspicuous seats of honor as Donald Trump took the oath of office as the 47th President of the United States. Yet his return to the White House also appears to have encouraged and buoyed the spirits of conservatives within the entertainment industry, while perhaps softening reticence of others — who might not be ardent supporters — to be seen alongside his new administration.

The presence of megarich CEOs Elon Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Apple’s Tim Cook, coupled with the ongoing drama surrounding the fate and future of TikTok, kept the focus on that sector through much of the inaugural weekend. Still, the build-up to Trump taking the oath of office — in an event moved indoors supposedly due to the frigid weather in Washington, D.C. — featured several moments indicating that Hollywood is also seeking to adapt to again dealing with a Trump administration, and how to publicly navigate those sure-to-be-perilous waters.