Robert De Niro, 83 years old and worth roughly $500 million, sat across from Amy Poehler on her podcast Tuesday and cried like a little baby. Not because of a personal tragedy. Not because he lost someone. Because a 54-year-old comedian told him he was brave for criticizing the President of the United States without the fear of losing his job or ability to make money for his family.

Oh, the bravery.

The podcast is called "Good Hang with Amy Poehler," and during the roughly hour-long episode that dropped September 15, Poehler turned to De Niro and delivered this: "I just personally want to thank you for doing what you do and speaking out in the way that you do about where we are in the world." She went on to explain that "there's not a lot of men who, uh, in your position who do that and, uh, white men of a certain age...have a ton of power and don't use that responsibility."

De Niro's eyes welled up. He reached for the tissues. Poehler, to her credit, at least acknowledged the absurdity of the moment: "I can't believe I just made you cry. I feel incredible right now."

So what exactly has De Niro sacrificed for this "courage" that moved him to tears? He still gets cast in films. He still collects awards-show invitations. He still gets booked on every podcast and late-night show that wants a reliable Trump-bashing guest. His restaurant empire is intact. His net worth hasn't budged. The man has spent a decade calling the sitting president every name in the book from behind a velvet rope, and the worst consequence he's faced is applause.

De Niro told Poehler, "You have to fight. You have to fight because if you don't fight, you're not going to get anything." Fight what, exactly? The fight implies opposition. It implies risk. A billionaire actor telling another wealthy entertainer that he's "fighting" while dabbing his eyes with a tissue on a podcast isn't a fight. It's a support group with a production budget.

Poehler framed this as standing up for the powerless. "It means a lot to a lot of people cuz you're standing up for a lot of people who don't have the power to do that," De Niro agreed. Standing up for the powerless is what you call it when a guy with a security detail, three homes, and a lifetime achievement award does exactly what every major studio, every late-night host, every awards ceremony, and every corporate media outlet already does — criticize the same person they all criticize.

The segment Poehler built around De Niro compared his role to "an adult at a wedding" saying, "We don't talk like that. That's not how you're supposed to treat people. This is insane." This from the same Robert De Niro who stood on a public stage and screamed obscenities about the President into a microphone to a cheering crowd. The etiquette police are very selective about which language crosses the line.

De Niro has spent the better part of a decade as "one of the entertainment industry's most unapologetic political voices, regularly using awards stages, press conferences, and rallies to deliver fiery condemnations." That's a polite way of describing a man whose entire second career is performing outrage for people who already agree with him. There's a word for that, and it isn't activism.

The real tell is who was in the room. Two wealthy entertainers in a studio, praising each other for opinions that are mandatory in their industry. No one pushed back. No one asked a hard question. No one pointed out that the "courage" being celebrated carries zero professional risk in Hollywood — it carries professional risk if you don't do it. Ask the actors and crew members who keep their mouths shut because they know what happens to careers that step out of line in that town.

De Niro is 83. He's had one of the great film careers in American history. Travis Bickle, Vito Corleone, Jake LaMotta — roles that will outlive every podcast episode and every political rant. The man who played those characters didn't need anyone to tell him he was brave. The man sitting across from Amy Poehler apparently does.

A tissue and a thank-you from a fellow celebrity. That's what passes for the resistance now.