One of the more memorable moments of the 2016 GOP convention in Cleveland came when actor Antonio Sabato Jr. told ABC News that he “absolutely” believes that President Obama is a Muslim and on “the bad side.” The actor who played Handsome Guy #1 in The Three Stooges also admitted that he knew he would be judged for his support of the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, almost as if he was foreshadowing what would predictably come next for an actor who doesn’t have a lot on his plate right now. Sure enough, Sabato claims, he is suddenly “blacklisted” because he spoke in favor of Trump’s vision for the United States.
In a statement to Variety, Sabato details the way that he is being attacked online, with his fellow celebrities allegedly calling him names for his support of Trump and religious values. “I think this country allows you freedom of speech,” he begins, as if he is possibly uncertain, but I won’t speak for him. Instead, I’ll share his strongest points in his claim that his speech at the GOP convention is the reason he can’t find work beyond Antonio: Down Under.
I care about my country. I put God first. For the last seven-and-a-half years, I’ve seen this country led by a leader that’s made mistakes. I spoke my mind about it. But because I’m in the industry, you can’t talk about that. The media and the liberals act the way they act: The will back up the president until the end. It’s been interesting. I’ve had fantastic directors who have said officially to my agents and managers they will never hire me again. They will never even see me for projects. That’s unfair. It’s just like Communism.
We’re in the business. You’re supposed to be hired based on your talent and abilities, not because of how you feel about politics or religion. But that’s how they do things. It’s not just me. I know a lot of people in the industry who are in the same boat. The reality is if you’re associated with the Republican Party, the casting directors and producers already blacklist you based on that. I know people that just showed up, they didn’t speak – and they are not getting work because of it.
He could name names, but I guess that would be ironic, based on his comparison to Communism. At the very least he could reveal the identities of the “fantastic directors” who won’t work with him, because what harm could that do? If they won’t hire him, he could take the offensive and expose them for their prejudices. (But this is mostly about me wanting to know if we’re getting The Big Hit 2 or not.)
A lot of the bosses, a lot of the executives, they own the channels, they own the media. They donate millions to Hillary Clinton and President Obama. I’m just a normal dude speaking my mind. So be it. I will keep fighting for what I believe, and I will keep looking for work. My work and my life is based on God. My leader, the one I look up to, is Jesus Christ. I’ve seen people in the industry say, “I’m not going to talk to this guy, because he talks about Jesus Christ.” It shows the true personalities of these people. Well, I wouldn’t want to work with them anyway. But if I acted the same way as they did, I would never work for anybody. They are all with Hillary.
And have you seen what they’re charging for dinner? It’s obscene!
Sabato also believes that Democrats are just using the Kahn family in their attacks on Trump, but it won’t matter because the man who played Uncle Sven in Balls to the Wall predicts that his candidate will prevail come November. That’s probably good news to those guys working on the campaign intervention right now. Maybe they can get Sabato a role in an attack ad or something.