(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Conservative actor Kevin Sorbo may have learned a valuable lesson about doing comedy on Tuesday: In order for the humor to come across, a joke can’t be too plausible.
The star of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys set off an explosive conversation on social media with a post about pedophiles in show business that accumulated some 18 million views, which he was later compelled to clarify.
“I didn’t get ‘blacklisted’ from Hollywood,” Sorbo wrote. “I left because they’re all pedos.”
I didn’t get “blacklisted” from Hollywood, I left because they’re all pedos.
— Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) October 1, 2024
Sorbo explained in an exclusive digital interview with Headline USA that his post sought to use humor to draw attention to the “horrible reality” of sexual predators in Hollywood.
However, the 66-year-old actor—who recently co-starred with Dennis Quaid in the biopic Reagan—clarified that, to his knowledge, he hadn’t personally encountered any pedophiles while working in the industry.
Users who were appalled by his joke have bigger problems, he noted.
“Too funny. It is a joke post,” Sorbo told Headline USA. “I have no experiences with pedos. My X account is posting sarcastic truth.”
Sorbo pointed to the September arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation for purposes of prostitution, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan.
Combs allegedly “used violence and intimidation” to coerce victims—including a 9-year-old boy—into participating in “Freak Offs,” or drug-fueled sex parties he is accused of filming to control the careers of participants, the press release states.
Sorbo also referenced misconduct allegations against children’s networks like Nickelodeon.
The documentary Quiet On Set, released in March, lifted the lid on the alleged systemic abuse and inappropriate dynamics child stars dealt with while working on popular children’s sit-coms including All That, The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101 and iCarly.
“With the latest info on Diddy and the last few years the stories out of Disney and Nickelodeon, etc., it is easy to make fun of a horrible reality of what is happening to kids,” Sorbo said.
“People who are upset by my joke probably have a lot more to worry about,” he added. “Simple as that.”
Sorbo has been an outspoken supporter of 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. On Monday, he declared that anyone who does not vote for Trump “genuinely hates this country.”
Anyone not voting for Trump this time around genuinely hates this country.
— Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) September 30, 2024
Sorbo told Headline USA that he was most concerned about the U.S. economy and the border crisis this election cycle.
“My biggest issues with our country is the economy, the border, why are we funding billions to Ukraine and not solving the problems in our own country. Enough of this crap,” he said.
“Our education system is appalling,” Sorbo continued. “Anything the government runs it is making our country worse. Even Bill Maher said don’t send your children to our universities.”
Maher, the liberal host of HBO’s Real Time talk show, derided America’s institutions of higher education last year as the equivalent of “a day spa combined with a North Korean reeducation camp.”
College life today is just a day spa combined with a North Korean reeducation camp. pic.twitter.com/T5UxNl97bs
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) December 7, 2023
Outside of the emerging conservative film industry, Sorbo, who has made public his conservative and Christian beliefs on social media for years, has faced difficulty booking Hollywood gigs because of his views. He started his own production company, Sorbo Studios, with his wife, Sam.
As a pioneer in faith-based filmmaking, Sorbo worked on God’s Not Dead and directed and starred in Let There Be Light, which features Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer previously published by the Daily Caller and The Federalist. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
