Kevin Sorbo making Herculean attempt at politics, but it may not be the (alt) right move for his career
Kevin Sorbo is putting on a Herculean effort to be a political commentator.
Sorbo, best known for his portrayal of the Greek and Roman hero and god Hercules for six years on television, wants you to know he’s a full-throated Donald Trump man and has even gone so far as to echo the language of hate groups.
On his Twitter feed and Facebook page, Sorbo has set out to cast Trump as the hero and savior of the United States, in a plot line not all that different from the ones used during his star turn in “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.”
A typical plot of Hercules involves the hero and his sidekick Iolaus saving hapless villagers from monsters, evil warlords or the often-selfish whims of the gods.
For Sorbo, those monsters, warlords and selfish gods these days are immigrants, Democrats and liberals. And, instead of using fake weapons, Sorbo is using the real language of the alt-right.
“Only in America are legal citizens labeled ‘racists’ and ‘Nazis,’ but illegal aliens are called ‘Dreamers,’” Sorbo tweeted on Sunday.
Along with posting a video by Infowars editor Paul Joseph Watson following Trump’s State of the Union in February, Sorbo wrote: “So good. The Left hates success. They are the party of envy and loathing and want us all to live miserably….”
Sorbo spoke at the Values Voter Summit in 2017, a gathering that included Trump, conservative activists, conspiracy theorists and anti-LGBTQ activists. The Family Research Council, labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, hosts the annual meeting where gay bashing is a common theme.
He was also excited about meeting Dennis Prager, a neoconservative radio host and conspiracy theorist. Prager once said of President Barack Obama: “Once one understands that 'racial tensions' is a euphemism for a black animosity toward whites and a left-wing construct, one begins to understand why the election of a black president has had no impact on most blacks or on the left.”
And, Sorbo has been known to hang with Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese-American anti-Islam activist.
In a 2007 speech at the Christians United for Israel convention, Gabriel described Arabs this way: “They have no soul, they are dead set on killing and destruction. And in the name of something they call ‘Allah’ which is very different from the God we believe ... because our God is the God of love.”
Gabriel didn’t note whether Hercules old boss, Zeus, would approve.
And, backing Trump is nothing new for the Minnesota native.
“Look at Hillary. Does Jesus, does God, support lying? Does He support killing?” Sorbo asked on Fox News in August 2016. “I’m not saying she’s a killer, but she let people die in Benghazi.”
He’s has also claimed Hollywood is run by Jews and defended racially profiling Muslims, insisting, “If they have nothing to hide, why do they get upset about stuff?”
For good measure and with no apparent sense of irony or self-awareness, Sorbo has claimed being a conservative has derailed his Hollywood career.
Sorbo also signed on to the Christian right propaganda film called “The 12 Biggest Lies,” a screed pulled together by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, the authors of the “Left Behind” series.
By signing on, Sorbo is pushing the idea that the Earth isn't really billions of years old; women really aren't equal to men; and Islam is not a religion of peace.
Sorbo is just the latest of b-list celebrities to throw in with Trump or dwell on the fringe far right.
Scott Baio, best known as Chachi Arcola from the show “Happy Days,” and actor James Woods, who has become an outspoken Trump supporter on Twitter, both have had their moments in the conservative sun.
But, neither has the resume of Sorbo.
Along with the stint at Hercules, which still pops up on late-night television to entertain insomniacs, Sorbo showed up in a series of poorly received parodies, such as Meet the Spartans, and An American Carol.
That last flick drew the attention of movie critic Amy Nicholson, who described it “As entertainment, An American Carol ranks below YouTube clips of Sarah Palin.”
For Sorbo, his political activism has been a long way down from hanging with the Gods.
Photo credit: AP Images/Anthony Bear/Sipa