Antonio Sabato Jr. says he’s launching a conservative movie studio

Antonio Sabato Jr. wants to start a new Hollywood movie studio geared toward conservative content.

The Melrose Place and The Bold and the Beautiful actor claimed on Twitter that he wants to launch a “conservative movie studio,” that will produce “projects that Hollywood would never do.”

“To all conservative producers who want to make a change this is the time, get in touch with me, and be part of our team,” he wrote. “Blacklisting in Hollywood and around my industry is about to be over forever. We are not going to be bullied by you any longer!”

Sabato Jr. is a vocal supporter of President Trump (“I was the first celebrity to come out and talk about the president, and he had my vote from day one,” the actor has said). But he told Variety in March that he hasn’t gotten any jobs in Hollywood since the 2016 election and blamed the lack of opportunity on his support for Trump. “I had to sell everything,” Sabato Jr. said. “I had to pay all my debts. I was blacklisted. All my representatives left me, from agents to managers to commercial agents. I literally had to move, find a new job to survive and take care of my kids … if you’re in that environment in Hollywood and you have something to say that they don’t like, they’re going to let you know.”

Sabato Jr. also touted an upcoming project Trail Blazers, which reportedly costars fellow Trump supporters Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Scott Baio (Happy Days). The film hasn’t yet begun production, however.

The actor spoke at the 2016 Republican convention, and then afterward in an interview with ABC News said he thought former President Barack Obama was secretly a Muslim. “First of all, I don’t believe the guy is a Christian,” he said. “I don’t believe he follows the God that I love and the Jesus that I love. He’s not supporting this country. I don’t believe he is.”

Sabato Jr isn’t the only Hollywood actor to claim his right-wing politics have cost him jobs. Tim Allen (Last Man Standing) and James Woods (Casino) have also at times claimed their outspoken conservative opinions have hurt their careers. “Surprisingly, there are a lot more conservatives in Hollywood than you would expect,” said Zachery Ty Bryan (Home Improvement) told THR in 2018. “They stay more anonymous. The party of tolerance and acceptance is only accepting if you agree with them.”

Other conservative actors, like Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump) and Kelsey Grammar (Frasier), have kept a lower profile.

Of course, one famously conservative and outspoken actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, managed to become governor of California as a Republican in 2003 and has kept a regular film career going ever since (though he’s notably not a fan of Trump).

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