Sam Amico
Actor Michael Imperioli says he is forbidding “bigots and homophobes’” from watching The Sopranos or other shows and movies in which he’s had a role.
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The reason? Imperioli is upset over a Supreme Court ruling that says a Christian graphic designer doesn’t have to create same-sex marriage websites, given her religious objections. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of Colorado-based web designer Lorie Smith.
“I’ve decided to forbid bigots and homophobes from watching The Sopranos, The White Lotus, Goodfellas or any movie or TV show I’ve been in,” Imperioli said in the caption of his Instagram post, “Thank you Supreme Court for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don’t agree with and am opposed to. USA! USA!”
Imperioli, who had a small role in highly acclaimed film Goodfellas, also stars in The White Lotus and Hulu’s This Fool, which returns for a second season later this month.
The State of Colorado was sued for an anti-discrimination law that prohibited businesses providing sales or from denying service based on a customer’s sexual orientation.
Justice Neil Gorsuch authored the Supreme Court’s majority opinion on the ruling.
“In this case, Colorado seeks to force an individual to speak in ways that align with its views but defy her conscience about a matter of major significance,” it read. “But tolerance, not coercion, is our Nation’s answer. The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands. Because Colorado seeks to deny that promise, the judgment is reversed.”
Imperioli has made statements in the past that directly contradict his recent statements. During an appearance on Letterman in 2004, Imperioli made a direct joke about the fact that the Sopranos included many “homphobic” (by his own standards) epithets. What changed, Michael? See a clip of that moment below…
