Flexing his Herculean muscle, Kevin Sorbo took a strike at “woke Hollywood,” accusing the movement of causing a “crisis of masculinity.”
Swinging his spear and sword, among other things, the star of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys penned a controversial essay titled “Let’s make Hollywood Manly Again,” sharing his thoughts on the “kind of wussy man” who populates film today.
Sorbo suggests the pageantry of femininity–where androgynous men “sport skirts and poofy dresses” and “self-assured women upstage passive men”–is destroying the stage that was once a hot spot for macho, brawny men to positively influence society.
Keep reading to learn more about Sorbo’s provocative opinion!
Playing the son of Zeus in the hit show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Kevin Sorbo had a dedicated following of fans who couldn’t get enough of his flowing shoulder-length hair and sculpted body, every muscle popping from his pair of braided leather pants and leather vest.
While some might say that outfit was too Neanderthal-like, Sorbo, 65, suggests in his essay, “Let’s Make Hollywood Manly Again,” that he emulated the “brawny macho” man, who once “heavily populated” our favorite movies.
“Society today seriously misunderstands masculinity,” the Minnesota native writes.
A proud Christian who’s been criticized for his right-leaning views, Sorbo explains that we need more machismo stereotypes.
“America today needs warriors; protectors; responsible and committed fathers,” says Sorbo, leaving fans of his old show wondering what his co-star Lucy Lawless, of Xena: Warrior Princess, would have to say about that. “We need men who will raise their kids, defend their homes, provide for their families, and serve self-sacrificially–all of which is impossible if they are dissipated and addicted to pleasure.”
Crediting “woke Hollywood” for the fall of masculinity, Sorbo describes the current climate as in crisis.
First, the actor takes a stab at the evolution of women, proposing that the “popular feminist maxim” defines “Hollywood’s endemic anti-man ethos.”
“…from recent ‘girl-boss’ movies to more male-oriented films, all of which include an obligatory nod to the superior strength, intelligence and independence of womankind.” If that wasn’t enough, he continues, “Everywhere we look, bold, confident, self-assured females upstage passive men who recede quietly into the background. Into the basement. Into the past.”
Next, the Andromeda star takes ambisexual fashion to task.
Using award-winning actors Timothée Chalamet (Dune) and Billy Porter (Pose) as examples, Sorbo said the current trend of androgynous fashion is amplifying “the crisis of masculinity.”
Chalamet, who’s known for relaxed and playful styles, made headlines when he walked the 2022 Venice Film Festival red carpet in a very feminine bright red, halter-top jumpsuit. And Porter is a fashionista who unapologetically struts every path like it was his own catwalk.
“On the one hand, we love to normalize androgynous, Billy Porter-type men who sport skirts and poofy dresses,” Sorbo said. “GQ’s 2019 best-dressed man, Timothée Chalamet, for example, often wears clothes that, well…let’s just say your grandfather wouldn’t have been caught dead dressed like Chalamet.”
Sorbo even took a shot at TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender rights advocate who caused quite a stir earlier this year amongst right-wing media for being sponsored by the beer brand Bud Light.
“No. In fact, you can work out and dress like a man’s man–ridiculing ‘betas’ like Dylan Mulvaney and Chalamet–and still fall prey to the masculinity crisis.”
Furthering his critique of contemporary masculinity, the actor argues that men today have been conquered, slaves to drugs, alcohol, video games and porn, reigning feminists victorious.
“It doesn’t really matter what end of the masculinity spectrum you fall on; if you’re a victim to your own base desires, the feminist culture has won,” the Andromeda star said. “You’re exactly the kind of wussy man they (think they) want you to be.”
Canceled
In recent years, the outspoken Christian conservative said that his beliefs resulted in him being “canceled.”
In 2019, while promoting his faith-based film Miracle in East Texas, Sorbo spoke with Fox News and explained why he was boycotted from Hollywood.
“It was sad to me, you know, my manager and agent for so many years said that we can’t get you jobs anymore [or] work with you because of you being a Christian, being a conservative.” Highlighting the hypocrisy, Sorbo continues, “And I almost had to laugh at that because it’s an industry that screams for tolerance, and yet it’s a one-way street. It screams for freedom of speech. But Hollywood’s a one-way street as well. And that’s just too bad, you know.”
Surely his recent essay detailing the “crisis of masculinity” won’t help his cause.
Sorbo isn’t alone
Sorbo isn’t the only celebrity who shamelessly broadcasts questionable views, oftentimes influenced by conservative opinions.
Full House actor Candace Cameron Bure endorsed the Republican party numerous times and openly supported intolerant views. In 2015, she appeared to defend an Oregon bakery that refused to make a cake for a lesbian wedding. Speaking on the The View, Cameron Bure explained “I don’t think this is discrimination at all. This is about freedom of association.” She continued, “It’s about constitutional rights. It’s about First Amendment rights. We do have the right to still choose who we associate with.”
Rock star Kid Rock, whose lyrics may lead people to believe he follows extremist right winged rules, defended his use of using the derogatory F-word, used to describe homosexuals.
In 2021, the Michigan-born hip hop-rocker wrote on X, then known as Twitter, “If Kid Rock using the word f***** offends you, good chance you are one.” Before signing off as Bob Ritchie, his birth name, Kid continued, “Either way, I know he has a lot of love for his gay friends, and I will have a talk with him. Have a nice day.”
Also, political commentator Candace Owens–who freely spits hate in every direction–shared her unpopular views on the entertainment industry and its gender-bending population.
Speaking on Harry Styles 2020’s Vogue cover where he appeared wearing a skirt, she said: “There is no society that can survive without strong men. The East knows this.” She continued, “In the West, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack. Bring back manly men.”
Meanwhile, Sorbo quotes C.S. Lewis (the Chronicles of Narnia): “Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise, you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”
The man continued, “It’s time for the world’s entertainment capital to reintroduce good men: men who love their wives and children, protect them, fight for what’s right, and speak up for the powerless. Men who, above all, have overcome their own selfish desires and are free to put others first.”
While we try not to judge and value everyone’s opinions, it’s difficult when individuals steamroll everything in their path.
Reviewing Kevin Sorbo’s post, it seems the underlying message is that women and children need “masculine,” “manly” men, who are “warriors,” and who can “protect them, and speak up for the powerless.”
If Sorbo wants to speak the way he did in his essay, he better suit up in those leather pants and vest again. Otherwise, we’re not listening.
If you enjoyed reading this story, you might also like the one about Chip and Joanna Gaines speaking out on accusations that labeled them racist and anti-LGBTQ.
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