The Anti-Alan Ritchson Boycott Is Working So Well that Even Hollywood Studios Are Demanding He “Shut Up” about Politics

The controversy surrounding Alan Ritchson’s repeated political remarks has apparently reached Hollywood studio executives. The “Reacher” star admitted that studios have called and asked him to stop discussing politics in public. Ritchson didn’t identify everyone who contacted him, but he later named Sony while cutting off what almost turned into another round of political commentary. His admission comes after months of criticism directed at President Donald Trump, Republicans, and Christian Trump supporters.

Ritchson made the comments during an appearance at Fan Expo Canada in late August. The actor was answering questions about his career and upcoming projects when the conversation shifted toward his willingness to voice his political opinions. Ritchson said studios had contacted him about his public remarks and then revealed just how directly executives had confronted him.

“You know how many phone calls I get from studios like, ‘Would you shut the f— up, please? Stop talking in public,’” Ritchson told the audience. He then said he was seeking “the opposite of chaos.” “I mean, but it’s not chaos I’m after. It’s actually the opposite of chaos,” he said. “I’d like a little — I’m not going to get into it,” he added before returning to politics.

As Breitbart News reported, Ritchson hinted at an instruction from Sony. “I’m not going to do it. Sony told me not to,” he said. “And I’m not going to say anything. Not today. Not today, Epstein.” The remark drew cheers from members of the audience.The woman interviewing Ritchson responded by giving him a fist bump, after which the actor declared, “Pedos win.”

Ritchson didn’t explain exactly what Sony told him, which project prompted the instruction, or whether the company threatened any lasting professional consequences. He also didn’t disclose whether any studio had recently dropped him from a role, though recent boycotts have prompted severe fan reactions to movie studios such as Angel Studios. His words do, however, confirm that studios have contacted him directly about his public statements.

The warnings followed several increasingly aggressive political remarks from the actor. In July, Ritchson accused Trump of sexual misconduct without presenting evidence during an expletive-filled discussion of the Epstein files and called those he blamed for withholding the files “pedophiles.” He previously called former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz a “motherf—–” and criticized Christians who supported Trump. During another interview, he said people should hold on to their political anger until somebody wakes up “in a pool of their own teeth and blood.”

Watch Ritchson discuss the studio warnings here:

The studio pressure also arrived after a brutally weak theatrical opening for one of Ritchson’s latest films. “Motor City” opened in exactly 1,600 theaters and grossed $1,693,905 during its July 24th–26th opening weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. The movie finished ninth at the domestic box office and averaged $1,058 per theater.

The Fan Expo comments came less than two weeks before Ritchson and his wife, Catherine, publicly announced that they were ending their marriage after 20 years. “After twenty years together, Cat and I have decided to end our marriage and continue alongside one another in a different way,” the 43-year-old actor wrote in a joint Instagram statement.

The couple said they had built a life and family together and would continue raising their three sons. “Nothing can diminish what these years have meant to us — or the love and respect we will always share,” the statement said.

Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.