Charmed actor Antonio Sabato Jr says he was ‘blacklisted’ from Hollywood for supporting Trump

Actor and former model said he has been forced to find work outside the entertainment industry because of his politics

Actor Antonio Sabato Jr attends an event in 2013 (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Antonio Sabato Jr has claimed he was “blacklisted” from Hollywood after campaigning for Donald Trump.

The actor and former model, best known for recurring roles on series including Charmed and Melrose Place, said that he has been forced to work in construction as he has found it impossible to find acting roles.

“I had to sell everything,” he told Variety. “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.”

He continued, “It’s been terrible. It’s mind-blowing. It’s a disgrace. It’s tough, because 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 came under fire in 2016 for incorrectly claiming that Barack Obama is a Muslim, and therefore unfit for the role of president. “I don’t believe he follows the God that I love and the Jesus that I love," he said. “Obama? I mean, that's not a Christian name, is it?"

In 2018, he appeared on the US talk show The View and repeated the claims, saying: “If he's not a Muslim, we should call him President Barry.”

Sabato Jr was also one of the few celebrities to speak at the 2016 Republican National Convention in support of Trump, and has repeatedly spoken in favour of his policies. He told Variety that he knows of many right-wing celebrities who have decided to keep their politics quiet in order to protect their careers.

“I know a lot of actors who are lying about who they’re going to vote for because they don’t want the crap,” he said. “They won’t want to be talked about and fired from movie sets. This is serious.”

Sabato Jr found fame in the Nineties after appearing in the music video for Janet Jackson’s “Love Will Never Do Without You”. He also worked as a Calvin Klein underwear model, before acting in US soap operas.

He is best remembered for playing Bane Jessup, love interest to Shannen Doherty’s Prue Halliwell, on two episodes of the fantasy drama Charmed. Recent acting credits include the inspirational drama One Nation Under God and the comedy Santa in Training.