Michael Imperioli has interpreted the US Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday — which favored a Christian web designer seeking legal protection to discriminate against same-sex marriage based on her religious beliefs — to mean that he can ban “bigots and homophobes” from watching any of his work.
The Emmy-winning actor, best known for playing mobster Chris Moltisanti over six seasons on HBO’s The Sopranos, handed down his own decision on Saturday in a post via Instagram that read: “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. Thank you Supreme Court for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don’t agree with and am opposed to. USA ! USA!”
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He later added comments like “hate and ignorance is not a legitimate point of view” and “America is becoming dumber by the minute.” See the full post below.
Imperioli has previously used his Instagram account to voice support for the LGBTQIA+ community, most recently sharing a Pride Month celebration post in late June with the caption: “HAPPY PRIDE 2023! much love to all…stay strong, be fearless, be proud. and make sure to register to VOTE so we can get the bigots out of office!” In March, he showed solidarity with transgender people by posting an image of the Trans flag with the message: “dear brothers, sisters and siblings. fear not, be strong and don’t let the bastards grind you down. love you.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court spent the past week unveiling a series of rulings befitting their current conservative majority: along with the 6-3 decision that stripped away fundamental protections for same-sex couples, the Court also axed President Biden’s student loan forgiveness proposal and found affirmative action used for college admittance to be unconstitutional.