‘The Bible’ producers dismiss Obama-as-Satan allegations
TVIf you caught the latest installment of The History Channel’s epic miniseries The Bible, you might have noticed a bit of a resemblance between their depiction of Satan, and the current Leader of the Free World.
Credit: The Hollywood Reporter
The producers of the miniseries say that the comparisons between Satan (played in the series by actor Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni) and US President President Barack Obama is “utter nonsense.”
The resemblance first gained attention when media pundit Glenn Beck tweeted the following:
The bible on the history channel Sunday.Best episode yet.Don’t miss it.Does satan look EXACTLY like Obama?Y e s!
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) March 15, 2013
Mark Burnett (“Survivor,” “The Voice”) spoke out about the resemblance earlier today, saying that Ouazanni, the Moroccan actor who played Satan, has played Satanic characters in other Biblical programs in the past — long before President Obama was elected.
The History Channel, perhaps recognizing that Burnett’s statement isn’t much of a defense, released a statement of their own, saying that the network has “the highest respect” for President Obama, and added that “it’s unfortunate that anyone made this false connection.”
“Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love our president, who is a fellow Christian,” said Downey, the former “Touched By an Angel” actress who is married to Burnett. “False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of the Bible.”
Beck tweeted earlier today about the media storm he may have inadvertently created: “Media — relax.”
He added that the observation was “funny, nothing more” and that the series “is 1 of my fav shows. Keep watching.”
The five-part miniseries has been huge for The History Channel, garnering more than 13 million viewers for its first episode. The 10-hour miniseries comes to a conclusion on Easter Sunday.
Via: CBS News
