The Smear on the South Lawn
On Sunday evening, after emerging victorious in his UFC fight, heavyweight mixed martial artist Josh Hokit stood in the ring erected on the South Lawn of the White House for a post-brawl interview with Joe Rogan. Donning sunglasses and a USA flag cap, Hokit lauded Donald Trump “for having the balls to put some shit like this on” and praised Jesus Christ as his lord and savior. But before walking off, he chose to conclude his victory remarks by shouting an obscene remark into the Paramount-branded microphone: “Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?!”
The shocking smear, which Rogan did not address, immediately went viral on social media, where Hokit was widely condemned for the ugly rhetoric. Even UFC chief executive Dana White said in a text message statement to TIME magazine that he’s “completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families” and that while he is pro-free speech, “I hate that kind of nonsense.”
Conspicuously, however, a number of major companies associated with the event have opted to remain silent, apparently lacking the courage to speak out against the brazen display of incivility.
Most notably, Paramount, which exclusively carried the White House fights on its streamer…
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