This sponsorship is terminated.
A supplement brand won’t support an upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger bodybuilding event anymore after the actor ripped those who won’t wear a mask.
Schwarzenegger said someone who refuses to mask up during the COVID-19 pandemic is a “schmuck” — and took issue with people citing their freedom as a reason — in a recent interview with CNN.
“There is a virus here,” Schwarzenegger said this month. “It kills people, and the only way we prevent it is to get vaccinated, to wear masks, to do social distancing, washing your hands all the time, and not just to think about, ‘Well my freedom is being kind of disturbed here.’ No. Screw your freedom! Because with freedom comes obligations and responsibilities.”
In response, the founder of REDCON1 said his brand will no longer sponsor the “Terminator” star’s Arnold Classic.
“We’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars being a top sponsor of the event, and this year the exclusive sponsor of the webcast, but we can’t in good Conscience continue to support & be involved with someone who has such diametrically opposed beliefs,” Aaron Singerman said in an Instagram post.
“Anyone who says ‘screw your freedoms’ is un-American, and REDCON1 is a patriotic pro-freedom brand,” he continued. “We support freedom of choice.”
Schwarzenegger, 74, was the governor of California from 2003-2011, serving as a Republican.
In his recent interview with CNN, Schwarzenegger stressed the importance of everyone coming together to beat the pandemic.