The political battles of Xena and Hercules (Lucy Lawless, Kevin Sorbo) on X
They were fantasy stars of the 90s: Xena, the Princess Warrior, and Hercules, the demigod. Just a few times, they acted together, but Lucy Lawless and Kevin Sorbo have often been named in one breath. Why is that so?
Xena, the Princess Warrior appeared on TV from 1995 through 2001, while Sorbo's Hercules saved the day from 1995 to 1999.
The two seem kindred spirits on the screen, but in real life, Lucy Lawless and Kevin Sorbo have opposite ideas about politics. And they are vocal about them on social media.
The political atmosphere in the run-up to the U.S. elections has become increasingly tense. Some artists speak out to defend the Republican candidate Donald Trump, while others support the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
The topic of politics divides Lucy Lawless (Xena) and Kevin Sorbo (Hercules). While Sorbo is a fervent Trump supporter, Lawless defends the Democratic candidate.
Trump and his supporters often mock Kamala Harris. One of them is Hercules. He posted a tweet in August 2024 when Trump called into question the race of Kamala Harris. Although he later deleted it, Entertainment Weekly and other media captured and saved the message.
Sorbo posted: "If Kamala really is black, have her say the N-word, let the people decide for themselves." Of course, he knew the presidential candidate would never use that word, and thus, his comment implicated, she couldn't be (partly) African American.
Lucy Lawless, a Harris supporter, answered Sorbo's post with a striking anecdote. While others denounced his post, she recalled a moment the two actors shared, and her story seemed to favor Sorbo.
She began the story like this: "In his defense, I personally witnessed a time when Kevin Sorbo stuck up for a black man against white people."
Xena's story went way back to the '90s. "We actors were sitting around and I bought up a news item. I said, 'Guys, did you guys hear about that woman and her friend who were brutally murdered in LA? I think maybe the footballer did it!'"
"And Peanut [Lucy's nickname for Kevin] growled: 'Hey! I knew Nicole and let me tell you... she was no picnic!' BOOM."
Lawless, in shock, replied, "She didn’t deserve to be stabbed to death." To this day, the Xena actress remembers the incident.
At the time, Hercules concluded the conversation: "I'm just saying, She was a piece of work." So yes, Xena recalls, Hercules defended a black man that day; but maybe it wasn't the best time to do it.
It was not the first time Xena and Hercules confronted each other about American politics. Since 2016, Sorbo has been vocally pro-Trump and Lawless doesn't like that at all.
In 2021, the fantasy heroes got involved in the heated online debate about the January 6 assault on the Capitol where Trump supporters tried to undo the confirmation of Joe Biden's victory. Sorbo had something to say first.
Although the horned 'QAnon Shaman' in the previous picture might well have gotten his inspiration from the '90s hairdo of Hercules, Sorbo said the attack on the Capitol had nothing to do with Trump supporters like him.
"They don't look like patriots to me..." he said as a way to counter the accusations that these were the same people Trump had just spoken to on the other side of the Washington Mall. People Sorbo usually agreed with.
Lawless disagreed with him: "No, Peanut. They are not Patriots. They are your flying monkeys, homegrown terrorists, QAnon actors. They are the d*bags that go out and do the evil bidding of people like you who like to wind them up like toys and let them do their worst."
It is clear that Xena doesn't pull punches when it comes to her old buddy Hercules. She does not let him get away with questionable statements, just like she wouldn't take anything from villains like Morpheus or Callisto in her 90s action series.
Xena's idealism also showed in 2018. Sorbo had set Twitter ablaze by posting: "Only in America are legal citizens labeled 'rac1sts' and 'Naz1s,' but illegal aliens are called 'Dreamers.'"
To which the heroine Lucy replied: "I'm a Dreamer"
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