Schwarzenegger Loses Sponsor Over Anti-Masker Comments

Arnold Schwarzenegger's feelings on anti-maskers have cost him a sponsor. Sports supplement brand REDCON1 announced it will be pulling out of the Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition next month, USA Today reports. The company's founder says REDCON1 is a "patriotic pro-freedom brand" and backs "freedom of choice." Schwarzenegger said earlier this month anyone who refuses to mask up is a "schmuck," then wrote an op-ed in which he doubled down on his beliefs, though he admitted some of his wording may have been a bit much.

On that note, "Anyone who says 'screw your freedoms' is un-American," REDCON1's founder says. He also called Schwarzenegger's words "dangerous," and said the company won't be supporting any of the actor's future events. He insisted in an Instagram video that the choice wasn't a partisan one, Yahoo News reports. "We don't want Arnold censored or cancelled. We just can't support his opinion with our dollars," he added. In a statement to Fox News, the company says the decision was entirely over the "Screw your freedoms" comment and not about masks: "We understand the importance of public safety as well as the responsibilities all event organizers. These are unprecedented times and we’re aligned with public safety for all." (More Arnold Schwarzenegger stories.)