“The Bible” has been an incredibly successful miniseries for the History Channel, so it’s no wonder viewers took to the Internet after noticing that the actor cast in the role of Satan looks quite a bit like President Barack Obama.
Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni plays the role of the fallen angel. A number of Twitter users noticed the similarity between Ouazanni and Obama on Sunday. Among them was Glenn Beck, who first tweeted that the series was “one of the most important shows in decades,” then posted a screenshot of Ouazanni and asked if others thought he looked like “That Guy,” Beck’s preferred term for Obama.
The History Channel and executive producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey issued a statement, saying: “History Channel has the highest respect for President Obama. The series was produced with an international and diverse cast of respected actors. It’s unfortunate that anyone made this false connection. History’s ‘The Bible’ is meant to enlighten people on its rich stories and deep history.”
“This is utter nonsense,” Burnett said. “The actor who played Satan, Mehdi Ouzaani, is a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor. He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics — including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our President.”
“Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love our President, who is a fellow Christian,” Downey added. “False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of The Bible.”
The Hollywood Reporter notes, “The Bible” comes to viewers from acclaimed reality-TV producer Burnett and his wife, Downey. Burnett has donated to Democratic causes in the past (though he also produces Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” and worked on “Sarah Palin’s Alaska.” Downey is known as being highly religious and also producers “Little Angels,” a Christian show for children.
Read More: huffingtonpost.com
