As it turns out, being outspoken about your controversial political views can lead to repercussions, especially if you align yourself with the far-right, anti-semites, transphobes and racists.
System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan is now finding that out the hard way, as he's revealed that he lost "hundreds of thousands of fans" amid his support of Donald Trump, ousted Mandalorian actor Gina Carano, and touting of election conspiracies and anti-BLM views.
"I lost people that I thought were friends over the last few years primarily due to my unwillingness to accept the narratives they are now questioning the validity of," he wrote in a recent Instagram post. "Not to mention hundreds of thousands of fans who couldn't handle my opinions here on Instagram. When you endeavor to help those in peril, or guide those that are being duped, sometimes you lose because of it. You do it anyway."
The drummer added in the caption: "And I'll do it again."
In a 2022 interview, he spoke about losing followers over the 2020 election: "When we were in the middle of the Trump-versus-Biden debacle and attempting to figure out who was gonna continue to lead this country, I lost a ton of followers every time I would post something that was either pro-Trump or pro my opinions one way or the other ... I would post something, and I would instantly lose a thousand, two thousand people. I probably blocked five thousand people."
In 2020, Dolmayan called the former president "the greatest friend to minorities" amid the wave of anti-racist protests in the States. He also said that the Black Lives Matter movement was a "democratic propaganda tool" and bolstered theories about the American election being rigged. He also complained about "cowards who instituted woke justice" against Carano after Disney fired her following her anti-mask posts and mocking people's gender pronouns.
SOAD's Serj Tankian, who is also outspoken about his own generally opposite political beliefs, has said that the two are still good friends despite their differing views: "I love and respect John very much, but I don't love and respect his American political views. And that's fine," he shared in 2021. "And I can live with that and he can live with that because we respect and care for each other. And it's really just that."
Dolmayan, meanwhile, said that Tankian "hasn't really wanted to be in the band for a long time," blaming the singer for SOAD's stalled output, adding that the band "probably should have parted ways around 2006."
See Dolmayan's post below.
System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan is now finding that out the hard way, as he's revealed that he lost "hundreds of thousands of fans" amid his support of Donald Trump, ousted Mandalorian actor Gina Carano, and touting of election conspiracies and anti-BLM views.
"I lost people that I thought were friends over the last few years primarily due to my unwillingness to accept the narratives they are now questioning the validity of," he wrote in a recent Instagram post. "Not to mention hundreds of thousands of fans who couldn't handle my opinions here on Instagram. When you endeavor to help those in peril, or guide those that are being duped, sometimes you lose because of it. You do it anyway."
The drummer added in the caption: "And I'll do it again."
In a 2022 interview, he spoke about losing followers over the 2020 election: "When we were in the middle of the Trump-versus-Biden debacle and attempting to figure out who was gonna continue to lead this country, I lost a ton of followers every time I would post something that was either pro-Trump or pro my opinions one way or the other ... I would post something, and I would instantly lose a thousand, two thousand people. I probably blocked five thousand people."
In 2020, Dolmayan called the former president "the greatest friend to minorities" amid the wave of anti-racist protests in the States. He also said that the Black Lives Matter movement was a "democratic propaganda tool" and bolstered theories about the American election being rigged. He also complained about "cowards who instituted woke justice" against Carano after Disney fired her following her anti-mask posts and mocking people's gender pronouns.
SOAD's Serj Tankian, who is also outspoken about his own generally opposite political beliefs, has said that the two are still good friends despite their differing views: "I love and respect John very much, but I don't love and respect his American political views. And that's fine," he shared in 2021. "And I can live with that and he can live with that because we respect and care for each other. And it's really just that."
Dolmayan, meanwhile, said that Tankian "hasn't really wanted to be in the band for a long time," blaming the singer for SOAD's stalled output, adding that the band "probably should have parted ways around 2006."
See Dolmayan's post below.
