Louisiana Republican Representative Mike Johnson was widely mocked online after he claimed that an animated comedy starring actor Danny DeVito as Satan is "clearly evil" in a post.
The series, Little Demon, stars Aubrey Plaza as well as DeVito and his daughter Lucy DeVito. It follows a woman who is impregnated by the Devil and who tries to live a normal life in Delaware with her Antichrist daughter only to find herself battling with the child's father, who wants custody of her soul.
A trailer for the series—which premiered on FX on August 25 and can be watched on Hulu—is included below.
The series angered Johnson, who denounced it in a Facebook post.
He said he "couldn’t get to the remote fast enough to shield my 11-year-old from the preview" and openly wondered "how many millions more will tune in to the new series, owned and marketed by DISNEY."
He proceeded to criticize the actors by sharing snippets of positive reviews from different sources, saying that he "could write volumes this morning, and unpack pages of Bible verses here."
He concluded:
"Our job as parents is to guard the hearts and minds of our kids. This culture has become alarmingly dark and desensitized and this is not a game."
"Disney and FX have decided to embrace and market what is clearly evil. STAY FAR FROM IT."
You can see Johnson's complete post below.
One problem with Johnson's rant, of course, is Little Demon is not marketed to children.
It is very much a series for adults and by adults and has been marketed as such.
Johnson has been harshly criticized for his hot take.
He inadvertently created buzz for the series among people who said the show had piqued their interest.
\u201cRep Mike Johnson (R-La.) will send the ratings for \u201cLittle Demon\u201dthrough roof, basically guaranteeing it will go six seasons and a movie.\n\nI am sure Danny DeVito will send a nice hell-themed gift. https://t.co/FcRQNlE6Zu\u201d— Bob of IL Repute \ud83d\ude07\ud83d\ude08 (@Bob of IL Repute \ud83d\ude07\ud83d\ude08) 1662573222
\u201cPeople like Rep. Mike Johnson are a danger to a rational society.\n\nhttps://t.co/nS4ojf0hyx\u201d— Dan \u00ab\u042f \u0437 \u0423\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0457\u043d\u043e\u044e #Antifa\u00bb (@Dan \u00ab\u042f \u0437 \u0423\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0457\u043d\u043e\u044e #Antifa\u00bb) 1662568436
\u201cA Republican complaining about 'Little Demon' while supporting Trump is the definition of lacking self-awareness...\u201d— sOlOw (@sOlOw) 1662510072
\u201cthis man was really watching fxx on tv with his child in the room, that says more about him as a parent than danny divito as a producer\u201d— Tri\u00f6xide / Black Lives Matter (@Tri\u00f6xide / Black Lives Matter) 1662510823
\u201cReal tired of flawed idiots with a fascist agenda telling america what\u2019s good or evil, who\u2019s a patriot & who isn\u2019t or what we can read, who we can love, who we can hire or give food & water 2. Republicans have been radicalizing Americans since the 60\u2019s https://t.co/CxLzDSglAt\u201d— Harry Segarra (@Harry Segarra) 1662542280
\u201cMaybe Danny DeVito is the secret weapon we need to drive all GOP lawmakers out of office!\nU.S. Lawmaker Says Sitcom Starring Danny DeVito As Voice Of Satan Is \u2018Evil\u2019 https://t.co/cyksAAfu5s\u201d— Democracy Matters \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Democracy Matters \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1662508850
\u201cJust don't watch it...\u201d— Courtney... (@Courtney...) 1662509785
Johnson—who was first elected in 2016—is the vice chair of the House Republican Conference and is considered one of the more socially and fiscally conservative members of Congress.
He previously made headlines for issuing a call for government sponsored school prayer. In 2018, Johnson joined Republican state Attorney General Jeff Landry and Christian actor Kirk Cameron to argue under the First Amendment for student-led prayer and religious expression in public schools.
A devoted follower of former Republican President Donald Trump, Johnson served as a member of Trump's legal defense team during both the 2019 and 2020 Senate impeachment trials, which resulted in acquittals.
