MIDLOTHIAN, Texas — A small rainbow flag symbolizing LGBTQ Pride on the set of “The Chosen” has sparked outrage among some viewers, but the executive producer of the hit streaming series about the life of Jesus and his disciples is unbothered by calls for a boycott.
A May 29 Twitter post showed the flag attached to an equipment stand — and not at all visible in the filmed episode. The post garnered more than 222,000 views and calls for a boycott of the series.
Executive producer Dallas Jenkins told The Washington Times that people working on “The Chosen” can “express themselves in their own personal workspace.”
“Our cast and crew come from a wide variety of religious and political backgrounds, some with no faith at all. We’ve never had a religious or political litmus test for who we hire, we just want the best people,” he said in an exclusive interview.
Mr. Jenkins said the flag had “been there for a year,” and “it’s never been an issue” among the thousands of visitors to the show’s production site here in Texas.
“Our show’s official stance is we speak through the content of the show. Our on-set workspace policies are really not related to the content of the show, and I’m not sure they’re really anyone’s business but those who want to make it their business if that’s their right to do so,” the executive producer said.
The show’s policy extends the kind of courtesy he would want to receive as an employee in the entertainment industry, Mr. Jenkins said.
“I would hope for the same if I wanted to show up to work and wear any kind of shirt or have a little three-inch flag or sticker on my computer that expresses my own views,” he said. “I would want them to give me the same freedom that I’m giving my cast and crew.”
Season four of “The Chosen” is expected to be released in January, producers said.
