“Game of Thrones” will officially close its curtains after its final episode on Sunday, May 19. Is Russian President Vladimir Putin one of the people who would be tuning in to see who sits on the Iron Throne?
The question might seem ludicrous. However, seeing that United States President Donald Trump has used several memes on Twitter designed after the very popular HBO series, it makes sense to ask whether or not Putin would understand the reference.
As it turned out, Putin is not a fan of “Game of Thrones” or any other for-entertainment shows on TV for that matter. The Moscow-based publication Sputnik News reports this was confirmed by no less than Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov. “The president does not watch TV in principle, except news, he just does not have the time,” Peskov told the media on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the news of Putin not watching “Game of Thrones” is not that shocking. Over the years, the show has stirred controversies in the country. Some lawmakers previously expressed a desire to ban Westeros from the country.
“Every tenth character [in ‘Game of Thrones’] is a sexual deviant," Russian politician Vitaly Milonov told a local paper (via The Hollywood Reporter) in 2015. "Through such works and their popularizing, a new matrix is being inserted in our consciousness, according to which things like that are normal." He is an active legislator who also hails from the same political party as Putin. Milonov also gained a reputation as the main proponent in perpetuating anti-LGBT propaganda in the country.
The earlier seasons of “Game of Thrones” featured gay characters the most important of which was Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony). He had several scenes where he was seen secretly sleeping with men while planning his attack on King’s Landing and claim the Iron Throne. Putin’s Russia has been condemned for its harsh laws aimed at members of the LGBT community.