According to multiple reports, the Secret Service has opened a probe into actor John Schneider, who rose to fame playing Bo Duke on “The Dukes of Hazzard” in the 80s. The actor has since starred on “Smallville” and in multiple made-for-TV rom-coms, including several Hallmark movies.
On December 21, 2023, Deadline reported that an investigation into Schneider had been launched over a tweet he posted earlier that day, calling for President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, to be “publicly hung.” It was a significant turn of events for the actor and musician, whose tweet was posted just hours after he’d been revealed and celebrated as the second-place contestant on FOX’s “The Masked Singer.”
Here’s what you need to know:
John Schneider Under Investigation for Reply to Tweet from President Biden
Getty GettyJohn Schneider in 2019
On the morning of December 21, TMZ shared a screenshot of Schneider’s tweet, which was response to a tweet sent by Biden.
Biden’s December 20 tweet stated that former President Donald Trump “poses many threats to our country: The right to choose, civil rights, voting rights, and America’s standing in the world. But the greatest threat he poses is to our democracy. If we lose that, we lose everything.”
Schneider replied to that tweet by writing, “Mr. President, I believe you are guilty of treason and should be publicly hung. Your son too. Your response is..? Sincerely, John Schneider.”
Deadline reported that the White House and the Secret Service didn’t provide any official statement on an investigation of Schneider, but that “sources close to events confirm a probe is in the preliminary stage.”
“We look at all threats against our protectees and, due to intent, this falls under the definition of a threat,” an inside source told Deadline.
TMZ reported that a representative for the Secret Service said that while they don’t comment on “matters involving protective intelligence,” the agency “investigates all threats related to our protectees.”
According to Deadline, a “credible” threat against the president is a federal Class D felony, subject to up to five years behind bars and a $250,000 fine. Judges can also impose restrictions on online activity and order “supervised release” of those convicted. The law “prohibits knowing and willful threats to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm against” the President, Vice-President, their predecessors, potential successors and their immediate families.
John Schneider Insists He Did Not Intend to Threaten President Biden
Michael Becker / FOX Michael Becker / FOXNick Cannon and John Schneider in season 10 finale of “The Masked Singer,” which aired on December 20, 2023.
Schneider has since released two statements to both TMZ and Deadline, insisting that his tweet was not a threat.
“Seriously, folks?” Schneider wrote in his first statement. “I said no such thing. Despite headlines claiming otherwise, I absolutely did not call for an act of violence or threaten a U.S. president.”
The star then expanded his response in a second statement, both outlets reported.
He wrote, “Seriously, folks? This is my final comment on this. I neither said nor implied any such thing. Despite headlines claiming otherwise, in my post, I absolutely did not call for an act of violence or threaten a U.S. president as many other celebrities have done in the past. I suggest you re-read my actual post and pay attention to the words before believing this nonsense.”
Schneider continued, “It’s my position, which I am entitled to have, that some of our nations leaders in Washington have lost their way, and corruption runs rampant, both on our nation’s borders and abroad. Transparency and accountability must happen in order for our constitutional republic to survive. There is no threat implied or otherwise in that statement.”
Hours before Schneider wrote the tweet that got him in such hot water, he was revealed on the season 10 finale of “The Masked Singer” as the Donut, placing second behind NE-YO. Another Hallmark star, Janel Parrish, took third place.
In an interview with People Schneider said he agreed to be on the show in honor of his late wife, Alicia, who died of breast cancer in February and had always wanted him to appear on it.
“What an amazing opportunity to be able to honor Alicia, to be able to honor people who are grieving, maybe educate people who are grieving a little bit, in front of millions of people,” he said. “I’m a pretty strong guy but I’m also a very emotional guy. Being out there on that stage dressed like a donut, singing some of the greatest songs ever written and having people respond to the songs and the performance with no notion that it was me, really, really helped John Schneider.”
Schneider appeared in Hallmark movies including 2012’s “Come Dance at My Wedding” and 2015’s “Love By the Book.” His most recent acting role was in “Jingle Smells,” released in early December on the conservative streaming outlet Rumble, according to Fast Company.
What a stupid thing to do and say. Don’t lie about what you said that went viral and just because you think you are a star doesn’t mean you can just say whatever you want to. Time to grow up and face the music. It’s done for you
Did they investigate Madonna when she said she wanted to burn the White House down when Donald Trump was president?? No, but John Schneider gets investigated when he says what a lot of other people are thinking.
Madonna wanted to “BLOW UP THE WHITE HOUSE”!!!!
I bet she was interviewed by the Secret Service though. It was a threat against the US Government and the home where the President resides. My husband was a Federal Agent that investigated companies that frauded the government. We lived in Maryland just outside of DC. We listened to five hours of news every single day. When the words come out of a world-famous person, some crazy person with some justification will take the words as a service to the people. How many nuts invaded the Capital?
I’m neutral when it comes to politics. I do believe in freedom of speech of speech though. I also do not believe that the actor was exactly making a threat himself against Biden or his son. Just simply stating that it needed to occur. Not that he needed to perform the act himself.
Madonna threatened to blow up the White House; Robert deNerdo threatened Trump 24/7…at times didn’t he threaten to beat him up?; joe biden threatened to take Trump to the “back of the gym”; how many “celebrities”, business people, politicians THREATENED President Trump while he was campaigning and WHILE HE WAS POTUS! They are STILL threatening ANYBODY who votes for him! But THAT was okay because he was Trump and a Republican. John Schneider says biden should be found guilty of Treason and publicly hung, & A LOT OF US AGREE and all HELL breaks loose! I guess you have to be a democrat/socialist/progressive to shoot your mouth off……a Republican says something THAT WAS NOT A THREAT but a stated TRUTH and OMG!!! get the SOB….CAN’T SAY ANYTHING AGAINST THEIR LITTLE PUPPET! Biden keeps saying “everybody should pay their fair share of taxes” ad what does his loser son do???? HE DIDN’T PAY HIS TAXES….I’m curious….when was the last year he paid ANYTHING in taxes?!?! Even Biden’s Devil Dog was allowed to chomp on the Secret Service whenever he felt like it and it took biden a year to get rid of the Killer!!! Leave John Schneider alone….he didn’t THREATEN to hang biden although he deserves it!!
Laughable, guess he got caught with his pants down & now wants to double back. “Transparency and accountability must happen in order for our constitutional republic to survive. ” — he won’t be getting that from the orange cheeto, that’s for sure!
It may be stupid, but it is against the law to make comments whether it is just a loose lipped comment which is what was intended, but what if someone had tried to do it. He would have been guilty of inciting the injury or death of someone. The President is and will be protected at all costs from being attacked and harmed by anyone. I actually think it is appalling that the Secret Service or even John Schnider himself.
Why don’t someone as The Dixie Chicks if they were contacted by the if they were interviewed by the Secret Service when they were on tour in England about the comment that Natalie Maines and her band did about being ashamed and embarrassed by our invasion of Iran by US President Bush, him being from Texas. The backlash was so bad they had to take a hiatus. Hank Williams Jr. will tell you that it doesn’t matter how big you are, when you make comments in the public, you just have further to fall when they no longer can play the are opening theme song for Monday Nights Football. He even earned him four Emmy Awards.
John said he did not say it the way it was reported. We will see what happens. There just might be a lawsuit against whoever miss quoted him!