Chuck Norris Wasn’t at the U.S. Capitol Attack But Past Comments Made the Rumor Believable

Chuck Norris is as famous as a meme as he is an actor. After all, his entire persona as an action hero served as a perfect reflection of American masculinity. Taking the John Wayne archetype and transporting it to Reagan’s America, Norris became an All-American badass during the 1980s. However, a recent picture of a man who looked an awful lot like Norris had many wondering if he was part of the infamous Capitol insurrection. While he was not, his history of political activism made the rumor seem likely. 

Chuck Norris is multi-faceted

Norris was an accomplished Martial artist before he ever broke into Hollywood, according to Biography. A student of Bruce Lee, his big break came in 1972’s The Way of the Dragon, in which he fought the famed martial artist in the film’s final act. An action hero was born. Before long, Norris had more prominent roles in films like Breaker! Breaker! and A Force of One. In the 1980s, he was a bonafide star after Invasion USA, Delta Force, and Missing In Action proved he was a star. 

Norris’s most significant role, at least on-screen, was on Walker, Texas Ranger, the show he starred in from 1993 to 2001. However, one could argue that his accidental magnum opus came several years after when the rough-and-tumble Norris became an early internet meme. Chuck Norris facts have a long shelf-life. From stories about a snake biting him and dying to others about how well-endowed he is, the facts had a life of their own. Norris even made a rare appearance in The Expendables 2, where his character, Booker, listed off some famous Norris facts. 

Norris rarely appears on-screen save for cameos like that these days. Still, he remains a political figure thanks to his second wind as a writer on several right-leaning blogs and websites. With the current political climate, the darker side of the action persona’s past controversies began to get more notice.

Chuck Norris’s controversial politics 

Norris’s rise to prominence started during the Nixon administration, grew during Reagan, and effectively ended during the George W. Bush years. His penchant for mercurial politics echoes this come-up. Never one to shy away from sharing his opinion, Norris found himself in hot water more than once. When Norris spoke about the Boy Scouts allowing gay leaders into the historically homophobic institution, Norris found himself in hot water after claiming it was part of a nefarious plan by Obama. 

“Is Turley working on his own initiative, or has the White House prodded him with perks and favors?” he wrote in a since-deleted article that was quoted by The Guardian. “Is it a coincidence that Turley is in tight cahoots with the White House and that he is the only BSA national board member in 100 years to oppose its pro-traditional family stance?”

Norris, who famously used his meme-induced-renaissance to endorse Mike Huckabee in 2008, later endorsed disgraced Senatorial candidate Roy Moore after allegations of sexual misconduct, as reported by HuffPost. This, too, was no surprise. While many in Hollywood decried Donald Trump’s rise in 2016, Norris voiced his support for the future president, citing the evils that he claimed Hillary Clinton would bring if she were elected. 

“If Republicans cannot come together as a unified body, then we most assuredly will lose the presidential election, and, consequently, lose many congressional and Senate seats,” Norris wrote in a quote collected by AP News. “The Democrats will then dominate Congress, as well as the presidency, for God only knows how long. And most grievous of all, justice seats on the U.S. Supreme Court will be filled by Hillary’s nominees, and their next decade of decisions will certainly dismantle or destroy what is left of our republic.”

From a long history of promoting far-right propaganda to appearances at All Lives Matter marches, as reported to AL, Norris is no stranger to political controversy. When it was rumored that the action star appeared at the rally that eventually led to the Capitol insurrection, it wasn’t hard for those who paid attention to believe. 

Was Chuck Norris at the Capitol Hill Insurrection?

After a fan at the insurrection took a picture with a man he believed to be Chuck Norris, the internet had a field day. However, in a twist befitting of an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger, it turned out that the lookalike was not him but an imposter. Norris’s agent jokingly told the Associated Press that the man in question couldn’t be him because his client was “much more handsome,” according to HuffPost. 

However, while the actor, martial artist, and blogger was not at the insurrection, his past comments show precisely why so many people thought he was. Yes, the man in the picture looked like him, but Norris’s penchant for making regressive comments about the same issues that many people on the news were spouting made it seem likely to fans and viewers. 

The eyes of the ranger may not have been upon the Capitol during that infamous January day, but the sentiments he’s spewed for many years were front and center.