Artist Sara Radovanovitch, fiancée of J6 defendant Jay Johnston, has unveiled the second painting in her 2024 "Free Thinkers" painting series.
February's Free Thinker is Tucker Carlson.
Profits from the paintings will go toward Radovanovitch's family along with assisting Johnston in his upcoming July trial date regarding his alleged involvement in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6th, 2021.
"I'm a few days late finishing, just getting over being sick," Radovanovitch wrote. "This painting is quite large and will come in a custom frame built from old growth wood."
"Tucker seemed like an obvious choice for me in this series. He was already pushing the boundaries of corporate media before being fired from Fox," Radovanovitch told SCNR News. "And that only freed him to challenge narratives further and interview people whose voices are often suppressed."
Radovanovitch praised Carlson for his coverage of the Capitol riot.
"We’re both incredibly grateful for that," she said of herself and Johnston. "Right now, we’re waiting for Jay’s upcoming trial date in July. Three years of mostly being in limbo and endless calls with lawyers, unable to really move forward as our finances quickly drained away."
Radovanovitch launched her "Free Thinkers" series in January with a painting of the late conservative journalist and Breitbart News founder Andrew Breitbart.
“Every month this year, I’m painting a different person who challenged the establishment, the MSM, and who I feel is important to our First Amendment,” Radovanovitch wrote.
In March 2021, the FBI shared two heavily cropped photos to X, then-Twitter, asking the public’s assistance in identifying a man present at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The FBI appeared to claim the man was part of a group that engaged in violence that day.
The man was later identified as Johnston, an actor, writer, and voiceover artist with over 30 years' experience in the industry.
One of the out-of-context cropped photos provided by the FBI features Johnston appearing to hold a phone while the other features Johnston wearing a camouflage neck gaiter.
The actor was later dropped by his agent and effectively blacklisted from the industry after he was identified in the FBI's post. Johnston's family, including Radovanovitch, were also subjected to harassment, stalking and personal threats.
On June 1, 2021, the FBI raided Johnston’s home and held him at gunpoint in front of his family in their yard. However, the actor was not arrested by federal authorities for his alleged involvement in the Capitol riot until two years later on June 7 last year.
"Jay’s career disappeared overnight when he was blacklisted but I was able to work for a while, then nobody would hire me anymore either, so we basically hit bottom," Radovanovitch added. "At that point, you kind of just look around and say, 'Well, now what?' So, I decided to start this painting series and Jay has been working on writing."
Johnston is currently out on bond in preparation for his July trial date.
“Jay doesn’t have a violent bone in his body,” Johnston’s fiancée wrote in the family’s GiveSendGo campaign. “He is a wonderful father and devoted to his family, loved by his neighbors and always the first person to help others in need.”
Johnston has appeared in a series of films over his career including Men in Black II, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. The actor also appeared in television series, including Mr. Show and The Sarah Silverman Program, and also voiced Jimmy Pesto on the long-running animated sitcom Bob’s Burgers from 2011 until 2021.
