Anti-Gay Russian Actor Gets New Gig at Apparel Company

The Russian actor and former creative director for Russia's largest cell phone retailer, who came under fire last month for saying he wanted to burn gays alive, quit his position this week because of the backlash he received from making those anti-gay comments. He's bounced backed, however, scoring a job with a Russian apparel manufacturer, the Hollywood Reporter reported Wednesday.

Ivan Okhlobystin, 47, announced on Tuesday that he was resigning his creative director job with Euroset, Russia's largest retailer, because of backlash he received from comments he made last month, where he said he wanted to burn gays alive in furnaces.

"Given the incessant threats, provocations and insults from the sodomites in respect of my friends, associates and their familes [sic], I have insisted I should resign," he said. "People close to me do not have to suffer from my public position from which I will never give up."

The Hollywood Reporter reports Okhlobystin, who is known for his role on Russia's answer to "Scrubs," is already back at work, after being immediately hired for a similar role by Russian apparel manufacturer Baon.

The company's owner, Ilya Yaroshenko, said that Okhlobystin was hired because he shares the same values with the company.

"Okhlobystin perfectly suits our target audience, our brand's values, such as family, Orthodox Christianity and also what he is fighting for," Yaroshenko said, according to RIA Novosti.

Okhlobystin originally made headlines in December for saying:

"I myself would shove all live gays into a furnace. This is Sodom and Gomorrah, I as a believer in God can not treat this indifferently, this is a live threat to my kids!... I do not want my kids to think that faggots are normal. This is lavender fascism. If a person can not choose someone of an opposite sex for procreation -- this is an overt sign of mental abnormality, so they should be denied of voting rights."

Okhlobystin announced his departure with Euroset earlier this week, not long after he urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring back sodomy laws and after a group of more than 15 LGBT groups teamed up to urge Apple to cut ties with Euroset over the actor's hateful remarks.