MIAMI, Fla. – George Zimmerman is again in the spotlight after asserting that he is famous only for selling paintings and trying to participate in a celebrity boxing match.
An interview with Zimmerman, who was famously acquitted of murder after shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin to death in Sanford, Florida, in February 2012, aired on CNN this week. In it, Zimmerman claimed that he’s “literally only famous for my paintings and potential Celebrity Boxing Match, and I just can’t think of any other reason people would know my name. Not one.” Zimmerman also complained that he was not able to live in anonymity due to his fame, before asking CNN’s Chris Cuomo when he would be able to get another interview with the national news broadcaster. “I’ve just been on Univision and Fusion, but I think we both know that CNN’s where the real money is”.
The former neighborhood watch volunteer – who killed an unarmed black teenager – has come back into the spotlight in recent times by selling a painting which depicted a blue American flag with the words “God, One Nation, With Liberty And Justice For All” for over $100,000, and being threatened with legal action by the Associated Press after attempting to sell another painting which allegedly infringed on the copyright of one of their photographs. He was also touted as a participant in a Celebrity Boxing Match, with DMX beating out more than 15,000 other people who wanted to get in the ring with Zimmerman. The promoter, Damon Feldman, later canceled the fight, saying “there’s more to life then [sic] money.”
“I still don’t understand why the boxing match was canceled,” Zimmerman said in his interview with Cuomo. “I mean, I know that artists can be controversial, but I didn’t expect the promoter to get that kind of backlash.” The Floridian – who was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter after following and then shooting an unarmed teenager to death, has been charged with felony aggravated assault after pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend, and accused of domestic violence by his estranged wife – was asked by Fusion interviewer Derrick Ashong if he thought “race played a role in the outcome,” leading Zimmerman to ask “Which outcome?” before adding: “I don’t think race played a role in any of my painting or celebrity boxing or interviews with news outlets, no. That’s the outcome you mean, right? Cus’ those are absolutely the only things anyone associates with me.” Zimmerman also told CNN he wants to become a lawyer to prevent miscarriages of justice, “as I hear that they’re everywhere – although I can’t think of a single specific example.”
Zimmerman finished up with Cuomo by saying: “I’m in the same position as Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, where I’m pretty much just famous for being famous. No one knows how I got here, but everyone’s talking about me. I’m starting to wonder if it’s because of a sex tape that I just don’t know about.”
