Famed for his roles as Michael Bluth in the sitcom Arrested Development and Marty Byrde in Netflix’s Ozark, Jason Bateman has also managed to eke out time for his podcast, SmartLess. Also featuring Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, the production has received widespread acclaim for its unique format of playing out casual and comedic talks with celebrity guests. However, one of the most recent episodes of the famed outing has run into muddy ground as PETA took a strong note against antipodal statements surrounding animal welfare.

The animal welfare watch body registered a protest over its advertisement of a dairy that it claimed directly contradicted reality.

Often featuring discussions centered on a personality’s personal life, the SmartLess podcast came under fire for its March 18 episode starring John Oliver. In a letter disclosed by TMZ, PETA filed its resentment over the promotion of dairy company Organic Valley, which claimed to procure the highest quality of milk from small farms where cows had enough time out in healthy, green pastures. However, the animal rights organization termed it as “false and misleading marketing claims”.

In retaliation, it brought the truth of how the company allegedly how cows undergo procedures such as artificial insemination in place to enhance and maintain milk production. Additionally, it also blamed the corporation for cruelty by stating that it had calves separated from their mothers right after birth, breaking a crucial natural cycle. The airing of a promotional in the podcast for the company’s favor became the breaking point for PETA raging over Jason Bateman.

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Aside from these allegations, the podcast, however, has turned out to be quite an attraction even as Jason Bateman has other projects in the tow.

In July 2020, Jason Bateman founded the SmartLess podcast and has since amassed millions of listeners. Furthermore, the show’s originality and format made it a ground for engaging content and found itself bagging several awards in the comedic excellence genre. Additionally, it was nominated for the Best Comedy Podcast at the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards in 2022 and settled with a Podcast of the Year Award in 2024, cementing its popularity.

As far as his film-making career stands involved, this year, Jason Bateman will star alongside Jude Law in the Netflix series, Black Rabbit, where he shall also direct two of its episodes. Thereafter, he will play a mysterious traveler alongside Taron Egerton for Netflix’saction thriller, Carry On, set for a November release date, where he might take to his tradition of gifting memorabilia..

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What are your thoughts on PETA voicing against Jason Bateman and the SmartLess podcast? Let us know in the comments below.