J.J. Weinberg has adopted a Bob Ross persona to try to convince Congress to restore federal funding for public media.

On Sept. 8, he “Bob-tized” a statue of Irv Kupcinet outside Trump Tower in Chicago, placing a Bob Ross wig on the statue’s head and leaving a placard urging the public to support restoring the federal funding. Both items have since been removed.

Weinberg plans to “Bob-tize” a statue each week.

“I call Bob the patron saint of paint,” Weinberg said. “That’s what I feel like the country needs. I feel like the world needs that.”

“I call the whole movement the Joy of Protesting,” he said.

Bob Ross starred in “The Joy of Painting,” a PBS show that originated in Muncie. It aired from 1983 to 1994. Ross, who died in 1995, was known for his distinctive hairstyle and for turning

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