Knowledge Fight #1117: Are You Not Valuetained?

Date: February 16, 2026
Hosts: Dan and Jordan
Theme: Dan and Jordan review Alex Jones’ latest appearance on Patrick Bet-David’s "Valuetainment," dissecting Alex’s misinformation, the toxic legacy of the Epstein case, and the increasingly farcical state of right-wing conspiracy media.

Episode Overview

Dan and Jordan break down Alex Jones’ return to Patrick Bet-David’s "Valuetainment" podcast, a much-anticipated interview following their infamous 2018 conversation. The hosts analyze the ways the conversation exemplifies right-wing conspiracy culture’s self-dealing, credulous interview style, and disregard for truth or consistency—particularly when it comes to the explosive subject of the Epstein disclosures and their weaponization as grist for partisan propaganda. The episode blends the hosts' usual dark wit with incisive critique, spotlighting how Jones and Bet-David perpetuate a cruel and unserious media ecosystem.

Key Discussions & Insights

Bright Spots & Warm-Up (00:10–10:12)

Dan and Jordan begin with their traditional “bright spot” segment, sharing delightfully banal Valentine’s Day stories and a lovingly detailed recap of a romantic episode of MacGyver—a sharp contrast with the episode’s heavy main topics.
Banter about MacGyver’s creative problem-solving offers a tongue-in-cheek prelude to the disconnected logic and invention found later in Alex’s claims.

Meme Dissection: The Mario Clip (14:58–18:32)

[14:58] The show opens with Bet-David playing an old meme of Alex Jones applying wild labels (patriot, traitor, vampire, etc.) to Mario characters—an early indicator of the unserious, performative nature of the episode.
Dan and Jordan critique the meme’s laziness and inconsistency:
- “This is really the problem with memes. They’re lazy. … It’s about making something that’s good enough for people to repost and then forget about.” – Dan [18:02]
The hosts use the meme’s nonsensical logic as a metaphor for Alex’s broader rhetorical style.

The Epstein Files: Conspiracism Swallows All (19:43–43:56)

The Partisan Weaponization of Epstein (19:43–24:55)

[19:43] Alex and Patrick launch into the ongoing saga of the Epstein files, highlighting Pam Bondi’s disastrous handling and the right-wing media’s opportunistic outrage.
Dan notes that the Republican base’s conspiratorial mindset is increasingly cannibalizing itself—Trump’s fans now see him as “the deep state.”
Jordan on the Epstein revelations:
- “If you're going to release them, it should be the same day you arrest the people in the files. … The longer it goes with no consequences, the more everybody gets inured to the idea of even giving them consequences.” [23:22]

Alex’s Lies and Patrick’s Credulity (24:19–34:31)

Alex claims CA lowered the age of consent to 12 with a wrist-slap punishment for child rape—an utter fabrication.
- “If this was a sincere interview, [Patrick] would look this up and then ask Alex why he’s lying.” – Dan [25:31]
Patrick does not call him out, letting Jones’s lie ride—showcasing the fake adversarial stance that defines Valuetainment interviews.

Revising Epstein’s History & The Satanic Panic Playbook (29:30–35:43)

Jones falsely claims Epstein was an exclusively Democratic phenomenon, then weaves in globalist and “black magic” mythology.
“It’s just Mystery Babylon again.” – Dan, on the recycled conspiracy motifs [34:33]

Blaming the Victims: The Absolute Low Point (38:06–41:56)

Jones calls Epstein's trafficking victims "perpetrators" complicit in a coverup.
- “Alex is absolutely attacking Epstein victims here … This is monster behavior.” – Dan [40:15]
Jordan: “This is crisis actor stuff all over again. This is monstrous.” [41:18]

Trump Protects His Own (43:25–43:54)

Jones admits Trump is covering up Epstein files because exposing them would be “bad for the economy,” yet still supports Trump.
Dan: “If Alex believes this to be true, it's grounds to impeach Trump. … He is not serving the public interest. This is a sham.” [78:54]

Money Laundering and Valuetainment’s Manecht Platform (44:55–48:03)

Patrick and Alex promote Manecht, Patrick’s “expert advice” platform, with rates up to $48,000 a half hour.
Dan and Jordan speculate the platform’s real purpose: “It is perfect for money laundering.” [45:47–47:13]

The Alex Jones / Roger Stone Recruitment Plot (53:10–56:32)

Bombshell: Jones admits Roger Stone actively recruited him to support Trump in 2015—a devastating admission undermining his claims of independence.
- “Roger and Alex knew that InfoWars wasn’t a news platform ... it was a sales platform where Alex had a captive audience that he could sell bullshit to.” – Dan [53:33]

The Trump/Far-Right Feedback Loop: No Accountability, No Integrity (61:30–73:11)

Discussion of MTG and Thomas Massie turning on Trump over Epstein files, and Trump’s calculated attacks on his former loyalists.
The hosts dissect how the Right only cares about these scandals as “gotchas” while in opposition, not when in power.
Jones openly admits being willing to overlook “cannibal cabals” if it helps the economy and Trump.
- “He thinks Trump is covering this up, but he still supports Trump, which means that covering up a satanic cannibal cabal is not a deal breaker.” – Dan [68:21]

The “Firing People” Farce: Patrick’s $48,000 Question (71:04–78:41)

Patrick asks why Trump isn’t firing people anymore; Alex flees to the bathroom, dodges the question twice, and eventually parrots back Patrick’s suggested reason.
- “This is how truth is created collaboratively with Alex.” – Dan [78:41]
The co-hosts laugh at the emptiness of the exchange, highlighting the performative nature of these interviews.

The El Paso “Laser Drill” and Alex’s Betrayal of His Old Conspiracist Brand (81:04–87:42)

Temporary closure of El Paso airport is explained as a Pentagon/Federal Aviation Administration dispute over anti-drone lasers—Alex is notably un-alarmed despite his career-long suspicion of “drills.”
Dan: “You were just. You’re making a mockery of everything you’re supposed to stand for.” [87:19]
Jordan: “That’s sad. I want him to sound sad. Like fucking Droopy Dog.” [87:22]

Unhinged Digression: Nazi Bells, Secret Anti-Gravity Weapons (88:32–90:47)

Jones claims Trump has “anti-gravity weapons” capable of mass lethality, tying back to Nazi Germany.
Jordan summarizes: “You might as well have just said he has weather weapons. Fine. He has anti-grab weapons. Great.” [89:27]

The Big Lie: Alex’s Fictitious Voiceover Fortune (91:06–96:10)

Alex claims he made “$500,000 checks” as a voiceover artist before being “blackballed” by Hollywood for not liking Obama.
- Dan: “He was the 9/11 guy. This is bullshit. … There’s no way that anyone would hire him to do an insurance commercial based on his talent.” [94:09]
Banter ensues with Alex showing off silly voices, met with credulous laughter.

News: InfoWars’ End of the Line? (98:21–101:17)

Jones shares that a court-appointed receiver will shortly cut off funding, shutting down InfoWars around March 7.
Dan and Jordan express skepticism—Alex has predicted his own demise before—but note it’s the most believable yet.
Discussion of possible creative government solutions: “Just put a tarp over the building.”

Alex’s "Regrets" and Final Farce (104:01–109:17)

Asked what he’d do differently in his career, Alex says he wouldn’t have interviewed Sandy Hook deniers, admitting it “allowed me to be set up” (rather than expressing any true remorse).
- Dan: “Instead of covering what you believe to be a faked mass shooting meant to steal everyone’s guns, you would have ignored the story. Wow. Feels like you think you did something wrong.” [104:49]
The interview ends with a plugin for Manecht, a birthday cake for Alex, and a tasteless joke suggesting a female staffer is a “gift”—insultingly tone-deaf given the subject of Epstein and trafficking.
- Dan: “The premise of the joke … is that this woman is property. … It betrays how little they care about the thing they’re yelling at me about.” [108:15]

Notable Quotes & Moments

On memes and lazy discourse:
- “This is really the problem with memes. They’re lazy … it’s a perfect delivery system for Alex’s dumb shit.” – Dan [18:02]
On Patrick Bet-David’s interview style:
- “At best he’s an incompetent interviewer selling a liar to his audience, and at worst he’s complicit … in order to make it look like they stand up to scrutiny when they’re bullshit.” – Dan [32:10]
On Sandy Hook and “regrets”:
- “I definitely wouldn’t have interviewed those professors … because it allowed me to be set up.” – Alex Jones [104:18]
On Jones’ self-mythology:
- “Roger and Alex knew that Infowars wasn’t a news platform … it was a sales platform where Alex had a captive audience that he could sell bullshit to.” – Dan [53:33]

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:10 – 10:12: Opening & “Bright Spots”
14:58 – 18:32: Meme critique – Mario conspiracy clip
19:43 – 43:56: Epstein files, victim blaming, GOP disarray
44:55 – 48:03: Manecht platform and grift analysis
53:10 – 56:32: Roger Stone recruiting Alex
61:30 – 73:11: Trump, GOP, and “the means as the end”
71:04 – 78:41: Alex flees “why not firing people?” question
81:04 – 87:42: El Paso laser drill; Alex’s old brand in tatters
88:32 – 90:47: Nazi Bell/anti-gravity bunkum
91:06 – 96:10: Ridiculous voiceover fortune tales
98:21 – 101:17: InfoWars “shutdown” news
104:01 – 109:17: Alex’s regrets, tasteless finale

Tone

Sardonic, exasperated, and bleakly funny; righteous anger blistering beneath the hosts’ humor, especially regarding the trivializing of abuse and the cynical recycling of demonstrably harmful conspiracist rhetoric.

Listener Takeaways

The episode exemplifies the performative, bad-faith nature of contemporary right-wing infotainment: lies and contradictions slide by unchallenged, victims are smeared, and every tragedy is a stage for brand-building.
Even when the stakes are highest—child trafficking, democratic legitimacy—Jones and Bet-David treat it as theater, pushing listeners to see the (often fake) fight as more important than reality.

“This is all a game, and none of it means anything. … It’s embarrassing for Patrick to pretend that this is a real conversation.” – Dan [78:41]

Knowledge Fight #1117: Are You Not Valuetained?

Episode Overview

Key Discussions & Insights

Bright Spots & Warm-Up (00:10–10:12)

Dan and Jordan begin with their traditional “bright spot” segment, sharing delightfully banal Valentine’s Day stories and a lovingly detailed recap of a romantic episode of MacGyver—a sharp contrast with the episode’s heavy main topics.
Banter about MacGyver’s creative problem-solving offers a tongue-in-cheek prelude to the disconnected logic and invention found later in Alex’s claims.

Meme Dissection: The Mario Clip (14:58–18:32)

[14:58] The show opens with Bet-David playing an old meme of Alex Jones applying wild labels (patriot, traitor, vampire, etc.) to Mario characters—an early indicator of the unserious, performative nature of the episode.
Dan and Jordan critique the meme’s laziness and inconsistency:
- “This is really the problem with memes. They’re lazy. … It’s about making something that’s good enough for people to repost and then forget about.” – Dan [18:02]
The hosts use the meme’s nonsensical logic as a metaphor for Alex’s broader rhetorical style.

The Epstein Files: Conspiracism Swallows All (19:43–43:56)

The Partisan Weaponization of Epstein (19:43–24:55)

[19:43] Alex and Patrick launch into the ongoing saga of the Epstein files, highlighting Pam Bondi’s disastrous handling and the right-wing media’s opportunistic outrage.
Dan notes that the Republican base’s conspiratorial mindset is increasingly cannibalizing itself—Trump’s fans now see him as “the deep state.”
Jordan on the Epstein revelations:
- “If you're going to release them, it should be the same day you arrest the people in the files. … The longer it goes with no consequences, the more everybody gets inured to the idea of even giving them consequences.” [23:22]

Alex’s Lies and Patrick’s Credulity (24:19–34:31)

Alex claims CA lowered the age of consent to 12 with a wrist-slap punishment for child rape—an utter fabrication.
- “If this was a sincere interview, [Patrick] would look this up and then ask Alex why he’s lying.” – Dan [25:31]
Patrick does not call him out, letting Jones’s lie ride—showcasing the fake adversarial stance that defines Valuetainment interviews.

Revising Epstein’s History & The Satanic Panic Playbook (29:30–35:43)

Jones falsely claims Epstein was an exclusively Democratic phenomenon, then weaves in globalist and “black magic” mythology.
“It’s just Mystery Babylon again.” – Dan, on the recycled conspiracy motifs [34:33]

Blaming the Victims: The Absolute Low Point (38:06–41:56)

Jones calls Epstein's trafficking victims "perpetrators" complicit in a coverup.
- “Alex is absolutely attacking Epstein victims here … This is monster behavior.” – Dan [40:15]
Jordan: “This is crisis actor stuff all over again. This is monstrous.” [41:18]

Trump Protects His Own (43:25–43:54)

Jones admits Trump is covering up Epstein files because exposing them would be “bad for the economy,” yet still supports Trump.
Dan: “If Alex believes this to be true, it's grounds to impeach Trump. … He is not serving the public interest. This is a sham.” [78:54]

Money Laundering and Valuetainment’s Manecht Platform (44:55–48:03)

Patrick and Alex promote Manecht, Patrick’s “expert advice” platform, with rates up to $48,000 a half hour.
Dan and Jordan speculate the platform’s real purpose: “It is perfect for money laundering.” [45:47–47:13]

The Alex Jones / Roger Stone Recruitment Plot (53:10–56:32)

Bombshell: Jones admits Roger Stone actively recruited him to support Trump in 2015—a devastating admission undermining his claims of independence.
- “Roger and Alex knew that InfoWars wasn’t a news platform ... it was a sales platform where Alex had a captive audience that he could sell bullshit to.” – Dan [53:33]

The Trump/Far-Right Feedback Loop: No Accountability, No Integrity (61:30–73:11)

Discussion of MTG and Thomas Massie turning on Trump over Epstein files, and Trump’s calculated attacks on his former loyalists.
The hosts dissect how the Right only cares about these scandals as “gotchas” while in opposition, not when in power.
Jones openly admits being willing to overlook “cannibal cabals” if it helps the economy and Trump.
- “He thinks Trump is covering this up, but he still supports Trump, which means that covering up a satanic cannibal cabal is not a deal breaker.” – Dan [68:21]

The “Firing People” Farce: Patrick’s $48,000 Question (71:04–78:41)

Patrick asks why Trump isn’t firing people anymore; Alex flees to the bathroom, dodges the question twice, and eventually parrots back Patrick’s suggested reason.
- “This is how truth is created collaboratively with Alex.” – Dan [78:41]
The co-hosts laugh at the emptiness of the exchange, highlighting the performative nature of these interviews.

The El Paso “Laser Drill” and Alex’s Betrayal of His Old Conspiracist Brand (81:04–87:42)

Temporary closure of El Paso airport is explained as a Pentagon/Federal Aviation Administration dispute over anti-drone lasers—Alex is notably un-alarmed despite his career-long suspicion of “drills.”
Dan: “You were just. You’re making a mockery of everything you’re supposed to stand for.” [87:19]
Jordan: “That’s sad. I want him to sound sad. Like fucking Droopy Dog.” [87:22]

Unhinged Digression: Nazi Bells, Secret Anti-Gravity Weapons (88:32–90:47)

Jones claims Trump has “anti-gravity weapons” capable of mass lethality, tying back to Nazi Germany.
Jordan summarizes: “You might as well have just said he has weather weapons. Fine. He has anti-grab weapons. Great.” [89:27]

The Big Lie: Alex’s Fictitious Voiceover Fortune (91:06–96:10)

Alex claims he made “$500,000 checks” as a voiceover artist before being “blackballed” by Hollywood for not liking Obama.
- Dan: “He was the 9/11 guy. This is bullshit. … There’s no way that anyone would hire him to do an insurance commercial based on his talent.” [94:09]
Banter ensues with Alex showing off silly voices, met with credulous laughter.

News: InfoWars’ End of the Line? (98:21–101:17)

Jones shares that a court-appointed receiver will shortly cut off funding, shutting down InfoWars around March 7.
Dan and Jordan express skepticism—Alex has predicted his own demise before—but note it’s the most believable yet.
Discussion of possible creative government solutions: “Just put a tarp over the building.”

Alex’s "Regrets" and Final Farce (104:01–109:17)

Asked what he’d do differently in his career, Alex says he wouldn’t have interviewed Sandy Hook deniers, admitting it “allowed me to be set up” (rather than expressing any true remorse).
- Dan: “Instead of covering what you believe to be a faked mass shooting meant to steal everyone’s guns, you would have ignored the story. Wow. Feels like you think you did something wrong.” [104:49]
The interview ends with a plugin for Manecht, a birthday cake for Alex, and a tasteless joke suggesting a female staffer is a “gift”—insultingly tone-deaf given the subject of Epstein and trafficking.
- Dan: “The premise of the joke … is that this woman is property. … It betrays how little they care about the thing they’re yelling at me about.” [108:15]

Notable Quotes & Moments

On memes and lazy discourse:
- “This is really the problem with memes. They’re lazy … it’s a perfect delivery system for Alex’s dumb shit.” – Dan [18:02]
On Patrick Bet-David’s interview style:
- “At best he’s an incompetent interviewer selling a liar to his audience, and at worst he’s complicit … in order to make it look like they stand up to scrutiny when they’re bullshit.” – Dan [32:10]
On Sandy Hook and “regrets”:
- “I definitely wouldn’t have interviewed those professors … because it allowed me to be set up.” – Alex Jones [104:18]
On Jones’ self-mythology:
- “Roger and Alex knew that Infowars wasn’t a news platform … it was a sales platform where Alex had a captive audience that he could sell bullshit to.” – Dan [53:33]

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:10 – 10:12: Opening & “Bright Spots”
14:58 – 18:32: Meme critique – Mario conspiracy clip
19:43 – 43:56: Epstein files, victim blaming, GOP disarray
44:55 – 48:03: Manecht platform and grift analysis
53:10 – 56:32: Roger Stone recruiting Alex
61:30 – 73:11: Trump, GOP, and “the means as the end”
71:04 – 78:41: Alex flees “why not firing people?” question
81:04 – 87:42: El Paso laser drill; Alex’s old brand in tatters
88:32 – 90:47: Nazi Bell/anti-gravity bunkum
91:06 – 96:10: Ridiculous voiceover fortune tales
98:21 – 101:17: InfoWars “shutdown” news
104:01 – 109:17: Alex’s regrets, tasteless finale

Tone

Sardonic, exasperated, and bleakly funny; righteous anger blistering beneath the hosts’ humor, especially regarding the trivializing of abuse and the cynical recycling of demonstrably harmful conspiracist rhetoric.

Listener Takeaways

The episode exemplifies the performative, bad-faith nature of contemporary right-wing infotainment: lies and contradictions slide by unchallenged, victims are smeared, and every tragedy is a stage for brand-building.
Even when the stakes are highest—child trafficking, democratic legitimacy—Jones and Bet-David treat it as theater, pushing listeners to see the (often fake) fight as more important than reality.

“This is all a game, and none of it means anything. … It’s embarrassing for Patrick to pretend that this is a real conversation.” – Dan [78:41]

#1117: Are You Not Valuetained?

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Summary

Knowledge Fight #1117: Are You Not Valuetained?

Episode Overview

Key Discussions & Insights

Bright Spots & Warm-Up (00:10–10:12)

Meme Dissection: The Mario Clip (14:58–18:32)

The Epstein Files: Conspiracism Swallows All (19:43–43:56)

The Partisan Weaponization of Epstein (19:43–24:55)

Alex’s Lies and Patrick’s Credulity (24:19–34:31)

Revising Epstein’s History & The Satanic Panic Playbook (29:30–35:43)

Blaming the Victims: The Absolute Low Point (38:06–41:56)

Trump Protects His Own (43:25–43:54)

Money Laundering and Valuetainment’s Manecht Platform (44:55–48:03)

The Alex Jones / Roger Stone Recruitment Plot (53:10–56:32)

The Trump/Far-Right Feedback Loop: No Accountability, No Integrity (61:30–73:11)

The “Firing People” Farce: Patrick’s $48,000 Question (71:04–78:41)

The El Paso “Laser Drill” and Alex’s Betrayal of His Old Conspiracist Brand (81:04–87:42)

Unhinged Digression: Nazi Bells, Secret Anti-Gravity Weapons (88:32–90:47)

The Big Lie: Alex’s Fictitious Voiceover Fortune (91:06–96:10)

News: InfoWars’ End of the Line? (98:21–101:17)

Alex’s "Regrets" and Final Farce (104:01–109:17)

Notable Quotes & Moments

Timestamps for Important Segments

Tone

Listener Takeaways

Summary

Knowledge Fight #1117: Are You Not Valuetained?

Episode Overview

Key Discussions & Insights

Bright Spots & Warm-Up (00:10–10:12)

Meme Dissection: The Mario Clip (14:58–18:32)

The Epstein Files: Conspiracism Swallows All (19:43–43:56)

The Partisan Weaponization of Epstein (19:43–24:55)

Alex’s Lies and Patrick’s Credulity (24:19–34:31)

Revising Epstein’s History & The Satanic Panic Playbook (29:30–35:43)

Blaming the Victims: The Absolute Low Point (38:06–41:56)

Trump Protects His Own (43:25–43:54)

Money Laundering and Valuetainment’s Manecht Platform (44:55–48:03)

The Alex Jones / Roger Stone Recruitment Plot (53:10–56:32)

The Trump/Far-Right Feedback Loop: No Accountability, No Integrity (61:30–73:11)

The “Firing People” Farce: Patrick’s $48,000 Question (71:04–78:41)

The El Paso “Laser Drill” and Alex’s Betrayal of His Old Conspiracist Brand (81:04–87:42)

Unhinged Digression: Nazi Bells, Secret Anti-Gravity Weapons (88:32–90:47)

The Big Lie: Alex’s Fictitious Voiceover Fortune (91:06–96:10)

News: InfoWars’ End of the Line? (98:21–101:17)

Alex’s "Regrets" and Final Farce (104:01–109:17)

Notable Quotes & Moments

Timestamps for Important Segments

Tone

Listener Takeaways