No Agenda Show, Episode 1801: "Hate of Speech"

Date: September 21, 2025
Hosts: Adam Curry & John C. Dvorak

Overview

This episode of the No Agenda Show, titled "Hate of Speech," dives into the evolution and current state of free speech, media censorship, the political fallout from the assassination of Charlie Kirk, regulatory threats against media like ABC and Jimmy Kimmel, and the shifting landscape of U.S. policies—from immigration to late-night television. Adam and John bring their usual blend of irreverence, deep media deconstruction, and sharp cultural criticism, laced with humor and pointed jabs at tech, politics, and legacy journalism.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. Assassination of Charlie Kirk & Media Narratives

• Missed Coverage: John recalls how the media hyped a national "blackout" protest on the 15th over Trump but nobody noticed or participated—highlighting how media coverage, or lack thereof, makes movements invisible. [02:00–03:26]
• Charlie Kirk Memorial & Generation Divide: Adam discusses the significance of Kirk’s memorial for younger generations, the celebrities present (Chris Tomlin, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham), and the unfamiliarity of these Christian pop figures to older generations—framing the generational polarization in media and culture. [03:52–05:31]

2. Legacy Media, Free Speech & “News Distortion”

• FCC Commissioner’s Threats: Brendan Carr (FCC) and the Benny Johnson podcast make news for threatening license action against Disney/ABC for Jimmy Kimmel’s comments, sparking a broad conversation about news distortion, broadcast hoaxes, and legal limits of free speech. [18:35–34:37]
  • Key Quote:
    “If the government gets in the business of saying, ‘we don't say what you, the media, have said, we're going to ban you from the airwaves...’, that will end up bad for conservatives.” – Ted Cruz (Imitating a Mafia “Goodfellas” style threat) [17:13–19:36]
• Media’s Diminishing Power: Adam and John contextualize Carr’s saber-rattling within the plummeting ratings of late-night shows—Kimmel and Colbert are losing tens of millions, making “news distortion” regulatory talk more a business negotiation than censorship. [39:11–40:01]

3. Free Speech vs. "Freedom of Speech" and the Import of ‘Hate Speech’

• Semantics Fight: Adam insists on calling it “freedom of speech” instead of “free speech”, warning legislators may rebrand “free speech,” carving out exceptions like “hate speech.” [52:01–52:37]
  • Key Quote:
    “Free speech is this podcast. Freedom of speech is the First Amendment.” – Adam Curry [52:32]
• UK Case Studies:
  • Katie Hopkins and a U.S. expat in the UK describe police harassment, interrogation, and even arrests over social media posts characterized as “hate speech”—contrasted to the First Amendment in the U.S. [48:03–51:31]
  • “This is Hitler… That’s the stuff.” – Adam, on the UK’s online speech arrests [49:31]

4. Legacy Media Meltdown & Impact of Audience Revolts

• Kimmel Suspension Blowback: Listeners and celebrities alike react to Kimmel’s (and other late-night hosts) suspensions/firings as NBC/ABC affiliate stations, spooked by FCC talk, quietly hope to shed costly hosts and return to syndicated reruns and cheaper content. [43:31–46:01]
  • “If you had looked at the newsletter, there is a chart in there showing the unbelievable fallout of the audiences for these late night shows. Kimmel was losing $40M a year.” – John [38:58–39:35]
• TikTok Backlash & Censorship Analogies: A Disney fan on TikTok and actress Cynthia Nixon both cancel their Disney+ subscriptions, equating Kimmel’s cancellation to the dawn of “state-run media” and referencing 1930s Germany. [44:22–47:03]

5. U.S. Government, The Pentagon & Reporters: Redefining Press Freedom

• Pentagon Press Restrictions: The Trump administration’s new policy requiring credentialed journalists to sign pledges not to report unauthorized stories, limiting free movement, and triggering NPR and mainstream media outrage. [55:33–64:06]
  • Adam and John mock the press for bemoaning their loss, citing the decline of on-the-record sourcing and the modern media's lazy approach to reporting—a sharp takedown of what “freedom of the press” truly means. [59:19–61:02]
  • “Prior restraint means you can’t stop the paper from printing a story, not walk into offices and shoot the shit with some guy.” – John [62:31]

6. Immigration & The New ‘Gold Card’ Policy

• Trump’s Executive Orders:
  • Raising H1B visa fee to $100,000/year to discourages abuse, e.g., “Stop bringing in people to take our jobs… That’s the policy here.” [84:21–86:09]
  • Debut of the "Trump Gold Card" and upcoming "Platinum Card" ($1–5M contributions for residency/citizenship), opening the US to wealthy migrants, especially Europeans and Chinese, with selective tax benefits. [90:23–94:16]
  • “All you rich British people, Yelamis, come on in… That’s a very interesting twist.” – Adam [93:59]

7. NPR, Vaccines, & the New CDC Panel

• RFK Jr. and Vaccine Skeptic Panel: Adam and John deconstruct how mainstream outlets like NPR spin the CDC’s shifting vaccine recommendations, highlighting complaints that even slightly informed consent (“shared clinical decision-making”) and greater documentation of side-effects are viewed as anti-scientific or “theoretical.” [103:02–119:15]
  • “They’re going to give you the theoretical risks—these aren’t theoretical, these are actual risks. That’s a total lie.” – John [107:16–108:10]
  • “The data is considered pretty settled.” – Dr. Jody Guest [117:20–118:02]

8. Moon Landing Doubts & NASA Ham Radio “Citizen Science”

• Artemis Missions Skepticism:
  • John and Adam lampoon NASA’s reliance on amateur radio operators to track Artemis signals, positing it as a hoax-like exercise to manufacture citizen “proof” that the missions are real. [67:23–76:03]
  • “All you need is some satellite that sends down a signal ‘Hello, I am Artemis 1’… Hoaxing by getting all these amateurs to say, ‘Yeah, I received the signal, man.’” – Adam [76:03]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Media Hysteria vs. Real Events:
  “If a tree falls in the forest and there's nobody there, does it make a sound? If a protest happens and no one posts it, did it actually happen?” – Adam (ref: Blackout protest coverage) [02:37]

• On the Business of Christian Pop Music:
  “It’s the God business, man. It’s a good business… Sell out Austin, two nights, 15,000 people each night.” – Adam [05:17–05:31]

• On Late-night Ratings Collapse & Affiliate Frustration:
  “Hogan’s Heroes reruns would get a bigger audience. It’s cheap content.” – John [39:53]

• On Free Speech vs. Hate Speech:
  “It’s hate of speech. That just crept in all of a sudden.” – Adam [52:20–52:21]

• On U.S. Press Credentials & Modern Journalism:
  “I would be on board with what you're saying—if we hadn't been inundated with complete non-journalistic reports of ‘sources say’ for twenty years.” – Adam [59:19]

• On Britain’s Embrace of Digital ID:
  “This is why we fought the British and kicked them out. They want Digital ID, we give you the Trump Platinum Card… that’s the difference right here.” – Adam [170:59–171:47]

• AI as New Lazy Art Standard:
  “You AI prompt jockeys—you’ve pretty much chased away every single actual artist.” – Adam [142:22]

• On Spook Reporters:
  “Pearson Sharp? That's a spook name.” – Adam [123:14]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Charlie Kirk Memorial & Missed Blackout Protest: [02:00–05:31]
• Brendan Carr & FCC Threats to Media: [18:35–34:37]
• Kimmel Suspension, Disney Fallout, TikTok Cancellations: [43:31–47:03]
• UK Speech Arrests (Katie Hopkins & Free Speech): [48:03–51:31]
• Pentagon Press Restrictions/NPR Response: [55:33–64:06]
• Immigration, Gold Card Visas: [84:17–94:16]
• Moon Landing Skepticism & NASA Ham Radio: [67:23–76:03]
• CDC, Vaccines, and the Kennedy Panel: [103:02–119:12]
• Digital ID in the UK (vs. Trump Gold Card): [170:10–171:47]

Memorable Moments

• John Dvorak’s "Benjamin Franklin" tangent derails Adam’s Fredericksburg Tea Party story, leading to mutual ribbing about storytelling skills. [12:00–16:19]
• Wild discussion about the collapse in late-night networks’ audiences and speculation that "Friends" or "Hogan's Heroes" reruns would be more profitable. [39:13–40:01]
• Raw, satirical take on UK “hate speech” police—contrasted to U.S. First Amendment and the difference in approach towards “offensive” speech. [49:31–51:31]
• Extended riff on NASA’s Artemis mission, ham radio ops, and whether anyone really went to the moon—feeding the show’s classic skepticism streak. [67:23–76:03]
• AI audio denoising technology ("devil filter") used to reveal the “the real Anna Navarro” (of The View) in a musical supercut. [190:07–191:03]

Signature "No Agenda" Tone

A blend of biting satire, skepticism (especially towards media/tech), deep-dive technical explanations, and deconstruction of official narratives. Segments are punctuated by playful, sometimes acerbic, back-and-forth between the hosts, frequent inside jokes, and homage to the loyal "producers" (listeners/donors) with real-time interactivity. The show refuses to pull punches about legacy media, censorship, or the collapse of public trust.

Conclusion

Episode 1801 stands out as a hard-hitting, wide-ranging deconstruction of the media-political landscape, scrutinizing everything from the FCC’s power over speech to corporate manipulation in late-night TV to the creeping authoritarianism of Digital IDs and medical mandates. With their trademark wit and analytical rigor, Adam and John eat sacred cows for breakfast—reminding listeners that in a world of “hate of speech,” the antidote is open, uncancelable, and free discourse.

For more, visit NoAgendaShow.com and join live at trollroom.io.

End of show ISO:
"Show us proof it is the best podcast in the universe." [2:01:31] (AI-generated, closing affirmation)