Terminally Online: Larry David v. Bill Maher, TikTok Mystics, and the White House Correspondents' Dinner

Summary

Offline with Jon Favreau: Episode Summary - "Terminally Online: Larry David v. Bill Maher, TikTok Mystics, and the White House Correspondents' Dinner"

In this engaging and thought-provoking episode of Offline with Jon Favreau, hosts Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vitor, Elijah Cohn, and Dan Pfeiffer delve into the intricate dynamics between satire, free speech, and the pervasive influence of conspiracy theories in today's digital age. Titled "Terminally Online: Larry David v. Bill Maher, TikTok Mystics, and the White House Correspondents' Dinner," the episode offers a comprehensive exploration of how online discourse shapes and sometimes distorts public conversations.

1. Larry David's Satirical Op-Ed and Its Controversial Reception

The episode kicks off with Jon Favreau introducing a heated discussion surrounding Larry David's satirical op-ed published in The New York Times. In the piece, David humorously recounts a fictional pleasant dinner with Adolf Hitler, aiming to satirize Bill Maher's real-life dinner with Donald Trump. This satire inadvertently ignited a fierce debate within the left about the appropriateness and implications of comparing political figures to historical tyrants.

Jon Favreau explains:

"[Larry David's op-ed] was to make fun of Bill Maher having dinner with Donald Trump... But that sparked an entire discourse of why Larry David's op-ed was bad for the left, bad for Democrats. Hitler comparison is horrible. And everyone has been fighting about it ever since." [03:22]

This reaction underscores the fragility of political satire in the contemporary landscape, where even intended humor can be misconstrued and lead to significant backlash.

2. The Left's Struggle with Free Speech and Internal Criticism

Elijah Cohn and Jon Lovett further dissect the left's response to David's op-ed, highlighting a tension between advocating for free speech and policing acceptable discourse within progressive circles. Cohn articulates a critical perspective on the left's approach:

"This is the modern left. It's an attempt always to intimidate people into not ever doing it again. It's to silence yourselves or we'll do it for you." [03:57]

Dan Pfeiffer adds to the criticism by pointing out the socioeconomic undertones:

"When these millionaires come out here and call Trump Hitler, they are calling working-class Americans Nazis because they chose the person..." [06:07]

This segment reveals a deeper ideological conflict within the left, where satire and criticism can sometimes alienate the very base it aims to engage.

3. Candace Owens and the Proliferation of Conspiracy Theories on Social Media

Transitioning from political satire, the hosts pivot to discuss Candace Owens, a prominent right-wing commentator known for her conspiracy-laden commentary. Tommy Vitor offers a detailed overview of Owens' recent claims, which range from the moon landing being faked to Brigitte Macron's alleged transgender identity.

Tommy Vitor elaborates:

"She is convinced that the opening ceremony of the Olympics in France was a satanic mockery of the Last Supper... she believes that Brigitte Macron is actually a man." [20:27]

The discussion highlights how Owens leverages platforms like TikTok to disseminate these theories, reaching millions and perpetuating misinformation.

4. The Role of Information Silos and Echo Chambers

The hosts critically examine how social media platforms contribute to the reinforcement of such unfounded beliefs. They discuss the concept of information silos—environments where individuals are exposed primarily to information that aligns with their existing beliefs, thereby escalating polarization.

Jon Lovett questions:

"How do we share a country with these people?" [22:20]

This rhetorical question emphasizes the challenge of bridging the ideological divide exacerbated by online echo chambers.

5. The Intersection of Humor, Critique, and Reality

Throughout the episode, the hosts intersperse humor with their analysis, effectively balancing critique with levity. For instance, Jon Lovett jokes about the absurdity of some conspiracy theories:

"He hasn't quite lost protection yet." [16:33]

Such moments of humor serve to underscore the often ridiculous nature of the topics discussed, making the conversation both entertaining and insightful.

6. Concluding Reflections on Modern Discourse

In wrapping up the episode, the hosts reflect on the broader implications of their discussions. They ponder the future of political satire, the erosion of civil discourse, and the relentless spread of conspiracy theories facilitated by digital platforms. The conversation underscores the necessity of fostering environments that encourage open dialogue while critically evaluating the information consumed online.

Elijah Cohn aptly summarizes:

"All roads lead back to the Jews." [23:34]

While intended humorously in context, this statement encapsulates the convoluted narratives that can emerge within online discourse.

Key Takeaways

• Satirical Op-Eds and Backlash: Larry David's attempt at satire inadvertently sparked significant criticism, revealing the delicate balance between humor and political commentary.

• Free Speech vs. Self-Censorship: The left grapples with promoting free speech while attempting to regulate acceptable discourse, leading to internal conflicts and potential alienation.

• Conspiracy Theories on Social Media: Figures like Candace Owens exploit platforms like TikTok to propagate unfounded theories, highlighting the role of information silos in perpetuating misinformation.

• Humor as a Coping Mechanism: The hosts use humor to navigate and critique the complexities of modern political and social discourse, making the conversation accessible and engaging.

• The Need for Critical Engagement: The episode underscores the importance of critically evaluating the information consumed online and fostering environments that support informed and respectful dialogue.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jon Favreau on Larry David's Op-Ed:

  "I kind of thought that it would just end there. But that sparked an entire discourse of why Larry David's op ed was bad for the left, bad for Democrats." [03:22]

• Elijah Cohn on Modern Left's Approach:

  "It's an attempt always to intimidate people into not ever doing it again. It's to silence yourselves or we'll do it for you." [03:57]

• Dan Pfeiffer on Socioeconomic Critique:

  "When these millionaires come out here and call Trump Hitler, they are calling working-class Americans Nazis because they chose the person..." [06:07]

• Tommy Vitor on Candace Owens' Claims:

  "She is convinced that the opening ceremony of the Olympics in France was a satanic mockery of the Last Supper... she believes that Brigitte Macron is actually a man." [20:27]

• Elijah Cohn on Information Silos:

  "All roads lead back to the Jews." [23:34]

Final Thoughts

This episode of Offline with Jon Favreau masterfully navigates the complexities of modern political satire and the disruptive influence of conspiracy theories in the digital era. By combining insightful analysis with engaging banter, the hosts invite listeners to critically reflect on how online discourse shapes societal perceptions and interactions. Whether you're seeking to understand the ramifications of Larry David's satire or the spread of TikTok mystic theories, this episode offers a nuanced and entertaining exploration of these pertinent issues.

For those intrigued by these discussions and eager to delve deeper, Offline with Jon Favreau continues to provide a platform for smarter, lighter conversations about technology's impact on our culture. New episodes drop every Thursday on your preferred podcast platform and the Offline YouTube channel.

Transcript

[Jon Favreau]

Hey, guys, it's John. We have a fun little special episode for you today. Love it. Tommy, Dan, Elijah and I got together in D.C. this weekend to record a special all in person episode of Terminally Online, our exclusive subscription show. Wanted to give you guys a sneak peek. Terminally Online is just one of the many perks you get when you subscribe, including ad free episodes of Offline Pod, Save America and more. You're about to hear the first half of the episode, but if you want to hear the full thing, you can subscribe to Friends of the Pod right now.

[Jon Lovett]

Just a taste. Like drugs outside of school.

[Jon Favreau]

Just a taste. Subscribing to Friends of the Pod POD is the best way to support qriket's mission of building a progressive media ecosystem. Subscribe by the end of April to get started and you'll receive a 30 day free trial. Head to qriket.com friends or sign up through Apple Podcasts. The 30 day trial ends on April 30th, so act fast. All right, let's get into the episode. It was really funny. We had a good time.

[Elijah Cohn]

Welcome to Terminally Online, the crooked subscription show. I'm Elijah Cohn.

[Tommy Vitor]

I'm Tommy Vitor.

[Jon Lovett]

I'm Jon Lovett.

[Jon Favreau]

I'm Jon Favreau.

[Elijah Cohn]

I'm Dan Pfeiffer. Wow. The whole crew, we're all here together.

[Jon Lovett]

Look at this, look at this. It's like that photo with at the baseball game of the bros of the guys.

[Tommy Vitor]

I know the photo. I know the meme.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yes. The whites.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah, yeah.

[Elijah Cohn]

So here we are all jammed into a studio that can only accommodate four people. But we're cozy. Dan and I are sharing a microphone. How's that going for us, Dan? Ask me in 25 minutes.

[Tommy Vitor]

It's fair.

[Elijah Cohn]

I will. So we're all hearing so far so good. The first time the five of us have all been together since Trump was inaugurated. That's weird. But it's good to see you guys.

[Jon Favreau]

Is this the first time we've all been together?

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah. That I've been with you guys. First time I've seen y'all since Trump's been inaugurated.

[Jon Favreau]

Wow.

[Tommy Vitor]

And first time in D.C. since Trump's been inaugurated.

[Jon Favreau]

Yeah.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah. A lot of firsts. All right. Should we do terminally online?

[Jon Favreau]

Yeah, let's do it.

[Elijah Cohn]

Let's do it. All right. Five people. So, you know, got a lot of Terminally onlines to get through here. John Favreau.

[Jon Favreau]

Oh, I'm first.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yes. When were you two online? This week.

[Jon Favreau]

I have decided to focus on the Larry David, Hitler, Bill Maher.

[Elijah Cohn]

Discourse, Great discourse, Great discourse.

[Jon Favreau]

And I did not realize there was a whole discourse attached to it. I came to it because I read Larry David wrote an op ed about. It's a satirical op ed in the New York Times about meeting Hitler and how it went really well. And it was to make fun of Bill Maher having dinner with Donald Trump. And then Bill Maher did a monologue on his show, quote, unquote, reporting what the dinner was like. And the thrust of Bill Maher's monologue was, you know, he plays a crazy guy on tv, but he didn't seem crazy in the White House. And he was pretty nice to me. And, you know, I'm not saying that his politics policies aren't awful, but to me, in that moment, he was pretty nice, which is why Larry David writes the op ed. And I kind of thought that it would just end there. But that sparked an entire discourse of why Larry David's op ed was bad for the left, bad for Democrats. Hitler comparison is horrible. And everyone has been fighting about it ever since. And so first we had this clip from Scott Jennings on cnn.

[Elijah Cohn]

Oh, God. And I loved his monologue, even though I disagree with most everything he believes politically, he was right to do this and he was right to speak out about it. But this isn't about that dinner. It's about the next one, because this is the modern left. It's an attempt always to intimidate people into not ever doing it again. It's to silence yourselves or we'll do it for you. That's the purpose of this op ed, so that the next comedian or the next person on the American left chooses not to speak to Donald Trump. This isn't. This is all an effort to get people not to do what you just said, which is to talk to each other and our political leaders. I think it's a little weird for.

[Jon Favreau]

People who actually, for the administration that.

[Jon Lovett]

Just went after Harvard for what it said and is going after law firms.

[Jon Favreau]

And going after the media to all.

[Jon Lovett]

Of a sudden make the case that.

[Jon Favreau]

What we really want is a lot.

[Jon Lovett]

Of free speech in America.

[Jon Favreau]

Good for Nero. That was Neera Tandem.

[Jon Lovett]

That was Neera. Great. That was good.

[Jon Favreau]

Dan just spoke to for Pod Save Americ. So, yeah, so Larry David's satirical op ed was an attempt to silence. Silence people and scare them from ever, I guess, talking to Trump and writing.

[Jon Lovett]

Op EDS in the Handmaid's Tale. There's this paragraph I always think about, which is about how people think you need to know get to really know the real person behind the policies and like that's what it means to really understand someone. But in the book that's actually a weakness, right? That actually it's a weakness to kind of say, oh, but behind the scenes he's so nice to dogs and so sweet to his wife and has a little pet name and treats people so well. That's actually a frailty. That's a flaw. It's our inability. It's like we're so instinctively kind of social, right? That actually, as if the fact that he's chummy behind the scenes matters even one little bit.

[Tommy Vitor]

It's worse.

[Jon Favreau]

It's worse.

[Tommy Vitor]

It's like, you're secretly nice. Why can't you be publicly nice, you fucking asshole.

[Jon Favreau]

It's like if it was just Bill, like, I don't really care that Bill Maher had dinner with Donald Trump.

[Tommy Vitor]

I don't either.

[Jon Favreau]

I don't even really care. Like his monologue about like, I think it's kind of silly to the point that Lovett's making that like then he was like, oh well, he was nice to me. Like, I think that's silly. It doesn't outrage me or anything. But then conservatives have been like so fucking angry about this to think that it sounds like so this, this On CNN the next night was Batya Unger Sargon, who's at the Free Press. So hers is even worse. Let's listen.

[Dan Pfeiffer]

And I just have a pro tip for any Democrats who are thinking about winning back the working class, those people who make under $100,000 a year, who a majority of whom voted for Trump, you should have a visceral disgust for someone like Larry David who's worth $400 million sitting there.

[Jon Lovett]

I know it's way more.

[Dan Pfeiffer]

And smearing the hardest working Americans for refusing to co sign their own disinheritance. That's effectively what they are doing. When these millionaires come out here and call Trump Hitler, they are calling working class Americans Nazis because they chose the person oh my God, would give their children back the future they were promised by this country. And it just has to stop. And you know what? Honestly, I don't care if the Democrats get this or don't, but they should get this because this is a big part of why they have lost. Because they are, they have these rich people, Jesus, so wealthy. They're all wealthy.

[Elijah Cohn]

Donald Trump is a billionaire camp Auschwitz guy. He had Nick Fuentes and Kanye west.

[Jon Favreau]

Over for Thanksgiving dinner.

[Elijah Cohn]

He's not exactly Nazi averse.

[Jon Favreau]

He's also the father and grandfather of Jewish children.

[Jon Lovett]

Come on.

[Tommy Vitor]

Trump has done more for Jewish people.

[Jon Lovett]

I'm Sicilian who grew up with Jewish people.

[Tommy Vitor]

We can stop it.

[Jon Lovett]

Uncle. Uncle. It's also like, thank you.

[Jon Favreau]

Oh, my God.

[Jon Lovett]

That is unbelievable.

[Jon Favreau]

Can you believe that? Like, go read Larry David's op ed. Like the idea that he's insulting Americans or even calling Trump or anything. Like, he's.

[Jon Lovett]

He's making an analogy. It's an analogy. He's tell.

[Jon Favreau]

He's using satire and comedy. I guess technically this is the correspondence in Rica. And so we wanted to do some jokes. Jokes aren't allowed anymore, as we know. Fascism.

[Jon Lovett]

He's making. He's taking. He's taking an idea to its logical conclusion. This is called taking something to its logical conclusion. He's not saying Trump is Hitler. He's saying, this is the argument that Bill Maher is making. If you take it to its logical conclusion becomes ridiculous.

[Jon Favreau]

Let alone calling the people who voted for Trump Nazis, let alone being some working class thing. What are you talking about?

[Jon Lovett]

It's so embarrassing. I don't know if these people believe it or just think this is what they're supposed to say. This is a debate for fucking no one.

[Jon Favreau]

And then online, there's this whole discourse where they're like, Larry David has not spoken since October 7th about getting the hostages back and Jerry Seinfeld has. And so there's all of these tweets.

[Elijah Cohn]

That are like, what's Kramer said?

[Jon Favreau]

It was like, be a Jerry.

[Jon Lovett]

Well, 20 years ago. 20 years ago, the N word. And then nothing else.

[Jon Favreau]

Be a Jerry, not a Larry. It's like now a meme that's going right on right wing Twitter.

[Jon Lovett]

First of all, John, what are we gonna do with you?

[Jon Favreau]

What do you mean?

[Jon Lovett]

Get you some help.

[Jon Favreau]

Oh, I needed to be terminally online.

[Jon Lovett]

You are terminally online.

[Tommy Vitor]

And I was nervous that just that.

[Jon Favreau]

Clip was not gonna be enough. So I went deep on the Be a Jerry.

[Elijah Cohn]

I was so close to giving you a low score.

[Jon Favreau]

I know. That's why I had to.

[Elijah Cohn]

A discourse based on a New York.

[Jon Lovett]

Times op ed in two CNN clips is not online.

[Elijah Cohn]

It's like, unless it's 2003. Is that on the Larry King Show?

[Jon Favreau]

Is that a shot at George Will?

[Tommy Vitor]

Leave him alone, Dan. I just want to point out that Bhatya Unger Sargon is a moron. Recently went on TV and complained about Barack Obama signing the TARP bank bailout, which those who have a basic understanding of history would know happened under the Bush administration. So you can ignore her or even Google Hindi.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah, you know that, that. When. That. When that tarp deal, when that. That bill failed. That's the first dip I ever bought.

[Elijah Cohn]

Oh, my God.

[Jon Lovett]

I really did relatable. I really bought that dip. I was a government worker. It was a lot of money, but I bought that dip.

[Elijah Cohn]

Nice. I love that. All your dip buying stories are like, everyone else is feeling immense pain. Like, it's not like a savvy. Like, oh, I saw some.

[Tommy Vitor]

That's when you buy.

[Jon Lovett]

That's what Warren Buffett said. You wait until there is blood in the streets.

[Tommy Vitor]

Do you even dip, dude?

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah. God. It's a joke. It was a joke.

[Jon Favreau]

Come on.

[Jon Lovett]

It is a joke. I do think that the serious part of it is it Larry David isn't silencing anybody. He's just being critical of someone. He's using his speech. Bill Maher's using his speech. What are you fucking talking about? Free speeches. Everybody complaining about each other all the time. That's the deal.

[Jon Favreau]

Bill Maher was asked about this, and Bill Maher said, I saw this. He was like, you know, Larry can do what he wants. Free speech, fine. Like, I don't. Not my favorite moment in our friendship. He's like. But then he goes, I do think it's like, somewhat disrespectful to 6 million dead Jews.

[Tommy Vitor]

Oh, my God.

[Jon Lovett]

It was. Well, he did the move. Cause this is what I saw, too. He did the move of. Once you've compared someone to Hitler, you've lost the argument. Which used to be true. Which used to be true. But the more Trump acts like a fascist, the less that argument fucking holds. And that's the reality.

[Jon Favreau]

Yeah.

[Elijah Cohn]

Also, it's just a funny bit.

[Jon Lovett]

It was so good.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah.

[Jon Lovett]

So good. Larry David, good writing. Still the best.

[Elijah Cohn]

All right. John is a 4.

[Jon Lovett]

4. I think it's knowing all the character has discourse.

[Jon Favreau]

These two truly terminally online.

[Tommy Vitor]

I'm giving them a three.

[Jon Favreau]

Yeah.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah. I think with this group, it's a three. I think it's a three. I think it's a three.

[Elijah Cohn]

Three. Dan, moving the mic. I'm okay with three. Okay. I love this. Moving the mic over. This is good.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah.

[Elijah Cohn]

Okay. He's got. He's got.

[Tommy Vitor]

That's your opinion, John.

[Jon Favreau]

Love it.

[Elijah Cohn]

When were you doing online this week?

[Jon Lovett]

Okay. I'm just going to show you this video. This is how I became introduced to a topic. I just finished wiping tears from my eyes because I'm. I just learned about the never broke a bone theory. I've never broken a Bone in my life. I'm 32 years old. My brother has broken bones. My sister has broken bones. I know so many people that have broken bones to the point where when I was younger, it was cool to have a cast. And I was always like, why haven't I ever broken a bone? There are certain things that happen absolutely for a reason. I will die on that hill. So that was my introduction to this topic. Elijah, have you ever broken a bone?

[Elijah Cohn]

No, I have not ever broken a bone.

[Jon Lovett]

Dan, have you ever broken a bone?

[Elijah Cohn]

I've broken a bone.

[Jon Lovett]

John, have you ever broken a bone? Yeah. Was it just shoulder? The shoulder, yeah. Tommy, have you ever broken a bone? Yeah, I've never broken a bone. I had no idea what this was. The never broke a bone theory. It was baffling. It's a baffling video. I just wiped tears away from my eyes. This woman was crying because of the never broke a bone theory that she just learned about.

[Jon Favreau]

What is the theory?

[Jon Lovett]

I would like you each to guess. What do you think? The never broke a bone theory is?

[Tommy Vitor]

God protects you, Dan, you have special.

[Elijah Cohn]

Powers, like Samuel L. Jackson in that movie. Indestructible.

[Jon Favreau]

You're chosen somehow.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah, that's what it is. The never broke a bone theory is that people who have never broken a bone are in some way chosen or protected by a guardian angel or just chosen. Or just chosen. Well, I think some Jews have broken bones. I think if you look back at history, it is. It is.

[Elijah Cohn]

Larry David.

[Jon Lovett]

I couldn't believe that this was real, that this is so real to people that they're crying. People are believing that they have a guardian angel because they've never broken a bone.

[Jon Favreau]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jon Lovett]

And then I thought, what were you gonna say, Elijah?

[Elijah Cohn]

Man, so much fucked up shit has happened to me in my life. Fuck that. I may have never broken a bone, but come on.

[Jon Lovett]

Well, but you know who else has never broken a bone? Donald Trump claimed bone spurs, but that wasn't real. And he was protected at Butler. And it's just a. I went down the rabbit hole of watching video after video of these kind of new mystics, kind of as we. Cause we decided to stop going to fucking church. And then everybody discovered astrology and different theories like this. And all these people talking about the algorithm. Yeah, the never broke a bone theory. And I found it chilling to the core because this woman just heard about it for the first time and it brought her to tears.

[Elijah Cohn]

I have a lot of questions.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah, but there's just like one simple.

[Elijah Cohn]

Thing that could happen here, which is.

[Jon Lovett]

That people who believe this theory could jump out of a two story window. Sure.

[Jon Favreau]

Oh, no. Don't give up ideas, Dan.

[Jon Lovett]

Just like something that will kill you but would probably break an ankle. Well, that's a good way to test it. Smart idea. Let's get that out there. Let's clip that and that's it. That's my Internet online.

[Tommy Vitor]

That's pretty deep. Do you find that on TikTok?

[Jon Lovett]

I did, I did for the Bone Breakers.

[Elijah Cohn]

Was that the worst injury you've ever gotten?

[Jon Favreau]

Yes.

[Tommy Vitor]

No. Dislocated shoulder.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yikes, Dan. No. I tore my knee ligaments. That was worse than breaking my arm in first grade.

[Jon Favreau]

I will say that I thought, because I remember Tommy had dislocated his shoulder. I had never done that. When I first fell, I thought it was a dislocation. It was middle of the pandemic. Went to Cedars and they tried to pull it out. It was a dislocated shoulder and that didn't work. But they were like, you should go to an orthopedic surgeon just to see. And then I got the X rays and they're like, oh yeah, that's shattered. You need surgery to fix that.

[Jon Lovett]

Do you think. What do you think you did to lose God's protection?

[Jon Favreau]

Yeah, it's a good question, I guess.

[Elijah Cohn]

Because you went a long time in life.

[Jon Favreau]

I did go a long time. Yeah.

[Jon Lovett]

And I will say I've never broken a bone. I've never broken a bone, but I've had non broken bone injuries that were fucking horrible.

[Tommy Vitor]

Yeah, for sure.

[Elijah Cohn]

Tommy, did you break your arm in the White House?

[Tommy Vitor]

I dislocated my shoulder. I've done it four times, five times, something like that.

[Jon Favreau]

Hillary Clinton just hurt her arm too.

[Tommy Vitor]

Yeah, she pushed me.

[Jon Lovett]

That was what you're. That was. That was cuz. Who was the joke about who oiled the. Oh, Richard Holbrook had oiled the steps because he wanted to be Secretary of State and he died.

[Jon Favreau]

May, May. May his memory be a blessing.

[Jon Lovett]

A lot of people losing. A lot of people losing God's protection. Just a joke. I'd say he didn't actually oil the steps so Hillary Clinton would fall and break her arm.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yep. No, I. I got like a pretty serious concussion when I was six years old. And that's why I am, you know.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah. That's why I talk this way.

[Elijah Cohn]

The. The pauses, the dodgy eye contact.

[Jon Favreau]

Yeah.

[Elijah Cohn]

Because of that.

[Jon Lovett]

Repeating yourself, getting our names wrong all the time.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah. Coming up with clapbacks like 15 minutes after they happen right before we walk into the studio. It's all good. All right. This is, I don't know what was the engagement on this video?

[Jon Lovett]

Check it out. Let's look at it.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah, I need some data because if this is a like, you know, it's.

[Tommy Vitor]

A data driven show.

[Jon Lovett]

It had 43,000 hearts. That was how it was. 40. I don't know how many views. Let's see. It had 3.1 million views, but none.

[Elijah Cohn]

Of us have seen it before.

[Jon Favreau]

That's true.

[Elijah Cohn]

So you did bring something new.

[Jon Favreau]

I could give it a three.

[Tommy Vitor]

Yeah, that gives it a three.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah.

[Elijah Cohn]

Because he's at the doctor's office for broken arm, you know.

[Jon Lovett]

There you go. Yeah.

[Jon Favreau]

He hasn't quite lost protection yet.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah. All right. Well, game on to see who loses protection first, John.

[Jon Lovett]

I hope not.

[Tommy Vitor]

You should wear protection.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah, just. I'll pre cast. All right, Tommy, when were you two online? This week.

[Tommy Vitor]

Okay, so my topic today builds off a conversation I had with Tim Miller earlier this week about a FOX News interview that we were watching live in our office with Will Kane. He's a Fox News personality. And Congressman Maxwell Frost who's on the ground in El Salvador trying to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Long story short, Will Kane did not know that Trump had said he wants to deport homegrown criminals from the U.S. in other words, send Americans to foreign gulags. And so to me, this is a story about, you know, the dangers of dumb people on TV for sure, but also information silos. And because it seemed like Will Kane had truly just never heard Trump say these things about sending homegrown criminals to El Salvador because it is inconvenient for Fox News to put that on its air.

[Jon Lovett]

It did air live on Fox News.

[Tommy Vitor]

It aired live everywhere.

[Jon Favreau]

It was.

[Tommy Vitor]

And he said it multiple times. But so that was just FOX News. And it didn't really scratch the surface of the craziest stuff out there. So today I want to dive into the oeuvre of Candace Owens. For listeners who don't know Candace, she was at the Daily Wire for a long time before leaving amidst allegations of anti Semitism. For example, she liked a post that asked a well known rabbi if he was, quote, drunk on Christian blood. Again. So some subtle stuff right on the line.

[Jon Lovett]

Wow. Oh, my God.

[Jon Favreau]

Can't have too much of that.

[Tommy Vitor]

Nope. Too much Christian blood will get you there. So but Candace, she is not a fringe person. She's 2.1 million views or downloads per episode of her podcast. So a lot of people are Consuming.

[Jon Favreau]

So we have something to learn from her.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah.

[Tommy Vitor]

So here's some recent.

[Jon Lovett]

Candace, what's your secret?

[Elijah Cohn]

When are we going to transvestigate the first lady of France?

[Tommy Vitor]

Don't jump ahead of my topic. So here's some recent topics she's discussed. She is convinced that the opening ceremony of the Olympics in France was a satanic mockery of the Last Supper. You remember this controversy?

[Jon Favreau]

Oh, my gosh.

[Tommy Vitor]

But this is a quote from the episode, this world is being run by a very small group of elite oligarchs who routinely practice homosexuality and pedophilia and who believe in Baphomet as a deity, who worship a transgender deity. Baphomet, I guess, is an occult deity.

[Jon Favreau]

What?

[Tommy Vitor]

So this is part of her commentary.

[Elijah Cohn]

Memo from Alyssa Slotkin.

[Tommy Vitor]

She looked into the, quote, shocking satanic origins of NASA, which is about how some of the founders of NASA had occultist views. It seems like there's actually some truth to this one.

[Jon Favreau]

The founders of NASA.

[Tommy Vitor]

Yeah, I didn't have time to fully dig into it because when you're just asking questions, you don't have time to find the answers.

[Jon Lovett]

Right, right, right.

[Tommy Vitor]

But she has also believes that the moon landing is faked based on her gut instinct. She said the gut is divine. So that's why you have to follow your gut instinct.

[Jon Lovett]

Oh, wow.

[Tommy Vitor]

She's done a lot of coverage of what really happened on 9 11. She did an episode.

[Jon Favreau]

What did really happen?

[Tommy Vitor]

You have to watch to find out. She did an episode in July of 2024 about whether Joe Biden was actually currently dead. So again, she's not always wrong.

[Jon Lovett]

But there was a. There was one right wing post I saw today that really made me laugh because it showed the Pope in his coffin and said, behind the scenes, pope as sharp as ever. I saw that. So funny. Really got me. You got you. Hey, you got it.

[Tommy Vitor]

Her source on that story was Alex Jones, by the way. She did an episode questioning whether the atrocities committed by a truly evil Nazi doctor named Joseph Megele actually happened. She called it bizarre propaganda and questioned whether he would do all these evil experiments because it seems unnecessary and wasteful for those who don't know, he was a SS doctor at Auschwitz and known for doing the worst things you could ever imagine. And she's recently done a series of interviews with Harvey Weinstein, questioned his guilt, questioned whether the trials were fair, and I think is planning a series to exonerate him.

[Jon Lovett]

She interviewed him directly from prison.

[Jon Favreau]

Wow.

[Tommy Vitor]

I didn't realize that a bunch of times. So. But as Eliza. As Elijah alluded to, Candace's true passion is her belief that Brigitte Macron, the French President Emmanuel Macron's wife, is actually a man. She has covered this podcast topic on her podcast. There's a video series, there's like a bunch of social media stuff. There might be a movie. The big one though is this multi part series called becoming Brigitte. The sixth episode has 1.9 million views.

[Jon Favreau]

What is going on?

[Jon Lovett]

You know what? Leaving a great name on the table, which would have been Croc, Madame Crazy Question mark.

[Tommy Vitor]

But you know, so for the record, French media, the courts, the Macron family, they've all said this is crazy.

[Jon Favreau]

There's lawsuits.

[Tommy Vitor]

Like imagine you're just sitting in the Elysee palace and one day this lunatic over in America starts questioning your gender identity. But the problem is this is spread like crazy. Here are Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson talking about Candace's journalism.

[Elijah Cohn]

Gonna take a while for the nerds to really go through it.

[Tommy Vitor]

Oh, Candace Owen's been through it, I bet you.

[Elijah Cohn]

Has she been through it? I would assume she's too busy with the Macron thing. I watched two hours of that today.

[Jon Lovett]

Have you seen her?

[Elijah Cohn]

Macron's a man. Yeah. Bridget McCrone's a man.

[Tommy Vitor]

Got you.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah, she got me. Chance got me. She got me. Hook, line, sink.

[Tommy Vitor]

I was eating breakfast today.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah.

[Elijah Cohn]

I do think I was eating elk steaks since Candace Owens on my, my YouTube.

[Jon Lovett]

Did you see. This is crazy. Have you dived into her?

[Jon Favreau]

I, I will wager my professional credibility on the claim that Macron's wife is actually a man. And I was like, I was like, ah, Candace Owens, I love you, but I think this is too, too crazy.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah.

[Jon Favreau]

And then it turns out she's right.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah.

[Jon Favreau]

So can you just. My mind is blown.

[Jon Lovett]

What are we going to do? How do we share country with these people?

[Jon Favreau]

Dude.

[Tommy Vitor]

Yeah, the issue used to be like, the cliche is like Walter Cronkite used to do the news and at least we could agree on the same set of facts. And now it's like Vietnam didn't happen in Cronkite. It's a way a lady got lady part.

[Jon Lovett]

That's it.

[Jon Favreau]

Holy.

[Tommy Vitor]

But wait, final thing though. You will never guess who is really to blame for all of this.

[Jon Lovett]

Roll the clip logic.

[Tommy Vitor]

I can guess.

[Dan Pfeiffer]

I gotta say this right at the top. It is shocking to me how when I'm not even trying to look into Israel, they pop up in everything I investigate that are blackmailing someone. Case in point, the Brigitte Macron Story nothing to do with Israel. Out of nowhere, for those of you that follow that story, we suddenly get to this chapter and we learn that Emmanuel Macron was being blackmailed by Israel because they wanted him to form closer relationships to. I think it was Morocco over Algeria. Just every time I'm looking on, I'm like, oh, there's another story about Israel and blackmail. Completely foolish. If you don't believe it. Israel blackmails people. Okay, you are out of your mind. But don't take it from me. As I said, we're only using Jewish sources today.

[Jon Favreau]

All roads lead back to the Jews.

[Tommy Vitor]

2.1 million views or downloads an episode that is my terminal.

[Jon Favreau]

What is. Oh, that is. I think Tommy's gotten a five.

[Elijah Cohn]

Is there a six?

[Jon Favreau]

That was exquisite. And also a real misdirect with the. Starting with the Will Kane story. All of a sudden we're in Candace Owens land.

[Tommy Vitor]

She's. She's the goat.

[Elijah Cohn]

Well, it was a point about information bubbles.

[Jon Favreau]

No, I understand that. Idiot.

[Jon Lovett]

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Come on. He's just kidding. He does his best.

[Elijah Cohn]

I had a concussion.

[Jon Lovett]

Think about what he's been through. We'll never know what he would have been like.

[Elijah Cohn]

This is actually something that bothers me.

[Jon Favreau]

He's responding it out.

[Elijah Cohn]

Damn. Had something great and it's gone again. Shit.

[Jon Lovett]

Ct. Elijah.

[Elijah Cohn]

Here are.

[Jon Favreau]

Aaron Hernandez.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah, you wait.

[Jon Lovett]

Wow.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah. When is she having us on? John?

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah, Two Jewish sources right here.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah.

[Jon Favreau]

So do we think that Joe Rogan really believes the Macron thing?

[Tommy Vitor]

Yeah, I mean, he's conspiracy. He loves a conspiracy.

[Elijah Cohn]

Until someone, the next person comes along and says, like, actually, here's some evidence in the other direction.

[Tommy Vitor]

I will never forget that there was an interview, like with NPR about the guy who made Loose Change, which is the first famous 911 conspiracy theory documentary. And the original ones were VHS tapes that you would mail out. And one of the first, like 50 or 100 purchasers of the tape was Joe Rogan. So he's like, oh, gee, Conspiracy.

[Jon Favreau]

Where does he find that? He's like. He's podcasting three hours a day, cooking elk steak. He's cooking elk steak. He's watching two hours of. What is. What is going on with him? I'd like it like A Day in the Life of Joe Rogan.

[Jon Lovett]

I think it's. Yeah, I think it's elk.

[Jon Favreau]

I'd watch that.

[Jon Lovett]

Elk steaks, Working out, reading the news and then pot and it's pretty good. Pretty good. Life, actually.

[Tommy Vitor]

News loosely defined.

[Jon Lovett]

The. The Bridget Macron stuff. So your life without an elk steak. Yeah, basically. Yeah. I got, I got a smoothie at Barry's. He's an elk steak. We live in pretty similar lives actually. When you think about. I'm like, I'm a dibbling the gay L A version. Bridget Macron. Yeah, yeah.

[Elijah Cohn]

I mean maybe my take is wrong about this, but like they act like if that was true, then, oh my God, what a big scandal. And then if someone were to tell me like, hey, Bridget McCrone actually trans, I think I would just be, yeah, fine, right.

[Jon Lovett]

Like why do the cards all come down? Why is that a piece of Jenga of some broader conspiracy? There's in Woodworking, the book by Emily St. James for Crooked Media reads. She talks about this in the book. That if you look at anyone, anyone, you can find some aspect of them that makes them seem like they might be trans. That like everybody is passing. That if you stare at anyone long enough, you can find some way in which like, oh, that's that, you know, that that woman looks like maybe there's an Adam's apple or what broad shoulders or. Or that guy has like kind of feminine hips or whatever. But you can look at anyone and convince yourself you're looking at a trans person and that really none of us are looking that closely all the time.

[Elijah Cohn]

Yeah, damn. Candace is.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah, Candace Candice for sure.

[Jon Favreau]

Meet her on that wall.

[Elijah Cohn]

All right, so Tommy's a five.

[Jon Lovett]

Yeah, yeah, he sees that very, very well rabbit holed.

[Elijah Cohn]

That was a nice escalation.

[Jon Favreau]

You just heard a preview of Terminally Online, our subscription only show that's arguably the most unhinged show at Crooked. Not even arguably anymore. It is, it's just unhinged. If you want to hear the rest, subscribe to Friends of the [e-mail] friends or through Apple Podcasts. And don't forget, you have until the end of April to grab a 30 day free trial. Just head to qriket.com friends or sign up through the Apple podcast feed to get started.

[Dan Pfeiffer]

What's poppin listeners? I'm Laci Mosley, host of the podcast Scam Goddess. The show that's an ode to fraud and all those who practice it. Each week I talk with very special guests about the scammiest scammers of all time. Wanna know about the fake errors? We got em. What about a career con man? We've got them too. Guys that will wine and dine you and then steal all your coins. Oh, you know they are represented. Cause representation matters. I'm joined by by guests like Nicole. Byer Ira Madison III, Conan O'Brien and more. Join the congregation and listen to Scam Goddess. Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Tommy Vitor]

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