The Antihero Broadcast — Episode Summary

Podcast: The Antihero Broadcast
Date: December 19, 2025 — Episode: “WE WERE WRONG...”
Hosts: Mike, Tyler, Lewis, Jimmy
Audience: Veterans, First Responders, All Blue Collar Americans

Episode Overview

This episode of The Antihero Broadcast is a candid roundtable that takes on recent missteps in reporting, gun laws and violence in Australia, the fallout of the Afghanistan withdrawal, reliability of government and law enforcement, agency corruption, and community relations. The hosts hold themselves to account, especially regarding a viral controversy over the Bondi shooting footage, and invite frank listener engagement. The team—veterans and law enforcement professionals—pull few punches in criticizing police admin, U.S. and foreign policies, and the culture of information (and disinformation) around incidents impacting first responders and blue collar communities.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Accountability for Misinformation: The Bondi Shooting

• Correction on Viral Clip ([05:27]–[08:56])
  • Mike and Tyler address their earlier misrepresentation of Australian female police officers' response during the Bondi shooting.
  • Listener backlash, particularly from Australians, prompted the hosts to revisit and correct their statements.
  • Mike: “We're about transparency and accuracy. We're wrong. We had the wrong information ... those women were not hiding ... one of them was actually shot. ... We answered every single message with an in-depth, heartfelt response.”
  • The hosts stress the pressure to comment on breaking news, and reflect on the media’s routine failure to offer retractions or updates.
  • Lewis: “News media like Fox News and CNN put out [misinformation] ... They don’t even do a retraction. They don’t do what Mike just did.”

2. Australian Gun Laws, Public Response, and Community Preparedness

• Gun Control and Armed Citizenry ([10:34]–[12:29])
  • Detailed debate about whether strict gun laws result in less public safety.
  • Contrast between Australian and U.S. culture regarding public response to active shooter events.
  • Mike: “I’m told ... gun laws are so strict in Australia, that guy would go to prison the rest of his life if he shot [the shooter].”
  • Tyler: “You get what you voted for. ... Here in America, you’ll get five citizens ready to blast you.”
  • Discussion of mass shooting incidents in Australia compared to the U.S.

3. Online Narratives, Fake News, and Conspiracies

• Controversial Claims and Distrust ([13:23]–[15:28])
  • The hosts unpack conspiracy theories surrounding the Bondi event: crisis actors, doctored photos, antisemitic conspiracies.
  • Lewis: “At this point, who do we believe? ... It’s kind of credible that we’ve had people do stuff and ... we kind of have to go back to—‘I need to throw the blue flag here.’”

4. Reflections on Law Enforcement, Agency Transparency, and Crime Reporting

• Crime Data Manipulation and Professional Conduct ([23:18]–[27:10])
  • Discussion around manipulation of crime statistics by law enforcement leadership.
  • Examples: D.C. Chief allegedly “cooking the books", administrative pressure to downgrade offenses.
  • Tyler: “They were cooking the D.C. chief ... lowering numbers and making it look like [they] were very safe.”

5. Afghanistan Withdrawal: Vetting & National Security Concerns

• Operation Allies Welcome: Fact and Fiction ([27:57]–[41:48])
  • The hosts return to a previous viral topic: poorly vetted Afghan evacuees during the 2021 US withdrawal.
  • Lewis: “125,000–150,000 people coming here without knowing who they are—that’s a problem. ... There are a shitload of people in the United States that, 100% based on the intelligence we have, they killed American soldiers.”
  • Tyler: “Would you let 12 people in your house you had no idea who they were?”
  • Executive orders and legal barriers prevent effective intelligence sharing between DoD and DHS (see [36:04]–[38:57]).
  • Many evacuees allegedly on parole, no follow-up, many unaccounted for.

6. International Military Bases and U.S. Foreign Policy

• Why Host Nations Allow U.S. Bases ([43:55]–[46:45])
  • The group explains why foreign countries, even wealthy ones like Saudi Arabia, allow U.S. military presence.
  • Lewis: “They benefit a lot. ... Infrastructure, security. ... [If] we might get attacked, but if we get attacked, the big stick is coming.”
  • The discussion segues into a critique of Western foreign policy motivations (“It’s always oil.”)

7. Community Policing, Social Media, and Public Relations

• Effectiveness and Limitations ([81:21]–[116:56])
  • Debate over shutting off police comment sections and the value of agency “coffee with a cop” PR stunts.
  • Mike: “If they ask you a question, you don’t have an option. You have to answer it. ... Why are you allowed to suppress people [blocking comments]?”
  • The consensus is that genuine professional conduct, not PR events, best earns community trust.
  • Jimmy: “You know how you win your community? You do your job, you do it professionally, you do it right.”
  • Satirical and critical takes on the difference between performative outreach and meaningful service.

8. Corruption, Whistleblowing, and Local Politics

• Barriers to Accountability and Backlash ([92:29]–[103:53])
  • Mike shares personal experience of filing complaints against local sheriffs for misusing public funds, and threats or intimidation faced as a result.
  • Mike: “I, as a citizen of America, have to be that terrified and have people that worried about me because all I’m doing is saying, ‘here’s a man who has completely been untouchable’ …”
  • The group underscores how systemic retaliation and the “disgruntled” label can silence whistleblowers.

9. Role of Humor, Camaraderie, and Professionalism in Law Enforcement

• Culture and Changing Standards ([105:01]–[112:35])
  • The team discusses how internal law enforcement culture, dark humor, and “boomer” administration can be at odds with public expectations, diversity, and evolving professional standards.
  • Comedy is used to diffuse, but the hosts acknowledge how jokes can still impact agency reputation.
  • Lewis: “You guys have got to avoid even the appearance of evil. … Even if it’s a joke, if it gets out, it’s going to tar and feather every other cop.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Correcting Mistakes:
  “We’re about transparency and accuracy. We’re wrong.” — Mike, [07:25]
• On the Importance of Training:
  “I’m all for armed citizens. I just wish they’d train a little bit.” — Jimmy, [19:20]
• On Vetting Evacuees:
  “125,000–150,000 people coming here without knowing who they are—that’s a problem.” — Lewis, [29:57] “Would you let 12 people in your house you had no idea who they were?” — Mike, [33:34]
• On Police/Public Relations:
  “You know how you win your community? You do your job, you do it professionally, you do it right. … It’s not by going out and pandering to the community.” — Jimmy, [112:36]
• On Internal Retaliation:
  “They call us disgruntled. We’re nasty. … I just talk a lot of s— on the Internet.” — Mike, [122:51]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------| | Correction on Bondi shooting reporting | 05:27–08:56 | | Australian gun laws and public response | 10:34–12:29 | | Conspiracies & fake news around shootings | 13:23–15:28 | | Police crime stat manipulation | 23:18–27:10 | | Afghan vetting/fallout discussion | 27:57–41:48 | | U.S. bases and foreign policy | 43:55–46:45 | | Police/public relations/PR events debate | 81:21–116:56 | | Whistleblowing & corruption at local agencies | 92:29–103:53 | | Cop culture, humor, and professionalism | 105:01–112:35 |

Tone and Style

The conversation is candid, critical, irreverent, and often darkly humorous—with an undercurrent of sincere advocacy for first responders and blue collar communities. In their banter and debates, they encourage skepticism toward media narratives, government competence, and institutional accountability—while pushing for sanity, transparency, and self-correction in their own reporting.

For New Listeners

This episode is a great snapshot of the Antihero Broadcast’s ethos: blending gallows humor, professional insight, and strong opinions with a standing invitation for audience feedback—and a willingness to admit when they “got it wrong.” Fans and critics alike are called on to be part of a brutally honest, frequently off-color but fiercely community-driven dialogue.