The Matt Walsh Show – Episode 1652

“A Comedian Was Jailed In The UK For JOKES. Is Britain Now North Korea?”

Host: Matt Walsh
Publisher: The Daily Wire
Date: September 4, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Matt Walsh delivers a no-holds-barred analysis of the arrest of Irish comedian Graham Linehan in the UK for making “offensive” posts about transgender activists on X (Twitter), arguing that Britain’s approach to free speech is now comparable to regimes like North Korea. Walsh explores the broad implications for Americans and asserts that the incident represents a dangerous escalation of anti-free-speech practices in the West. He ties these international developments to trends in the U.S., touches on issues of racial double standards in comedy, criticizes political hypocrisy regarding wealth, and closes with a scathing take on Senator Tim Kaine’s remarks about human rights and the foundation of American liberties.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Decline of Free Speech: Britain Case Study

• Main Story: Irish comic Graham Linehan arrested at Heathrow by armed UK police over three tweets deemed offensive to transgender activists. Linehan was returning to London to stand trial for a separate speech offense when arrested for new ones.
• Matt's Take: Britain, Walsh claims, is enacting open totalitarianism and cannot claim to be a free society. The U.S. should treat the UK as a pariah state (like Iran or North Korea) for such speech repression.
• Implication for Americans: The UK arrested Linehan for online speech made while on American soil, signifying a threat to Americans’ own free speech when abroad. Walsh argues this justifies a complete diplomatic break.
  • Notable Quote:

    “The United States should treat the UK no differently than, say, Iran or North Korea for the indefinite future.” (15:16)

• Critical Tweets:
  1. “If a trans identified male is in a female only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act, make a scene, call the cops, and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.”
  2. Captioning a rally photo: “A photo you can smell.”
  3. “I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F them.”
• Walsh’s Argument for Speech Protections:
  • Humor, general commentary, and even strong insults do not equate to criminal incitement.
  • “If you remove the requirement that unlawful speech must contain an imminent threat…and that this threat must be likely to produce imminent unlawful action, then pretty much all right-wing speech will become illegal overnight.” (19:26)

2. Broader Decline of Free Speech in the West

• Similarity in the U.S.: Walsh points to a Minnesota case where a woman was criminally charged over speech, suggesting the U.S. is following the UK’s path.
• Dangerous Trend: Expansion of hate speech laws leads inevitably to jailing political dissenters for “offending the regime.”
• Double Standard in Political Speech: Trans activists can use slurs against women’s rights activists (“TERFs,” etc.), but the reverse is punished.

3. UK’s Official & Political Response

• Politicians’ Reactions: Some UK politicians focus on the method of arrest (e.g., too many armed officers) rather than the presence of criminal “thoughtcrime.”
  • Green Party leader:

    “I think it was proportionate to arrest him…I don’t understand why they were armed.” (26:58)

• Authorities Floundering: UK police flip-flopped on charges—first “inciting violence,” then “stirring up hatred” under a law not written for trans issues.
• Linehan’s Experience: After 16 hours in custody, Linehan’s blood pressure was so high he was hospitalized; police used activist lingo during interrogation.

4. International and American Fallout

• Walsh’s Prescription:
  • Sanctions, asset freezes, diplomatic isolation for the UK until they demonstrate commitment to speech rights.
  • Warns Americans against UK travel.
• Connection to U.S. Tech Companies: These laws “affect American technology companies and by extension, American citizens.” (32:50)
• Conclusion:

  “Until the UK can demonstrate some daylight between their legal system and North Korea’s, no one in this country, including our elected officials, has any reason to trust these people or take them seriously ever again.” (43:27)

5. Bonus Headlines and Segments

a) BLM and Body Camera Footage (46:00)

• Officer-involved shooting in Florida, not national news due to exculpatory bodycam video.
• Insight:
  • Walsh claims the push for bodycam footage was BLM’s major political miscalculation; it’s revealed most police shootings are justified.
  • Bodycams undercut the narrative and media circus that used to thrive on anonymous, unverified claims.

  • “Now with bodycams, we can see clearly that basically every officer-involved shooting is not only justified, like, extremely, absurdly justified.” (49:20)

b) Viral Comedy & Racial Double Standards (53:30)

• Black comedian Druski’s “whiteface” skit goes viral.
• Matt’s Review:
  • Skit isn’t funny (“not a well-observed impression”), relies on stereotypes.
  • Double standard: Druski faces no consequences; a white comedian in blackface would be “canceled.”

  • “If this is okay, if it’s okay for a black guy to do whiteface, then it’s absolutely okay for a white guy to do blackface. Absolutely okay.” (55:48)

• Comedic Principle: The only real offense is “not being funny”; comedy should have a level playing field.

c) Political Wealth Hypocrisy - Ilhan Omar (59:50)

• Report on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s rapid net worth jump, speculation about self-enrichment in office.
• Observation:
  • Matt prefers candidates who enter already wealthy to those who get rich through political office.

  • “I would rather that someone be rich coming into office than that they get rich while they’re in office, because those really are unfortunately the only two options…” (1:01:00)

• Acknowledges solutions (transparency, disclosure) are unlikely due to lawmakers’ self-interest.

Most Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the UK’s approach to speech:

  “The UK sentenced a mother named Lucy Connelly to 30 months in prison because of a mean tweet…one of about 30 arrests concerning online speech that take place every day. Yes, every day in the UK.” (05:24)

• On the seriousness of Linehan’s arrest:

  “They only released him from jail on bail on the condition that he doesn’t post any more messages on X for any reason. So he’s barred from communicating on this particular social media platform for the foreseeable future.” (15:57)

• On body cameras and BLM:

  “…BLM demanded that all the cops wear body cams, which, as I’ve said before, has proven to be one of the great political miscalculations of all time…Because now with bodycams, we can see clearly that basically every officer-involved shooting is … extremely, absurdly justified.” (49:00)

• On double standards in comedy:

  “Either it’s acceptable to paint your face to look like another race in order to make fun of them and do a comedy bit, or it isn’t. …Either it’s the kind of thing that should destroy somebody’s career or it shouldn’t.” (56:40)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic / Quote | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:24 | “30 arrests concerning online speech…every day in the UK.” | | 15:16 | “The US should treat the UK as Iran or North Korea…” | | 19:26 | “Remove [imminent threat] distinction, all right-wing speech illegal” | | 26:58 | Green Party leader: “I think it was proportionate to arrest him”| | 32:50 | “Affect American technology companies and by extension, American citizens…” | | 43:27 | “No reason to trust these people or take them seriously ever again.” | | 46:00 | BLM/Bodycam segment begins | | 49:20 | “With bodycams…every officer-involved shooting is…justified.” | | 53:30 | Druski whiteface skit segment begins | | 55:48 | “If this is okay…then…it’s okay for a white guy to do blackface.” | | 59:50 | Ilhan Omar/politician wealth segment |

Section: Daily Cancellation

Senator Tim Kaine’s Claims on Human Rights (1:04:30)

• Incident: Kaine criticizes State Dept. nominee for saying rights come from the Creator, links this view to theocratic Iran.

  “The notion that rights…don’t come from government but from the Creator—that’s what the Iranian government believes.”

• Matt’s Critique: Asserts that rights coming from God is the Founders’ core principle. Kaine’s position means rights are whatever government says—true tyranny.

  “He is extremely troubled by an idea that every single one of our Founding Fathers affirmed.” (1:06:45)

• Thought Experiment: If rights come from government, then removal of rights (e.g., gay marriage or abortion) should be passively accepted—not true in practice.

• Conclusion: Kaine is emblematic of Democrats who reject foundational American values.

  “Our entire system of government…rests on, fundamentally, the idea that our rights come from God. It is the reason our country exists in the first place.” (1:07:22)

Overall Tone & Style

Walsh’s delivery is unapologetically combative, openly sarcastic toward both foreign and domestic political targets, and marked by a tendency to critique not just policies, but the underlying philosophies. Throughout, he adopts a mix of dark humor, exasperation at “regime” double standards, and directness in making moral and constitutional arguments.

Summary

If you haven’t listened:
This episode is a broadside against what Matt Walsh views as the increasing criminalization of dissent in the West, with the UK’s arrest of Graham Linehan as the flashpoint. Walsh draws connections to U.S. trends, defends the need for unqualified free speech, lampoons perceived double standards in entertainment and politics, and closes with a philosophical defense of rights as divine in origin, not government-granted. The tone is strongly opinionated, heavily critical of progressive politics, and laced with sardonic humor.