The Michael Knowles Show
Ep. 1857 – Are We Finally Getting The Epstein Files?
Date: November 14, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles (The Daily Wire)
Episode Overview
In this episode, Michael Knowles dissects several issues at the intersection of culture, technology, politics, and religion. Key topics include the emergence of AI-driven necromancy apps, AI-generated music topping the charts, renewed calls for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, geopolitical shifts involving Al-Qaeda figures, Bible sales rising after a political assassination, and mailbag advice on relationships, family, and faith. Knowles’ signature blend of humor, skepticism, and traditional values threads through the discussion, with a healthy critique of technological and cultural innovations.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. AI "Necromancy" App and Its Dangers ([01:43]–[09:24])
- Knowles reviews a new app, “Two Way to Weigh,” which lets users interact with AI renderings of deceased relatives. He satirically roleplays conversations between a child and "Grandma," highlighting both the uncanny and unsettling aspects.
- Critique of the App:
- Argues it's a psychologically damaging exploitation of grief: “You can summon the dead whenever you like, Charlie... And your grandma tells you to worship idols... get down on your knees and worship the devil...” ([03:19])
- Draws a parallel to necromancy and condemns the practice both spiritually and culturally, asking atheists what the difference is between AI simulation and traditional spiritualist séances:
"What's the difference between Grandma on the app and the real Grandma? ...for all intents and purposes, it's the same thing." ([05:30])
- Sees it as an extension of historic temptations to speak to the dead, preying on the grieving, ultimately distracting from real faith and genuine afterlife beliefs.
2. AI-Created Billboard Chart-Topping Song ([09:24]–[13:50])
- Knowles introduces and plays "Walk My Walk" by Breaking Rust, the first AI-generated song to hit #1.
- Reaction to AI Music:
- Unlike with the necromancy app, Knowles is unbothered by AI music, given the already-derivative quality of pop:
"As far as popular music goes, it's actually pretty good... frankly, I think that the AI is doing it better than most of the human artists." ([10:27])
- Discusses why true poetry, and by extension great songwriting, requires sensual experience and the creation of new metaphors—something AI fundamentally can’t do.
"AI should not be able to write a poem or a song... because AI doesn’t have any senses. ...It’s just a computer program."
- Accepts AI pop music as incremental rather than revolutionary, contrasting it with human artistic greatness.
- Unlike with the necromancy app, Knowles is unbothered by AI music, given the already-derivative quality of pop:
3. The Epstein Files: Political Theater or Truth Revealed? ([15:00]–[22:30])
- A bipartisan Congressional push, mainly by Democrats and a handful of Republicans, aims to force the Department of Justice to release all Epstein-related files.
- Knowles’ Take:
- Skeptical of what the files could possibly reveal, asserting the public already knows everything it ever will:
"Everything that you are ever going to know about Jeffrey Epstein, you already know." ([16:25])
- Believes any truly damning or revealing information (e.g., intel links, major government conspiracies) will never be released:
"If Jeffrey Epstein were a double, triple super agent... we’ll never find out. Those documents don’t exist anymore. The people who would reveal it are dead."
- Sees current file-release efforts as political distraction, particularly by Democrats post-shutdown and post-political setbacks.
"It seems to me it’s just kind of a political op… a distraction." ([19:09])
- Welcomes being proven wrong, as with the anticlimactic JFK files.
- Skeptical of what the files could possibly reveal, asserting the public already knows everything it ever will:
4. Geopolitics: Al-Qaeda in the Oval Office ([23:22]–[26:30])
- Knowles narrates the meeting between President Trump and Ahmed Hussein Al Shara, ex-Al-Qaeda and now President of Syria. Trump gifts Shara cologne and jokes about the number of wives.
- Notable Moment:
- “Here, I’ve got some perfume for your wife. How many wives do you have? I only have one wife, sir. Oh, yeah, One wife. Okay. I don’t know. You never know with you people.” ([23:42])
- Geopolitical Analysis:
- Using dark humor, Knowles explains this as a byproduct of America’s imperial/global interests, where former adversaries can become allies when it suits geopolitical aims.
"Politics makes for really strange bedfellows."
- Asserts America is a global empire, and foreign policy decisions must be understood through that lens.
- Using dark humor, Knowles explains this as a byproduct of America’s imperial/global interests, where former adversaries can become allies when it suits geopolitical aims.
5. Silver Linings: Bible Sales Surge After Tragedy ([27:30]–[30:50])
- Reports on a 36% spike in Bible sales after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, indicating renewed spiritual interest in turbulent times.
- “This is irrefutable evidence of the Charlie Church bump.” ([28:10])
- Links trends in technology and historical events to philosophical and spiritual reevaluations.
6. Mailbag: Faith, Family, and Social Issues ([34:10]–[46:38])
Attraction to “Tattooed Goth Women” ([34:10])
- A self-described trad Christian asks about his attraction.
- Knowles approves but encourages self-reflection:
"What is it about these tattoos… that attracts me and is that good? What does that tell me about myself? Is that perfectly innocent?" ([35:20])
- Knowles approves but encourages self-reflection:
Handling Family Hostility Toward Christian Morality ([37:27])
- A caller struggles with atheist/polyamorous family’s anger at her Christian parenting, especially over sexual morality.
- Knowles references Scripture (1 Peter 4) to explain why the faithful are reviled for rejecting hedonism:
"When you don’t engage in that, they hate you for it." ([38:05])
- Encourages standing firm and being gentle but resolute.
- Knowles references Scripture (1 Peter 4) to explain why the faithful are reviled for rejecting hedonism:
Gambling and the State ([41:53])
- Asked about Christian/Conservative positions on gambling, Knowles is wary but not absolutist:
"It should not be totally unrestricted as the licentious and the libertarians want. ...It should be heavily, heavily regulated culturally and by the law." ([42:43])
Kids in Church: Cry Room Controversy ([43:28])
- On whether to bring toddlers and babies to Mass:
"I try to instill the fear of God in my children before we go into mass... If you behave in church, maybe we can go out to lunch after church." ([44:00])
- Advocates a balanced approach: bring kids, discipline as needed, no snacks, and remove only for disruptive behavior.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On the necromancy app:
“I want to approach whatever servers… I want to explode it with a nuclear bomb. I hate this so much. I couldn’t possibly hate it more.” ([04:20])
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On AI songwriting:
“If we’re just gonna have slop pop music anyway, I’d rather have it made by an app than by some… I don’t know, kind of degenerate mediocrity.” ([12:58])
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On the futility of the Epstein files:
“If Trump were seriously implicated in the Epstein files, don’t we think that Biden would have released it? …Of course they didn’t.” ([16:10])
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On American empire:
“We are an empire. We just are. …If you do not at the very least begin with the observation that, yes, we’re a global empire… you’re so disconnected from reality.” ([25:30])
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On spiritual renewal after tragedy:
“The ultimate reality is if our chief relationship is not gonna be with a phone… Our ultimate reality is going to be with the source and summit of all being with God.” ([30:30])
Timestamps for Major Segments
| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------| | 01:43 | AI necromancy app demo and ethical critique | | 09:24 | Billboard #1: AI-generated country song & its meaning | | 15:00 | The Epstein files: analysis of Congressional push | | 23:22 | Trump meets Syrian President/ex-Al-Qaeda leader | | 27:30 | Bible sales surge post-Charlie Kirk assassination | | 34:10 | Mailbag: Relationships, faith, family issues | | 43:28 | Parenting: Kids and toddlers in church |
Tone & Style Notes
- Direct, humorous, and often sarcastic: Knowles uses mockery and exaggeration particularly when discussing progressive or technological trends he finds problematic.
- Grounded in traditionalist, Christian, and conservative frameworks: Arguments appeal often to Scripture, Church tradition, and cultural precedent.
- Balanced but firm on divisive issues: Willing to acknowledge nuance or ambiguity, especially regarding family, parenting, or social vices, but comes down strongly on certain cultural or theological lines.
This summary provides a comprehensive guide to the content and argumentation of Michael Knowles’ episode—useful for both devoted listeners and newcomers seeking to understand the range of issues discussed and Knowles’ perspective on them.
