Who is Theo Von? The ‘manosphere' podcaster with Trump in Qatar
Podcaster Theo Von performed a set for U.S. troops in Qatar on Thursday where he joked about doing drugs on a mixed-race baby and the sexuality of men in the U.S. Navy, and compared the Qatari hosts' attire to Klansman robes. His appearance preceded President Donald Trump's visit to the Al-Udeid Air Base.
The comedian's remarks drew laughter and some groans from the service members in attendance and also some questions about why he was there.
'Dad, you've got to do an interview with a guy named Theo Von,' Trump said in his own remarks Thursday, recalling his son Barron's urging to do Von's podcast last year. 'I said, 'Who the hell is Theo Von?''
Here's what you need to know about Von.
Who is Theo Von?
Theo Von, born Theodor Capitani von Kurnatowski III, is a 45-year-old stand-up comedian and podcaster who did an extended one-on-one podcast interview with Trump during the presidential campaign in which they discussed addiction and the opioid crisis.
Born and largely raised in what he describes as the 'stray animal belt' of Louisiana, and legally emancipated at 14, Von's first taste of the spotlight was on MTV reality shows, including the 'Road Rules: Maximum Velocity Tour' and 'The Challenge.' He also competed in 'Last Comic Standing,' and won the Comedy Central show 'Reality Bites Back' over comedians like Amy Schumer and Tiffany Haddish. He has hosted the hidden camera show 'Deal With It' and has had various acting roles, including in 'Inside Amy Schumer' and the Chris Pratt movie 'The Tomorrow War.'
Why is he famous?
Things really took off for Von when the self-described 'white trash' creator found podcasting. In 2016, he started a longform video podcast called 'This Past Weekend,' which, as of 2024 per Spotify's year-end charts, was the fourth-biggest podcast on the streamer globally, with nearly 54,000 monthly listeners. A frequent guest on another popular podcast, 'The Joe Rogan Experience,' Von speaks candidly about addiction and recovery and has over 7.6 million followers on TikTok. He has comedy specials on Netflix and is currently touring around the U.S. and Canada.
Von, often described as 'the next Joe Rogan,' is part of the so-called manosphere, a rising online community of hypermasculine influencers and comedians who rebuff 'cancel culture' and offer crudeness in its place
Von was also one of the founders of 'King and The Sting,' a podcast that ran from 2018 to 2022, and featured Brendan Schaub and comedian Chris D'Elia, who has denied sexual misconduct allegations.
Why is he in Qatar?
That was the question of the day on social media, but Von has a lot of experience performing for the troops. He's been part of five USO tours.
Where does he sit politically?
Von seems loath to pin himself down to a certain side, and he tries to balance his guests accordingly, although it's tempting to make assumptions based on association.
Over the weekend, he was photographed having dinner with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner in Miami. The pair attended his 'Return of the Rat' show alongside Trump media adviser Alex Bruesewitz.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
New York Times pop music critic Jon Caramanica watched over 60 hours of Von's podcast and saw various standup sets in an attempt to answer the question: 'Is Theo Von podcasting from the right or the left?'
'That depends from where you're looking,' Caramanica wrote.
Who goes on his podcast?
It seems like everybody makes a point to chat with Von these days, including politicians, Oscar-nominated actors, titans of business, athletes, comedians, documentarians and investigative journalists.
Recent guests have included Mark Zuckerberg, Ben Affleck, Morgan Wallen, Chelsea Handler, popular left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and David Spade. Last year, he hosted Rogan, Timothée Chalamet, JD Vance (when he was campaigning for vice president), Sen. Bernie Sanders and Ed Sheeran. He told Tom Green that he tried to host Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as well.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
15-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Who is Theo Von? The ‘manosphere' podcaster with Trump in Qatar
Podcaster Theo Von performed a set for U.S. troops in Qatar on Thursday where he joked about doing drugs on a mixed-race baby and the sexuality of men in the U.S. Navy, and compared the Qatari hosts' attire to Klansman robes. His appearance preceded President Donald Trump's visit to the Al-Udeid Air Base. The comedian's remarks drew laughter and some groans from the service members in attendance and also some questions about why he was there. 'Dad, you've got to do an interview with a guy named Theo Von,' Trump said in his own remarks Thursday, recalling his son Barron's urging to do Von's podcast last year. 'I said, 'Who the hell is Theo Von?'' Here's what you need to know about Von. Who is Theo Von? Theo Von, born Theodor Capitani von Kurnatowski III, is a 45-year-old stand-up comedian and podcaster who did an extended one-on-one podcast interview with Trump during the presidential campaign in which they discussed addiction and the opioid crisis. Born and largely raised in what he describes as the 'stray animal belt' of Louisiana, and legally emancipated at 14, Von's first taste of the spotlight was on MTV reality shows, including the 'Road Rules: Maximum Velocity Tour' and 'The Challenge.' He also competed in 'Last Comic Standing,' and won the Comedy Central show 'Reality Bites Back' over comedians like Amy Schumer and Tiffany Haddish. He has hosted the hidden camera show 'Deal With It' and has had various acting roles, including in 'Inside Amy Schumer' and the Chris Pratt movie 'The Tomorrow War.' Why is he famous? Things really took off for Von when the self-described 'white trash' creator found podcasting. In 2016, he started a longform video podcast called 'This Past Weekend,' which, as of 2024 per Spotify's year-end charts, was the fourth-biggest podcast on the streamer globally, with nearly 54,000 monthly listeners. A frequent guest on another popular podcast, 'The Joe Rogan Experience,' Von speaks candidly about addiction and recovery and has over 7.6 million followers on TikTok. He has comedy specials on Netflix and is currently touring around the U.S. and Canada. Von, often described as 'the next Joe Rogan,' is part of the so-called manosphere, a rising online community of hypermasculine influencers and comedians who rebuff 'cancel culture' and offer crudeness in its place Von was also one of the founders of 'King and The Sting,' a podcast that ran from 2018 to 2022, and featured Brendan Schaub and comedian Chris D'Elia, who has denied sexual misconduct allegations. Why is he in Qatar? That was the question of the day on social media, but Von has a lot of experience performing for the troops. He's been part of five USO tours. Where does he sit politically? Von seems loath to pin himself down to a certain side, and he tries to balance his guests accordingly, although it's tempting to make assumptions based on association. Over the weekend, he was photographed having dinner with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner in Miami. The pair attended his 'Return of the Rat' show alongside Trump media adviser Alex Bruesewitz. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. New York Times pop music critic Jon Caramanica watched over 60 hours of Von's podcast and saw various standup sets in an attempt to answer the question: 'Is Theo Von podcasting from the right or the left?' 'That depends from where you're looking,' Caramanica wrote. Who goes on his podcast? It seems like everybody makes a point to chat with Von these days, including politicians, Oscar-nominated actors, titans of business, athletes, comedians, documentarians and investigative journalists. Recent guests have included Mark Zuckerberg, Ben Affleck, Morgan Wallen, Chelsea Handler, popular left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and David Spade. Last year, he hosted Rogan, Timothée Chalamet, JD Vance (when he was campaigning for vice president), Sen. Bernie Sanders and Ed Sheeran. He told Tom Green that he tried to host Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as well.
Winnipeg Free Press
15-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Theo Von riffs on drugs, disabilities and homosexuality before Trump speaks at US base in Qatar
AL-UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar (AP) — When President Donald Trump addressed U.S. and Qatari troops at a military base in Qatar on Thursday, he assured the rank and file that 'we don't care if you're politically correct.' Anyone needing proof of that could have watched comedian Theo Von's routine just a little earlier. Wearing a black T-shirt and backward baseball cap, the podcast host regaled the uniformed troops with jokes about drugs, developmental disabilities, homosexuality and their Qatari hosts. He talked about snorting cocaine off a baby's back but said it was 'a mixed baby' so the white powder was visible on the baby's skin. Von acted out various disabilities, including Down syndrome, and he insulted the U.S. Navy as 'gay.' He also had a punchline about terrorism attacks, asking, 'Where do you think the next 9/11 should happen?' He joked about the lack of crime in Qatar, where he said it would be impossible to identify a perpetrator because everyone is named Mohammed and dresses in the same white robes. They were like a 'Ku Klux Sandsman,' Von said. He later pointed to the Qatari troops in the audience and said 'they don't like me.' The jokes drew laughter and some groans from the service members at the base, home to the forward headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command. There was no acknowledgment from Qatar about the comedy routine and its topics. U.S. and Qatari service members and a small number of journalists following Trump heard the set, which was also available to American television networks. The wealthy Gulf nations that Trump has visited have increasingly welcomed a burgeoning standup scene at home and acts from abroad as they promote themselves as global entertainment destinations, and there are fewer red lines than one might expect in the socially conservative region. When Russell Peters performed in Saudi Arabia and Dave Chappelle in Abu Dhabi last year, both told a number of sexually explicit jokes and playfully mocked aspects of local culture, like the heavy reliance on foreign workers. The only no-go zones appear to be criticism of Islam or the countries' autocratic rulers. 'You can't talk about the royals, and you can't talk about religion,' comedian Tom Segura said on his podcast last year, describing restrictions imposed on a comedy tour he made to the United Arab Emirates. Von connected with Trump during last year's presidential campaign, hosting the Republican candidate for an extended conversation that helped him reach young male voters who were important to his victory. Trump wasn't present for Von's routine at the al-Udeid Air Base, which houses about 8,000 troops. When Trump took the stage in a hangar on the Qatari side of the installation, he praised Von and talked about how his son Barron encouraged him to sit down with the comedian. 'Dad, you've got to do an interview with a guy named Theo Von,' Trump said. 'I said, 'Who the hell is Theo Von?'' 'We had a good time,' he added. This isn't the first time a warm-up act has stirred controversy for Trump. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a 'floating island of garbage' during a Madison Square Garden rally near the end of the campaign. Trump delivered his own free-wheeling remarks during Thursday's event, telling the troops that 'I have nothing else to do, so let's have a little fun.' He talked about plans for an upcoming military parade in Washington, falsely said that he won three presidential elections, joked about people who want him to run for another term and said France would be 'speaking German' if it wasn't for American help during World War II. Trump talked about his administration's efforts to thin the military's top ranks, saying 'we let a lot of four-stars go.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. There's long been friction between Trump and some top generals, and he's been more emboldened to remake the command structure. He described people who doubted his military instincts as 'freaking losers,' talking up the campaign against the Islamic State group in his first term. Trump ended his speech in his customary way, dancing to his campaign anthem of 'YMCA.' Von's 'This Past Weekend' is the fifth-most-popular podcast in the U.S. among weekly podcast listeners age 13 or older, according to recent rankings from Edison Podcast Metrics. The mullet-sporting 45-year-old is one of the burgeoning voices of the so-called manosphere, a rising online community of hyper-masculine influencers and comedians who rebuff cancel culture and offer crudeness in its place. Von has interviewed people across the political spectrum and in industries from artificial intelligence to entertainment and sports. ____ Megerian reported from Washington. AP writer Joseph Krauss contributed to this report.
Winnipeg Free Press
13-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Matt Good, I Mother Earth togther at casino
It's a Canadian '90s-rock two-fer when singer-songwriter Matt Good joins alt-rock band I Mother Earth at the Club Regent Event Centre on Nov. 6. Each act will play a full electric set of their own material and then a combined acoustic set. Tickets start at $49 and go on sale May 15 at New York comedian Sam Morril brings The Errors Tour to the venue on Oct. 5. The popular standup is a staple on late-night talk shows and has appeared on such shows as Last Comic Standing, America's Got Talent and Inside Amy Schumer. He can be heard on the We Might Be Drunk podcast with Mark Norman; his new special, Sam Morril: You've Changed, is streaming on Prime Video. Tickets start at $44 and go on sale May 16 at
