Latest news with #Daniel-RyanSpaulding
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ex-liberal comedian urges Americans to fight their media-driven demoralization and mental health crisis
Comedian and pro-Israel activist Daniel-Ryan Spaulding thinks America needs to get in touch with itself again to help address the nation's mental health crisis. The Canadian stand-up star told Fox News Digital that he is alarmed at what he has seen after recently moving to the United States, pointing out the demoralization, political division, and mental health crisis he believes are causing the implosion of society. "If you have been raised your whole life to think that America is evil and that the president of your country is the most horrible person in the world, and men are evil, and the military is evil, and all the systems and the history of your country is evil, you know, you're gonna end up really weird, and you're not gonna necessarily know the difference between right and wrong," he said. Larry David Mocks Bill Maher's Meeting With Trump As 'My Dinner With Adolf' In Nyt Satire Spaulding is a gay comedian who has gone viral in recent years for his social media posts mocking leftists that call for the downfall of Israel. In one of his most liked videos on Instagram following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack, the comedian mocked LGBTQ protesters for thinking that Hamas would appreciate their help in condemning the Jewish state. In addition to his concerns about Israel, the comic expressed worry about the cultural state of the West, particularly of the United States, where he believes many people have been taught to hate their own country and its ally, Israel. Read On The Fox News App "I believe that we've been so demoralized, the West has been so demoralized. Like, if we can get to the point where Jews are like on the side of Hamas, if we get to the point where gay people are on the side of Hamas, if we get to the point where young college kids are on the side of a terrorist regime, this is a big, big problem," he told Fox News Digital. "This is a level of perversion and self-hate, that is like, my mind can't even comprehend it," he added. He accused the mainstream media of greatly contributing to America's moral crisis. "And the way things are covered in the news – like the way the New York Times reports something versus the way the New York Post covers something – like, you'll see the same photo with a completely different write-up and headline, and people are just living in these little echo chambers, and no one is seeing the crap on the other side, you know?" "They're always focused on being angry at someone else. So, it's sort of this rage culture that's been developing," Spaulding added. Audience Walks Out On Dave Chappelle After He Criticizes Israel During Show In Boston: Report The comedian also pointed out the poor physical and mental health that many Americans are in, thanks to their poor diets, appetite for prescription drugs, and the "rage culture" he said the media's been amplifying. "But I think that from my time in America, having never lived in America and then moving there as an adult, like there's some real problems with health, like mental health, first of all," he said. "There's like full-on schizophrenic people everywhere in New York. People are nuts. And then also people seem like they're on medication. Like a lot of people are weird. Like I think a lot of people are on pills." "And then, also, yeah, the food," he continued, "Like you can get good food, but there's also just like a lot of crappy food as well. And the crappy food is cheaper than the healthy food. So I think that to get all those chemicals out of the food, like this is very important, this is important." Spaulding recently underwent a dramatic weight loss, having dropped 220 pounds over the course of three years, so he knows how important good health is and that it should be a priority for Americans. He praised new U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for targeting Americans' unhealthy diets and childhood obesity, saying if he makes progress on his agenda, "that will be a game-changer for the United States." When asked more about his thoughts on the nature of the country's mental health crisis, Spaulding pointed to the intersection between the pharmaceutical industry agenda and that of the media. Influencer Warns Gen Z Is Becoming 'Gen Terrorism' As Tiktok Takes 'Ominous Turn' After Oct 7 "Well, I think that, like, definitely the pharmaceutical industry makes money off of getting everyone anxious and getting everyone upset. I think the news in a lot of ways and the way the news is framed – like I can't even watch CNN or MSNBC or any of those programs anymore because it's just constant, 'Fear, fear, fear. Anger, anger, anger.' And it's not real." "So it's sort of this rage culture that's been developing," he added. The comic, who says he has always considered himself a liberal until seeing the radicalism of fellow liberals, says he sees hope for the future and senses a shift to a "hyper-patriotism" that will inspire people to love their country and its allies again. "So, I think that we need to move towards reclaiming patriotism, stop hating each other so much, learn from each other, take care of each other. You know? Have pride in your country, have love of country. I think if all of these things – success, patriotism – if we start to reprogram ourselves to enjoy that, 'America! Top Gun! Yeah!' sort of – but people really want that again."Original article source: Ex-liberal comedian urges Americans to fight their media-driven demoralization and mental health crisis
Fox News
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Liberal, pro-Israel comedian says there's a double standard for celebrities who back the Jewish state
To stand-up comedian and pro-Israel activist Daniel-Ryan Spaulding, it seems like people think it's "too political" if celebrities defend Israel, but normal and acceptable when they support Palestinian causes and condemn the Jewish state. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Spaulding discussed his pro-Israel activism as well as his frustration over the double standards in how famous people talk about Israel's war with Hamas. "Like, if we talk about being 'too political,' you're only 'too political' when you're being pro-Israel… When you're against terrorism, that's when you're 'political,'" he said. The comic called out several high-profile comedians who have pushed anti-Israel talking points or who have condemned the country's response to Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre. "Trevor Noah and Jon Stewart and Dave Chappelle and Rami Youssef – they say horrible things about Israel, and they blood libel Israel all the time," he said. "And there's no consequences for them. And no one ever accuses them of being too political. They don't face any consequences for it." On the other hand, Spaulding, who is not Jewish himself, noted how pro-Israel figures are considered controversial for speaking out. "I don't understand when Michael Rapaport or I or Amy Schumer or Jewish comedians who are actually, like, terrified to even say anything – we're 'too political' because we're against terrorism? That's bizarre to me." Spaulding, a gay Canadian who is currently in Israel connecting with the Israeli hostages who have been freed from Hamas, described himself to Fox News Digital as an "accidental activist." Though he has built a stand-up career and toured the world, he recently settled in the United States and began using his comedic powers to spread awareness about antisemitism. "And since I arrived in New York, I ended up getting involved in advocacy work for Israel and for the hostage families and speaking out against Jew hatred," the comic said. Spaulding went viral in the days after Hamas' terror attack in Israel, calling out leftist anti-Israel agitators. In one of his most liked videos on Instagram, the comedian mocked LGBTQ protesters for thinking that Hamas would appreciate their help in condemning the Jewish state. "Maybe you should reserve your anger for the radical Islamic Nazi death cult that started this war by massacring 1,500 innocent people and doesn't give a s--- about its own people and uses them as human shields. But that's a little scary to say, right? Because those are the people that will actually come and kill you," Spaulding said in the clip. He captioned the Nov. 1 post with the declaration, "Hamas is a Terrorist organization, not a resistance movement. You can support the Palestinian People, and NOT support Hamas, and NOT be an Antisemetic[sic] piece of s--t. Call for Peace, not Hate!" Spaulding told Fox News Digital about what led him to share those first pro-Israel/anti-Hamas videos. "Oh, I was horrified at seeing people support Hamas. It horrified me. I couldn't believe it. And I thought it was hilarious seeing these lesbians I knew in Brooklyn defend them. And so, that was sort of my first viral video." The comedian explained why he believes people in America have come to have such a backwards view about Israel and Hamas. "Well, it's really 20 or 30 years of this, like, festering in academia and festering online. And it's this taboo thing that we're never supposed to talk about. And so, people never got the truth and got the information," he said, adding that "a lot of Americans don't travel." The other reason he gave is that "people just hate Jews." "Antisemitism is a very powerful thing, and, like, Israel is sort of the Jew. Like, if we think about what antisemitism means now, it is Israel as the Jew and people turning against Israel and hating Israel." Famous Jewish-American figures, like "Friends" star David Schwimmer or "Saturday Night Live" legend Jon Lovitz, have wondered why more Jewish people haven't defended Israel since the terror attack. When asked why he believes people aren't speaking up, Spaulding said it's because they're scared. "After October 7, there were a number of Jewish celebrities that spoke out, but they got shut down, and they got hit with bot attacks, and they get scared, and got threatened," he said. "So, sometimes people get scared, and they want to ignore a problem. I know what that was like. I was over 400 pounds," he continued, referring to his mindset before his recent major weight loss. "It's very easy to just shut your brain off and disconnect and pretend that a problem isn't there when it's right there in your face." Spaulding said these threats didn't get him to shut up. "They try. Like, especially if you're going to talk about Israel, like, people will try to smear you and character assassinate you and do whatever they can to get you to not talk about Israel. But yeah, you can't stop me." The comedian also mentioned he was surprised when he saw who did stand up for Israel. "And where the societal support was coming from was Christians and people on the right and Republicans like Mike Huckabee, and all of these people that – most Jews are, like, Democrats and are liberal," he said, adding, "And I certainly had never really met a Republican before or talked to a Republican. But I heard Mike Huckabee speak about Israel and I was like, 'Oh my God, what a kind man.'" "I never thought I would like Mike Huckabee more than Jon Stewart."
