Theo Von has admitted it was “scary” when the Department of Homeland Security used his video to promote their immigration crackdown without asking him first.
The podcaster and comedian, 45, shared his reaction to the promo video in the latest episode of his podcast, This Past Weekend.
“The government put out this DHS video that made me really scared,” Von told guest Andrew Santino, saying he was overwhelmed with hateful comments and threats online. Santino replied that the clip appeared to be taken “out of context.”
Von continued, revealing that he “got so much hate stuff. I mean, a lot of it I didn’t see. But I would just see enough where it was like, f*** this is scary.” He added that Charlie Kirk’s assassination had happened weeks earlier, which only heightened his concern for his own wellbeing.
“And so I just started getting real paranoid,” Von said. “I started getting real paranoid at home, I was paranoid about the show, that there could be someone in the audience — you know,” he said, likely referring to his stand-up comedy shows.
“I think it made me really scared, to be honest with you.”
Von’s worries about his life potentially being in danger came as several public figures including lawmakers and late night hosts increased their security after Kirk, a conservative activist, was shot to death while speaking at a public event at Utah Valley University.
In late September, the DHS posted a video including a brief clip of Von on his podcast saying, “Heard you got deported, dude — bye.” It then touted the number of immigrants who were kicked out of the country under President Donald Trump.
At the time, Von responded to the clip on X by saying, “Yooo DHS i didnt approve to be used in this. I know you know my address so send a check. And please take this down and please keep me out of your ‘banger’ deportation videos.”
He added, “When it comes to immigration my thoughts and heart are alot more nuanced than this video allows. Bye!” DHS eventually took down the video.
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The social media star’s dispute with the federal government caught some of Von’s listeners by surprise as he’s previously been open about his support for Trump, even attending the presidential inauguration.
Von’s This Past Weekend, the fourth-largest podcast on Spotify in the U.S., has attracted politicians, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Vice President JD Vance. About five million people listen to Von’s podcasts each month, and he’s particularly influential among young men and Trump voters.
Trump revealed earlier this year that he went on Von’s podcast during his re-election campaign after his teenage son, Barron, recommended it.
“Barron, said, ‘Dad, you got to do an interview’ with somebody I hadn’t heard of, but my son knew very well,” Trump said, during a speech in May.
“This is before the election. You know, we won in a landslide, in case you hadn’t known, but he said, ‘Dad, you got to do an interview with a guy named Theo Von,’” Trump added. “I said, ‘Who the hell is Theo Von?’ He said, ‘Dad, he’s such a big guy. You got to do an interview.’ So he knew all the names.”
