Podcaster Theo Von performed a set for U.S. troops in Qatar on Thursday where he joked about snorting drugs off 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.
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“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.
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.