A far-right live streamer launched a furious rant at Louis Theroux for being ‘anti-white’, after the journalist asked if he ever questions his actions.
Alt-right media personality Tim Gionet from Florida, uses the pseudonym Baked Alaska to live-stream himself pranking passers-by while playing racist or offensive music, with his audience funding him through donations.
Gionet, who livestreamed footage of himself among other Donald Trump supporters inside the Capitol during riots last year, appeared on the journalist’s latest BBC2 series, Forbidden America, which aired last night.
After receiving a comment calling non-white and homosexual people ‘subhuman’, he told Theroux, 51, that while he doesn’t agree with all of his viewers’ opinions, he enjoys hearing ‘uncensored’ views.
Later, when Theroux questioned him on the consequences of his actions, the media personality burst into a furious rant calling the journalist an ‘anti-Christian, lying, piece of s***’.
Alt-right media personality Tim Gionet, who uses the pseudonym Baked Alaska to live-stream, bust into a furious rant during an appearance on Louis Theroux’s latest BBC2 series, Forbidden America
Alt-right media personality Tim Gionet from Florida, uses the pseudonym Baked Alaska to live-stream himself pranking passers-by while playing racist or offensive music
After receiving a comment calling non-white and homosexual people ‘subhuman’, he told Theroux, 51, that while he doesn’t agree with all of his comments, he enjoys hearing ‘uncensored’ views
Theroux’s latest series explores extreme voices in the US – with the first episode investigating inflammatory figures of the American far right.
He met Gionet in Tampa, Florida, where he demonstrated what a standard live stream looks like, beginning the broadcast by saying: ‘Shout out to my right-wing nuts, we’re going to have some fun later tonight’.
Despite being banned from YouTube, the vlogger explained that he ‘makes new channels all the time’ and earns money by filming himself provoking passers-by.
He is spurred on by viewers to play racist or provocative music over a speaker and was seen playing Erika by Herms Niel, a 1930s German marching song.
Despite being banned from YouTube, the vlogger explained that he ‘makes new channels all the time’ and makes money by filming himself provoking passersby
The journalist met Gionet in Tampa, Florida, where he demonstrated what a standard live stream looks like, beginning the broadcast by saying: ‘Shout out to my right-wing nuts, we’re going to have some fun later tonight’
The social media personality denied knowing whether the music had any Nazi connotations, instead describing it as ‘just a nice German song.’
However he did acknowledge that his viewers enjoy offensive and racist material, saying: ‘It’s comedy. It’s edgy humour, they play whatever they can to make us uncomfortable’.
The journalist quizzed Gionet on his audience, branding them an ‘online community of hard right trolls’, insisting that a huge part of what he had witnessed was extreme racial content.
‘Not everyone is right-wing though?’ Louis questioned him, suggesting the majority of his viewers were.
As the vlogger began to defend his audience by claiming not each viewer belongs to the far-right he received a comment from a viewer calling non-white and homosexual people ‘subhuman’.
‘The fact it’s so horrible, does it ever make you think maybe you’re doing something wrong?’ asked Theroux.
As the night continued the live streamer continued to provoke passersby and receive racist messages from viewers, soon turning his attention on Louis. Pictured, an offensive comment made about Theroux during the livestream
Gionet replied: ‘Not really. We’re living in a world where you can’t hear any of this language. It’s all extremely censored, it’s all so taboo and so forbidden that some of the stuff I don’t like to hear. But for the most part, a lot of it is refreshing’.
As the night continued the live streamer continued to provoke passersby and receive racist messages from viewers, soon turning his attention on Louis.
He told his audience that the journalist had been ‘manipulating’ him by claiming he wanted to talk about live streaming, but actually wanted to address the issue of race.
The journalist then decided to challenge Gionet about his beliefs by quoting a 2019 video in which he expressed concerns about contributing to toxic far-right internet culture.
Theroux challenged Gionet about his beliefs by quoting a 2019 video in which he expressed concerns about contributing to toxic far-right internet culture
As Theroux continued to question him about the potential consequences of his actions, the vlogger burst into a furious rant, claiming: ‘Here you go with the manipulating again’
‘I thought you were interested in live streaming; you’re just interested in your bullsh*t little agenda’, said Gionet in response.
As Theroux continued to question him about the potential consequences of his actions, the vlogger burst into a furious rant, claiming: ‘Here you go with the manipulating again.
‘You say “Oh it’s not a hit piece, I want to know about streaming”. You don’t give a f*** about streaming. You went straight to trying to label me as white nationalists and all this dumb sh*t, everyone can see through your f*****g gay agenda.
‘You’re a piece of sh**t dude. I gave you a chance. You’re anti-Christian you’re anti-white, you’re a lying piece of s***’. That’s all you do, I tried to give you a chance but you’re not a real human being. Why don’t you apologise for your f****g ancestors from thousands of years ago because you’re white, Louis.
‘You’re white, why don’t you apologise for who you are? Apparently we should feel guilty for being white. We can’t have a majority of white people because we’d have a great country with low crime, god forbid that.’
Theroux then questioned Gionet on his comments, pointing out that promoting a sense of white racial loyalty means by definition that he is a white nationalist.
After vehemently denying that he is a white nationalist, Gionet asked the journalist what he thought of him, to which Theroux replied: ‘I think you’re a talented broadcaster and live streamer.
‘But parts of what you do I find deeply poisonous and I think it’s anti-semitic, racist and that’s what I think.’
‘I’m not a white nationalist, he responded. ‘You have to get that out of your head. Don’t believe the lies.’
Louis Theroux’s Forbidden America: Extreme and Online is available on BBC iPlayer