Politics

In my last post, I discussed archiving the collection of Louder with Crowder Mug Club episodes after he switched networks. During the past year, Steven Crowder has faced many controversies, both with his show and his personal life. His conflict with The Daily Wire, the leaked videos of an argument with his wife, the departure of Dave Landau, and his move from BlazeTV to Rumble, have all led to reactions and speculation.

I currently still watch and support Louder with Crowder with a subscription to Mug Club. Over the past few years, I have found the show both entertaining and an excellent lens for information in an increasingly politically divisive media hellscape. We are living in a culture that seeks to erase anyone who doesn’t spout the ideology of progressivism. It’s a culture that will not supply grace and forgiveness to those who admit they are imperfect, but will justify insane beliefs of those from the progressive clan¹. Do Crowder’s antics and actions impede on his integrity? If so, what light should that cast (if any) on the work and dedication of the dozens of people that have made Louder with Crowder into one of the largest conservative morning shows currently on the Internet?

Mug Club Forever

In late 2022, Crowder announced parting ways with BlazeTV as their Mug Club livestream hosting provider. It became clear that BlazeTV was either unable or unwilling to turn over to Crowder, a list of members’ names and e-mail addresses. For weeks, every show had information about where current supporters could join a mailing list, known as “Mug Club Forever,” to get information on where the show would eventually land.

The Big Con

At one point during the break, Crowder released a video about “big con,” complaining about the terms he had seen in certain contracts from conservative outlets, without naming any specific companies². Shortly after Jeremy Boreing, from The Daily Wire, released an hour long video, outing himself as the source of the terms Crowder was complaining about. He attempted to defend the terms of the contract as well³. Crowder responded to this video with clips from a phone conversation he taped with Jeremy⁴, and later talking about conservative media censorship on on Tim Pool’s show⁵.

“Lawyers think of contracts as adversarial, like everything else in the legal process … how do I get my client, the best advantage? How do I extract the most out of the other side? My advice to people out there … everyone wants to be treated like a human being. They don’t want to be treated like a commodity .. rather than see it as adversarial [or] … extractive. See [contracts] as an opportunity to build trust … “ - Robert Barnes⁶

It would be nice if contracts were a way to build trust between two entities. However, anyone who’s read an employment agreement knows they are primarily to protect the interests of the company and not the employee. That being said, I have negotiated employment contracts in the past. Still, I can see the issues Crowder had with the Daily Wire and other conservative outlets.

One thing that was clear from the interactions between Crowder and Jeremy Boreing, is that The Daily Wire cared heavily about advertising revenue. Their dependence on the big tech and big media machines have kept them out of the censorship grinder, but has also had a chilling effect in their coverage of third rail topics such as the 2020 election, the illegal and immoral lockdowns, and the experimental medication forced upon the world. Although I can see issues with some of the ways Crowder made his points, I can understand his stance on censorship. His criticism of how The Daily Wire compromises to advertising friendly policies, is valid in the current news and political climate.

Recently, this became very apparent with Twitter canceling their promotion deal for stream The Daily Wire documentary What is a Woman?, due to the documentary misgendering individuals⁷. Twitter did eventually promote the documentary per their agreement once Elon Musk got involved⁸. I had two friends contact me saying they hadn’t seen the documentary until it was streamed for free on Twitter, and I think the promotion has had a considerable impact. Still, this type of censorship was exactly the type of thing Crowder spoke out against, validating his concerns⁹.

The Divorce

In April of this year, Yashar Ali released a video on his Substack of an argument from June of 2021, with Crowder and his pregnant wife¹⁰. The video does not put Crowder in a good light. Crowder released his own statement, stating that divorces are messy and people are imperfect, but also that all parties in his divorce agreed on privacy via a court order¹¹.

The leaked video is only a three minute view of a marriage that lasted nearly a decade¹². The video itself is from a patio security camera, has full audio, and raises questions about who released it, and for what purpose. The video doesn’t benefit Crowder in the court of public opinion, and his wife makes specific allegations of abuse. Did she do so knowing it was being recorded, to use later? No information on the video’s source has come to light.

The video leak rubs me the wrong way for all people involved. Personal relationships are messy things, and people say and do all types of shitty things in anger when bonds are strained or fall apart. Whether Crowder is deserving of any criticism on his personal affairs seems irrelevant in light of what appears to be either a smear campaign or hit piece.

Where’s Dave?

Dave Landau did not return as third chair on the show when it started back up on Rumble, stating that he had scheduling conflicts¹³. In April, he appeared on Michael Malice’s show, and discussed the internal conflicts and pressures Dave faced while working with Crowder¹⁴.

Crowder does not seem like the person I would ever want to work for. From Dave’s account, he exerted a lot of control over his staff and had heavy demands in his contracts, all while pushing his way into Laundau’s stand up work.

Still, despite Dave’s criticism, he said he believed that the two of them did make a good team, and wished the best for the show. Dave’s account is compelling, and it seems to fit with the other conflicts that have been placed into the recent spotlight (such as Crowder recording personal phone calls).

I’ll Just Take My Mug

I cannot stress how insanely important uncensored independent media is in the current era of mass corporate censorship. I also understand the people behind the cameras at many of these studios put in an incredible amount of work in very high paced, high stress environments. Focused leaders often bring strong personalities, that can rub people the wrong way.

I have valued the entertainment and analysis from Crowder’s show, enough that I have been a supporter for several seasons. At the same time, I understand that he’s probably not the type of person I’d like to directly work for. Driven people are the ones that make things happen, and grow businesses. But they often do so at the expense of anyone who doesn’t keep pace or isn’t fully vested in their vision.

Some of the additional Mug Club subscriber segments have been really interesting, with audience questions and powerful messages. However, most are just silly with a few additional games and gags. They’re interesting, but I no longer feel like I get a lot out of them.

It’s important to be able to separate the people, who are filled with strengths, weaknesses, pride and folly; from the output they provide to their customers and society. We are in a world that is demanding that everyone reject groups and individuals in totality; a rejection based on religious, moral or ideological beliefs, instead of discerning and identifying the individual pieces we agree and disagree with. The hosts of Louder with Crowder often talk about their own imperfections reflected in the lens of their Christian beliefs. Crowder often claims that everyone is a hypocrite, but that on their show, they often strive to be consistent.

I’m glad I archived their previous content, as I think their show has been immensely valuable in a world filled by a dishonest legacy media. I’m not sure if I will renew my subscription, but I will continue watching them, so long as they continue to produce quality content.