A man holds a sign promoting an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory across the street from the former World Trade Center site on Sept. 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Photo: Luigi Novi via Wikimedia Commons.

Of all the vile antisemitic conspiracy theories I’ve heard, there is a bizarre one that may take the cake.

On his 600th episode, “Fearless” podcast host Jason Whitlock hosted E. Michael Jones, who claimed President Joe Biden is not in control, and that America is run by Jews. But wait! He has an exact number.

“First of all, Joe Biden is not in charge of the government,” he said. “…There are 457 Jews who are running the Biden administration. They’re the people in charge…”

The context was that Jones said that Jews have “spent their entire time in this country” undermining the moral fabric of America, such as being responsible for pornography and other things. He also said Jews have hurt Black people the most.

Whitlock answered that he didn’t disagree, but asked why Jones was letting Biden off the hook. He also praised his guest as being “fearless.” Spreading lies doesn’t make you fearless.

I followed Whitlock when he was covering sports, and I have watched many episodes of his podcast. His political takes are sometimes articulate and intelligent, but other times, he delves into conspiracy theories. He often has a good sense of humor.

He has 427,000 followers. I criticized him before in The Algemeiner for insinuating that the backlash against NBA player Kyrie Irving, who tweeted an antisemitic film, was not due to the film, but for his refusal to take the Covid vaccine. Whitlock inquired in an online message if I would come on his show, and I replied that I would via e-mail, but perhaps he never got the message.

Does Whitlock believe that 457 Jews control the government? I doubt it, but if he takes his job seriously, he should have done what any real journalist should do and asked, “What is your evidence for that?”

But Whitlock is more interested in garnering attention, and he is not alone. Podcasters are pressured to be as controversial as possible, truth and results be damned. It creates more content when you can have other episodes explaining the controversial one.

Whitlock may have been wronged by some network or organization, which made him go off on his own. But that is not an excuse for letting antisemitic conspiracy theories go unchecked. Whitlock correctly said that a journalist should have the right to interview anyone, regardless of their views. It’s fine to interview the devil, but it’s not okay to let him go unchallenged.

I do not believe in cancel culture, but it’s become shockingly clear that if you want attention, one of the best things to do is to scapegoat Jews. There are some who say Whitlock should have stayed in his lane and stuck to sports. I disagree. Anyone has the right to speak about whatever topic they choose. But if Whitlock wants to be a person of God, as he claims to desire, he should not stoke antisemitic flames. And if he wants to ignite controversy, he should choose a topic that doesn’t involve scapegoating Jews.

In an intro to the episode, Whitlock said that listeners would need their big boy pants for the episode. Nope. There is nothing adult or manly about spreading conspiracy theories. It’s childish and cowardly.

In life, some have no voice. Whitlock has a big one. He is charismatic. There are many who look up to him and see him as a role model. I expect more from him, and he should expect more from himself.

The author is a writer based in New York.