Theo Von’s Fans and Haters Are Both Concerned By His Embarrassing Bomb at A Special Taping

Over the weekend, podcasting kingpin Theo Von performed a set that was so bizarre that even comedy fans outside of the Manosphere are calling for a wellness check.

On Saturday, Von, a prominent right-wing comedian best known for interviewing both President Donald Trump and J.D. Vance and showing up to MMA events comically early, attempted to film his next Netflix special at the historic Beacon Theatre in New York. Unfortunately for both Von and Netflix, Von’s behavior quickly rendered all the undoubtedly expensive footage worse than useless. According to fans who were present at the stand-up set, Von started the show well enough, but the evening quickly spiraled as a visibly perturbed Von abruptly abandoned bits and repeatedly left the stage to speak to members of the production staff, prompting mass walk-outs from the audience.

Almost immediately, news of Von’s catastrophic performance at such a high-profile, high-pressure event spread like wildfire throughout the online comedy community. Now, Von's followers and his detractors alike are worried about his well-being, especially after a fan captured a video of the comedian speaking to front-row audience members off-mic and telling them that he’s “trying not to take my own life”:

On Reddit, one attendee at Von’s Beacon Theatre show reported their bizarre and disappointing experience in a mega-viral thread titled, “Theo Von Just BOMBED.” The user wrote, “He didn’t know where he was in his set at any time, kept re-telling jokes, twice asked someone behind the stage what to do next, said multiple times ‘what’s next’ followed by cringiest/worst crowd work ever,” then adding, “I’ve never walked out of a show, ever. Lots and lots of people walking out with the same feedback of 'that was terrible.'”

“Oh man did he relapse?” one commenter asked, referencing Von’s well-known history of hard drug use. “He’s not very funny on stage but I’ve always heard he’s professional at least.”

A different user responded, reporting, “He said in a podcast the other day, when asked about whether he is sober that ‘this has been one of the roughest years.’ So, didn’t outright admit anything but seemed to imply he may be having ups and downs lately, if not worse.”

Other listeners of This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von corroborated the speculation that the host is struggling with substance abuse, with one writing, “I think he relapsed. I watched the interview with Pete Davidson, and it’s clear as day.”

Meanwhile, many comedians and comedy fans who had been turned off by Von’s cozy relationship with the most powerful political figures in the world criticized Von for falling out of touch with his stand-up roots during his meteoric rise as a podcaster. Similarly, many right-wing cultural figures and comedy fans mocked the comic for his misfortune, given his recent history of seemingly breaking from the White House on issues such as mass deportation. 

But, for the most part, conversation about Von’s catastrophic set on social media has been centered around concern for his mental and physical health amid such erratic behavior. Wrote one Twitter user, “Theo Von seems like a good person irrespective of politics and I feel bad for him potentially becoming a cultural war casualty.”