In the aftermath of the horrific massacre in Las Vegas, NV, in which suspected shooter Steve Paddock killed at least 59 people and injured hundreds, alternative media troll Mike Cernovich slammed those peddling the conspiracy theory that the shooting was a “false flag” or “that it didn’t actually happen,” saying, “You have real problems”:
Recently, Cernovich has been actively trying to sanitize his image and rebrand himself, saying he’s doing “a big pivot” away from his efforts to shill for President Donald Trump and toward being “more of a journalistic guy.” But his past stunts, and his links to other far-right personalities, which fueled his rise in the alternative media space, hinder his attempts to gain some sort of credibility.
Cernovich has peddled conspiracy theories himself, and he still often works with conspiracy theorists. He recently launched a super PAC with other figures in the alternative media space, including sophomoric troll Jack Posobiec, who appeared on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ media platform Infowars yesterday and defended a hoax about the Las Vegas shooting. Cernovich himself has had a regular hosting gig on Infowars since May, working alongside Jones, a major conspiracy theorist who is now one of the major peddlers of the bogus claim that the Las Vegas shooting was “scripted.” Jones said on October 2, “The whole thing has the hallmarks of being scripted by deep-state Democrats and their Islamic allies using mental patient cut-outs.” Jones is also known for repeatedly stating that the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, CT, in which 26 people were killed, was a “giant hoax.” Cernovich has appeared by his side in Jones’ studio, and they often amplify eachother'swork within their alternative media echo chamber.
While he claims to have pivoted away from his past stunts, Cernovich is still very much a product of and a player in the alternative media landscape, which thrives on peddling conspiracy theories and misinformation.