YouTube is profiting off of right-wing influencer Tim Pool’s vile commentary following multiple mass shootings.
Pool has repeatedly downplayed the prominence of mass shootings in American society, attacked minority groups, and spread conspiracy theories following mass shootings.
YouTube profits from Pool’s podcast, raking in around $65,000 from 100 videos on Pool’s Timcast IRL between October 2020 and November 2021, and the platform has gone so far as to promote his channel on its front page. On November 28, his interview with Hitler fanboy Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, was the most-watched livestream on the platform.
Additionally, YouTube is running pre-roll ads on some of Pool's mass shooting commentary videos.
Pool has encouraged purchasing firearms and spread misinformation about guns. At one point, Pool discussed with his guests how to acquire firearms without attracting attention from the government.
Last week, eight people died in a mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas. The gunman reportedly had neo-Nazi tattoos on his body and wore a “Right Wing Death Squad” patch on his chest. Additionally, the shooter was reportedly a fan of Pool’s show.
Following the incident, Pool blamed “multiculturalism” for the shooting and described the shooter’s neo-Nazi digital footprint as a “psyop,” or psychological operation.
A day later, Pool said, “I think it's funny and I really just don't care” that the shooter was reportedly a fan of his show. “It means nothing to me. It’s just funny.”
Following a March 27 mass shooting at a private Christian primary school in Nashville, Tennessee, Pool used the news cycle to attack trans people and Democrats.
On his show, Pool incorrectly said, “Per capita, trans people commit more acts of terrorism than any other demographic.”
Later, Pool blamed Democrats for mass shootings, saying, “We need to stop the violence, we need to tone all of this down. The issue is, it is the left.”
Pool later claimed that “the corporate press is covering up for what is clearly a problem that needs to be addressed, and that is mental health.” His co-host, Ian Crossland, then pushed a conspiracy theory that mass shootings are caused by pharmaceuticals.
“Every time we see one of these mass shootings, I think every time there’s pharmaceuticals involved — school shootings, I’m talking about,” Crossland said. “I could be wrong because it’s obfuscated, probably by intent, because the people that sponsored the news are probably Pfizer and Moderna and these crazy corporations that are making the drugs that the kids are taking that then they’re losing their minds.”
In November 2022, Pool responded to the Club Q mass shooting in Colorado by accusing the LGBTQ community of “grooming” kids and blaming the victims for the attack.
During a YouTube stream in May 2022, Pool downplayed school shootings and incorrectly said they are “exceedingly rare” and there is no way to stop them.
Pool’s show, Timcast IRL, is a soapbox for right-wing extremists, conspiracy theorists, and bigots. He has invited white nationalist-aligned figures, members of the Proud Boys, and pro-gun activists onto his show. Pool’s channel currently has 1.47 million subscribers.
