Bret Weinstein
Bret Samuel Weinstein (born 21 February 1969) is an American evolutionary biologist and podcaster who came to national attention during the 2017 Evergreen State College protests.
Weinstein is among the people referred to collectively as the “intellectual dark web.” He hosts the DarkHorse Podcast.
In June 2021, the video-sharing channel YouTube caused controversy when it censored Weinstein on their platform.
YouTube first deleted a video of Weinstein discussing the topic “Why is Ivermectin not being used in other countries?” It was removed from Weinstein’s “podcast clips” channel.
Bret Weinstein interviewed Dr. Pierre Kory, president of Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care (FLCCC), on June 1, 2021, and the two discussed the efficacy of Ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment. YouTube deleted the two-hour video and gave the channel a warning strike ten days after the video was posted. As Weinstein alleged in a tweet, YouTube claimed the video went against its community standards on “[s]pam, deceptive practices and scams.”
My June 1st discussion with Dr. Pierre Kory of @Covid19Critical on the DarkHorse Podcast has been removed by @YouTube for allegedly violating their Community Guideline against "Spam, deceptive practices and scams". The channel was given a warning, the first step toward removal. pic.twitter.com/svISJEKjjt
— Bret Weinstein (@BretWeinstein) June 12, 2021
Weinstein tweeted that he appealed the decision for a second review and YouTube responded in a tweet claiming: “Our team confirmed that your video violates our medical misinformation policies regarding COVID-19 for promoting Ivermectin as an effective treatment.”
YouTube has censored Weinstein and Kory individually for prior videos discussing Ivermectin. YouTube deleted a clip of a Q&A video in which Weinstein talked about Ivermectin and has deleted several FLCCC videos. The platform even scrubbed Kory’s Senate testimony from C-SPAN’s YouTube channel.