Hosts Dan Friesen and Jordan Holmes traveled to Texas to witness Jones’ trial first hand. Friesen said the most powerful moment in the courtroom was watching Jesse Lewis’ mother, Scarlett Lewis, testify and speak directly to Jones. “I think it will stay with almost everyone there for the rest of their lives,” Friesen said. The co-hosts have been covering Jones since 2017, following his transformation from a seemingly untouchable figure to one now in serious legal and financial jeopardy. “Throughout this time, the content itself was essentially hollow,” Friesen said. “Seeing him from my perspective has become much less interesting.” But despite Jones’ legal woes, Holmes said the culture he helped create has become much bigger. “Conspiracy culture is something that is created through the cracks of our normal society,” Holmes said. And although their podcast focuses on the scrutiny of Jones and his tactics, Holmes said the trial was really about the victims. “People would like to focus on Alex being a bombastic character that we can make fun of and make fun of, but that’s not what he’s about,” Holmes said. The podcast format allows the hosts to go beyond Jones as a character and dive into the mechanics of what he does and why these conspiracy narratives exist. “We’re approaching this with the understanding that it’s a serious matter,” Friesen said. “But to make it interesting for anyone to listen to, we have to make it something fun.” Friesen has listened to countless hours of Jones’ program and calls it an “incredibly boring experience.” “The reason I do this is because I can get bored of that boredom,” Friesen said. He endures the work to help others gain knowledge about the phenomenon of misinformation. “So they could be in a place where they could better understand what Alex does and what he brings to the table.” Many hope the legal and financial risk Jones now faces will help curb misinformation and conspiracy culture. But Friesen isn’t convinced it will be a major blow. “Conspiracy makers and people who engage in the kinds of behavior that Alex does end up getting a little smarter,” Friesen said. “They end up learning where the lines are … of what they can do and what they can get away with.”
