All,
Another announcement. The Ben Megathread rule has been revoked to start 2025. Posts are now allowed outside of the 2024 Megathread. We will mod down to single posts for things that happen if multiple posts are put up about the same thing, as we do for other topics.
The other rules that popped up in 2023 and 2024 as a result of the situation will remain in place. Please refer to the full rules list for the requirements of participating in this subreddit.
This decision is subject to change if things get out of hand.
Ok. Now someone tell me what the hell happened. I started to watch a little bit of the video testimony from some interview of Brook (i think) and i remember it was like terrible audio and I was at work and realized there was a lot of things and on going drama that i had not the clue or interest in exploring. I was just told he held down his gf while drunk and was screaming in her face, along with other things so my brain auto-disqualified him as a respectable person. I always considered him of moderate origins and it seemed like as he got more famous his scope of the world was expanding making him more progressive. But now i see it all as performative in hindsight. I have not watched any of his new podcast but i saw a clip of some old fart egging him on in the classic “us comedians used to have freedom” bullshit that gets regurgitated on every ex-comic podcast. Do i basically have the story? Was he also a dick to Travis or is that rumor?
In a nutshell, 5 women alleged they were abused by him and his drinking was out of hand. I’ve never heard about the Travis thing. Is that why he left? But anyway, if you want the whole breakdown read the Rolling Stone article. The missing stair
He was an asshole to everyone. There's one moment from an episode close to when Ben left where he mentions "being rude" to Marcus the night before or recently. Marcus raises his voice and says "VERY RUDE. You were VERY RUDE to me" or something along those lines.
Ben has always had a mean streak. In the early days, he was funny about it, but overtime his tone changed. I don't doubt that Henry and Marcus had been enduring being around him for awhile. You can tell how much happier they are without him around. And frankly, they're more successful without him.
I 100% believe the reason they didn't go to Australia sooner was because Ben wouldn't get his shit together to get his passport. They went so soon after Eddie was brought on.
I remember that! It was around the time when he said something to the effect of “who knows maybe something will happen to Wendy” on the stream one night. Henry was viscerally upset that ben (although “joking”) threatened hurting his dog. I remember that being the moment I could tell the milk had gone bad.
If you wanna see how ben operates by default setting - listen to an old round table episode.
Yeah the way Ben used to talk to and about Jackie on roundtable was, in retrospect, the biggest red flag of them all.
The Benrrito "joke" pops into mind a lot when thinking of tasteless jokes that were bad on RToG.
What's the joke?
Benrrito, as in he would wrap himself around women he would be in bed with.
Its also pretty telling how bad it was when he wanted to brag about "graduating" out of Passages ahead of schedule and then was posting pics of himself totally not drinking at a bar to watch a sportball game. Im sorry he has addiction issues, theyre a very real problem for folks to overcome, but I just dont know that he really learned anything other than maybe dont get caught? Idk. I havent sought anything out about him since he left LPotL and intend to keep it that way.
But big thank you to Marcus and Henry for how they handled the situation. I know they probably lost some listeners through it all but objectively, its extremely important that they handle it properly and professionally behind the scenes. Friendships aside, they have an entire network of people relying on them making sure it was wrapped up tight. I also respect that they stood by their word of believing women. As someone that grew up with abuse, a whole lot can happen behind closed doors that folks will never really know about until the dam breaks. And I appreciate them being stand up men about it all.
Passages is an absolute joke. It’s a spa.
And drinking isn't an excuse for being mean or abusive. He will never fix those root issues it seems.
Eddie has been a breath of fresh air. From the get go he was a better fit to round out the group.
Yeah, I remember that, just wished I could remember which episode. I could also sense it in some streams, with Marcus looking irritated by his bullshit. It’s like, stfu and stop interrupting ffs.
What kills me is how supportive they seemed to be of Ben. I remember an offhand comment/discussion I think during the live stream in the pool? Where they were telling Ben that if he lost some game, his "punishment" was having to go to the doctor to have an old injury looked at. Like. They obviously cared so much about him, but he didn't care enough about himself or anyone else to realize what he had.
I would speculate its because he was clearly spiraling and became resentful that Marcus and Henry had well adjusted lives and started lashing out at them. I guess being 1/3 owner of a multi-million dollar media company just doesn't cut it.
I had noticed that Ben was very obviously showing up to LPOTL recordings drunk towards the end, and remember being glad when Marcus made the rehab announcement. I had been bingeing RTOG for a couple months leading up to his leaving, and I remember being put off by more or less everything Ben said, but especially how he talked about women. But I didn't think that much of it, I was like, oh, well, they all say things on this show that they don't believe anymore. That's the running joke about RTOG, right, is that it's a shitty podcast from 2011 where they said heinous shit. They've all grown past these beliefs, obviously.
But what I think the ultimate Ben problem was was that the show and network had grown and changed a lot since they started it, and Ben just... Didn't. He treated it like they were recording drunk in Marcus and Mike Lawrences basement until the bitter end. The craziest part is honestly that if he had actually gone to rehab for more than three fuckin weeks and taken literally any level of accountability, so many people would have accepted it. I see people in his comments begging him to apologize or at least acknowledge it so they can go back to enjoying his content. But he's not going to do that, he's going to double down every time. I showed a friend a comment by him where he'd responded to one of these people talking about how he "saved a woman and her child's life and this is how she repaid him" or something a long those lines. Their immediate reaction was "knowing nothing about this guy or the situation, that's something I've only ever heard abusive men say."
Didn't Ben go with them in 2019? How much sooner were they planning to go?
Ty for link btw :)
It breaks my heart that our gentle giant was not so gentle after all. Also relistening to the Richard Ramirez episodes felt like a quiet foreshadowing .
I can't remember what episode it was (might have been RT), but Ben was whining about how girls don't like him and Marcus snapped at him. "If every woman YOU meet doesn't like you, YOU are the problem!"
Marcus was so real for that. That was the first LPOTL episode I ever listened to and it made him my immediate favorite.
If you smell shit all day, check your shoes
I remember that, Ben tried to argue but they doubled down.
I want to say it was the Elliot Rogers portion of the Manifesto episode
I would love to hear this if anyone can recall the episode. Hail Marcus!
It was the manifestos episode, specifically about Elliot Rodgers I think
Manifestos when talking about the Elliot rogers. I listened to it after hearing hearing “higher love” and all I can ever hear is Henry’s singing of it in his Elliot rogers voice
crack is whack
I’m pretty sure that was the episode they did on manifestos. I believe that happened specifically when they were discussing Elliot Rodgers.
Man the one that always really bothered me is the beginning of Bundy- he talks about he doesn’t have the most sympathy for the victims because they’re women who would never have looked twice at him . . . Like, shitty murderous incel adjacent opinion
Such an incel take. And inaccurate as fuck. Bundy had an MO to act injured or unwell, getting unsuspecting nice women to assist him. The women he murdered were often going out of their way to be kind to a stranger. He didn’t go after women who spurned him, BK just pulled that narrative out of his ass.
He has exactly the knee jerk assumption that women who get assaulted probably at least partly deserve it that most incels have.
Didn't Bundy get broken up with by a girl, then moved across the county, improve his life just enough to make himself look attractive to her, reconnected with the girl, proposed to her, then left and acted like he never proposed when she contacted him?
Yes, that was such a red flag. Like a flapping in hurricane-force winds red flag.
That was really awful 😞
If you want more foreshadowing, listen to Elliot Rogers portion of Manifestos.
Or the first 5 minutes of the Bundy series.
"I don't necessarily have the most amount of sympathy for the victims simply because those were women that would never even remotely come close to looking at guys like us and they would walk past us."
Wildest shit because Henry got Natalie and Marcus got Carolina, who are both huge catches. Like damn Ben, maybe it isn’t all about looks, hmmm…..
Also I like your username, my name is also Natalie lol
TBF Marcus has had a glow up. Carolina definitely got in on the ground floor 😂
Or the dirt floor, amirite???
I think Henry had the most drastic one honestly
From being dumped for talking about the hollow moon to being the CEO of a million dollar company. He's done extremely well for himself and the people around him!
Marcus has always been hot, what are you on about
Well met and hail you!
Yea, did not age well. At the time I just thought “Oh just another edgy joke haha” now……maybe it was just an edgy joke, but it seems like there was more truth in it now than ever before.
And when Kissel takes care of himself he is not ugly or anything by any means. Being so tall and just huge is definitely a type for a lot of women. Which makes me think his issues with women (other than his traumatic childhood that probably did a solid number on his mental health) are more personality/attitude based than appearance based.
I do feel for the guy for the little bits he has shared about his childhood are fucking rough to absolutely brutal. But to then continue the cycle and not take any responsibility for anything really showed what kind of person he is. It wouldn’t have been nearly as bad if he just admitted he fucked up, he has major issues for both previous unresolved traumas and substance abuse, and genuinely sought help and treatment.
Obviously he still pulled a piece of shit move and there are no excuses for that. It just makes it so much worse for everyone when he refuses to take responsibility, does a bare bones treatment seemingly just for appearances, and then continues down the right wing victim complex path. I cannot respect or trust someone like that
That’s the thing- when he was on the show women were ALL OVER HIM. Look at his insta or the shows insta and he was hot property. But because they either werent his standard or his incel brain couldn’t comprehend women being into him, he’d just whinge everyone hated him. Self fulfilling prophecy my guy.
Thats always how it is though with incels. If these guys actually tried bettering themselves, not just in terms of looks but in their personalities and the way they view women and the world around them, they could quite easily find someone who wants to be with them. But, these guys dont wanna put in the work to do that. They wanna be all "woe is me" and "everyone hates me" and "I'll always be a loser" etc etc. They are very pessimistic. They think women are gold diggers and whores. They view sex as very transactional. They dont bother having relationships with women if they dont think they're gonna get sex. Guys like this dont really have any meaningful relationships at all, even with other men. Its very sad.
Yea it is just sad. Like that Elliot Rodger kid or whatever his name was. Had EVERYTHING going for him, well off family, decent looking guy, etc. but his toxic mentality and refusal to actually gain some perspective and realize HE was the problem, not random people enjoying life took him down a violent, pathetic path
If he just, you know, talked to women like a normal person, hell even as an arrogant douchebag, he could have likely easily gotten laid or in a relationship
I relistened to Roundtable recently. Everyone on there has a lot of edgy, hot takes that were pretty prevalent in the early 2000s, but they all grew up and learned from their past mistakes…except for Kissel. He’s still the same bitter person who won’t ever take accountability for his bullshit. It’s really sad, but I hope some people can see his situation and decide to better themselves instead of digging their heels in
I think about this a lot. All his friends grew up, worked on themselves, got married and are living better lives. And Ben is still the same guy who shat in the tub.
Since you mentioned Roundtable it's only fair to add Holdenators hooooooooo!!!!!
Hoooooooooo
The Ben Kissel to right wing commentator pipeline is literally almost complete if you check his stuff out it’s pretty grim
Im not surprised. He was always very libertarian, which is just a conservative that wants to smoke weed
It’s really just a conservative that thinks they’re smart.
The shitty teenager of politics.
"You're not my real dad!"
It’s literally every miserable, B-student, Eagle Scout ass boy I went to high school with.
The libertarians I know have questionable (read as: illegal) views on consent, too.
(((Really glad I left my home town/state.)))
Is your home state NH by any chance? Unfortunately we’ve had a bit of a libertarian invasion over the past few years and the only productive thing they’ve done is try to introduce bills to secede. 😩
My partner and I were at a restaurant in Maine and the table next to us was from NH. The woman was asking the server about the sales tax and I heard her say there isn’t one in NH. I asked my partner, “How do they pay for services there?” He said, “Their motto is ‘Live Free or Die’ and they have made their choice.”
But your state is lovely!
They all mooch off Massachusetts. NH is a commuter state.
I use to work in a little gift shop in Georgia. I once had a customer tell me that she didn’t have to pay the sales tax because she was from New Hampshire. I reminded her that she was standing in Georgia, buying a Georgia product. She just said she wouldn’t fight it, but legally she didn’t have to.
All I could think was, does she have this conversation at every establishment she visits while on vacation?
I thought only men were Sovereign Citizens
My mother, being from Montana - made this statement everywhere she went when she would visit me in Denver. Everywhere.
$20 shoes? Not paying the tax. $6 magazine? Not paying the tax. If she got the slightest amount of grief, it was time to get the manager.
If she was buying something, I would quietly leave the checkout line and go stand outside.
She’s an idiot then, because our restaurants are some of the ONLY places that have a tax! 9.5% meals tax if I remember correctly.
It is lovely, and it’s pretty cool going into a gas station and paying .99c for something that is priced as such. But is it worth it to be the Texas/FL of New England? I’m not sure. 😬
Sales tax is a flat tax. Which is actually very regressive.
I read A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear and it was one of the wildest things I’ve read. The amount of chaos in that free town was out of control.
It is INSANE. and unfortunately, they are infiltrating most levels of our government.
Oh shit I posted this gif I made above but it belongs here more
They’re not-like-the-other conservatives
No way! They read Atlas Shrugged and kinda understood it!
And it’s always the most mediocre ass white men.
That's one of my college friends. But you can replace "thinks they're smart" with "lacks empathy of any kind."
Theyre housecats. Convinced theyre apex predators but actually completely at the mercy of a world they don't understand that was built for them. Silly little creatures.
Libertarians are just Republicans that still want to try and fuck girls with glasses.
As a girl with glasses who always had to deal with these dudes, this made me laugh out loud.
I’m convinced they all have a Velma kink. It’s their universal trait.
My bespectacled sister!✊
Wants to smoke weed and remove the age of consent….if you’ve ever ventured into libertarian spaces it really checks out.
On paper a lot of things sound good (like non-aggression principles, do no harm, etc) but yeah you quickly realize the most vocal of people in online communities are just far right wing nuts who want to hide behind the 'libertarian' term
Yeah back when I was 17-18 libertarianism sounded good but in practice it’s conservatism.
it's really depressing to see. I kept following Ben for a while because I loved him in the show, and I care about him getting better. I am a recovering alcoholic too and am still cleaning up some of the messes I've made in the past. I know how hard it is. So i wanted to see him take accountability and change and heal. I had to stop following because it looks like he'll never take accountability for what he did, and it just really bums me out. him going full alt-right is just gross, it makes things even worse.
Last Podcast can be very bro-humor at times, and i see people who are grossed out by it in other true crime spaces. But I do appreciate that they all made an effort over time to do better research and to be more inclusive of all types of people (and i think they continue to work on it as well). They bring up mental health a lot, and how some of the most fucked up stuff has been a result of social issues like homophobia, racism, sexism, etc. Ben going right wing is so yucky. like everything he said about accepting others who are different was just a lie.
Ben was my favorite. I try to remind myself that we don't know these people, and when it boils down to it, anyone and everyone can be garbage. We don't know celebrities, and we don't know the people behind the personas they let us see. That being said, Ben was my boy, and his chosen path has really hurt my heart. I believe victims and abuse is a bridge too far for me to cross back to liking someone. But damn if I didn't want him to take accountability and work on bettering himself as a human being. I am in my own recovery from alcohol, and I really wanted to see him take the opportunities from treatment seriously. Clearly, that's not happening. The alt-right shit slid is the absolute last nail in the coffin. Bye, Ben. See ya never.
I totally agree, it is really easy to feel like we know these people since we spend so much time listening to them talk and tell stories. but we certainly don't lol. and I agree - i can forgive a lot. I have done some really shitty things myself. but the violence his ex described was very disturbing to me. and the fact that he won't own up to it makes it hard to feel any sympathy or forgiveness.
glad to see someone else in recovery here, I'm glad you shared your thoughts! I will repeat one of my favorite Ben lines: "check, please!!" 🙋♀️
Ty 😊. If you like, check out r/stopdrinking. There's quite a few LPOTL'S fans in there. Hail yourself!
r/stopdrinking has not been my cup of tea, but they do help a lot of people, so thank you for sharing!
I would like to shout out r/dryalcoholics - it has been an incredible community for me to be a part of. They are supportive whether you are trying to quit completely, moderate your drinking, or if you even just want to reflect on your relationship with alcohol.
I actually have a "check, please!" patch on a jacket of mine, but haven't had the heart to wear it since all this went down. Thankfully, there are plenty of lpotl jokes I can slap on it instead.
Isn’t it originally from Dumb and Dumber or am I mistaken?
It's from Spaceballs I believe.
Yeah it’s a spaceballs reference. The original quote is by John Candy whom Ben consumed a lot of material from.
Ben was my favorite too.. it’s such a bummer. I listen to old episodes when I run out and as much as I like Ed, I like me some Ben too
I’m listening to some old episodes again and Ben was super funny. He really had a good thing going and ruined it all for himself.
I know lots of people liked him on the show, and to an extent I understand it, but for me I thought he was the worst one. I never felt like he contributed much of anything and would sometimes just outright derail poignant moments. But I get that that’s just my opinion and to the people who enjoyed him, I feel bad that y’all have to see the downfall of someone you connected with.
Keep up the good work friend! You are loved and have the support of this amazing community behind you. HAIL YOURSELF!!!
I'm listening to a lot of their earlier stuff and Ben always seemed like the more caring one for the longest time. He was the one that would bring up mental health, disenfranchised groups, and other topics and relate to whatever topic the boys were discussing. It's such a shame to see the bitter person he turned into.
agreed, I often heard Ben speaking very empathetically about others, and sometimes he would speak up about what they may be struggling with. He seemed to care.
Also recovering alkie. Yea it's sad because I see myself in him. I'm a former libertarian and used to drink. Ben is going in the opposite direction that I am now.
Good work buddy! Hail you!
My social circle (very queer, very POC) very much does not appreciate most bro humor and I've often described the boys to them as "The type of straight white guy who will still be allowed after the revolution"
Im only joking of course. Well, half joking.
Like, for example, there is nothing inherently wrong with liking titties. Many lesbians like titties. But the boys would demand that the woman those titties are attached to has agency in whatever situation they are being shown. And paid a decent wage. And have heath-care. And not be called a slut for showing them. And not be called a frigid bitch for choosing not to show 'em.
Thank you for listening to my TED talk on the "Titties Theory of Political Solidarity and Collective Action"
Fr, LPOTL is by far the straightest thing I am into.
There's dozens of us. DOZENS.
“I didn’t see you at the convention”
Insert Spiderman pointing at each other image here
Am lesbian…can confirm we likes them tiddies.
And yeah I’m a queer black woman and never thought 3 white dudes talking about murder would be my happy place and what gets me through the day some days.
Well keep them after the revolution but provisionally lol
My sister who introduced me to this amazing show is a lesbian. She swiped right on her now wife after seeing the picture of her with the boys on her profile. My now sister in law and I bond over LPotL and the three of us and my gf are going to the Detroit show together 🌈🌈
I hate this so much. I'm the only non straight in my otherwise diverse friend group and we make career ending jokes to each other on a daily basis.
Speaking of titties, has anyone heard of Travis Morningstar lately?
What were the altright things he said? Reddit is the only social media I use now so I haven’t seen. It’s so disappointing and sadly not surprising. A lot of comedians who “get cancelled” (get called out and held responsible for something shitty they did or said) they become edgelords and follow the approval of other edgelords
Can not agree more with the second paragraph. Around 200 is when you can see a noticeable difference in the research. What’s crazy for me to think about (especially after smoking a hogs leg) is we kind of hear the guys grow up and get wiser. I respect the hell out of Henry, Marcus, and Ed for how they seem to live by the words they preach and appear to genuinely care about the audience.
Wasn’t he already a Fox News contributor before LPOTL?
he was, but he was usually the "opposition" to whatever bullshit the Fox hosts were spewing. So he wasn't spouting right wing stuff, he usually was very clear about how conservatives are fucking shit up and overreacting about everything.
here's one he was in - his part starts at about 1:28, and is DEFINITELY clear about disliking what trump was doing at the time and that he was (and still is lol) unfit to be president:
https://youtu.be/tYwSfunTEwo?si=rGHoZviTbIw8TP2t
It’s really hard to get a job in media. When I was fresh from college the only TV connection I had was at Fox. I ultimately didn’t try to get a job there but honestly people work for who’s hiring. No one believes this but Ann Coulter started out at MSNBC.
People can only work for the places that are hiring so I don’t hate Ben for being a Fox commentator.
I do side-eye his lack of commitment to actually getting well, though. He seems to still be in denial. He used to do guest appearances with like MFM now he’s working with young people no one’s really heard of.
If you make a mistake & try to get better from an addiction media is a remarkably forgiving field. But he hasn’t really grown; he doesn’t get that he’s holding himself back.
Least surprising thing of 2025 so far.
At least its making everyone really supportive of the decision to get rid of him. If anything it was overdue.
The fact that soooooo many of us independently came to the conclusion that his new career path was going to veer rightwing says so much
Did he embrace his ancestral birthright and go full MAGA?
“I got called out for being a goblin of a human being. The problem is DEI!”
if you get racist enough, you can turn eddie into a diversity hire I'm sure
There has never been a bigger upgrade than trading Ben for the ham-flavored cinnamon roll that is Eddie.
Ham flavored cinnamon roll 😂
Is being Florida's largest baby a diversity hire?
He’s Jewish
I'm still angry at George Santos for stealing "Jew-ish", a self descriptor I've been using for decades.
(if you're wondering in my case it means I'm culturally and ethnically jewish but not religiously jewish. I take comfort in some rituals and observances but am personally staunchly atheist/materialist in my take on metaphysics)
I’m Jewish Jewish
You have any examples? Can’t find anything on his insta.
People here painting him as MAGA/Alt-Right are insane. Yes he's flirted with the libertarian label (but spent far more time mocking libertarians) but he's clearly just a vibes-based centrist with no working knowledge of political theory nor is he particularly well-informed on current events. He got a BS in poli-sci but we all know he was never a good student.
His desire to do political commentary and run for local office have always been bizarre to me because he doesn't seem genuinely curious about politics at all. But people here accusing him of becoming a "right wing grifter" must just be reeling from the election or something.
I didnt follow him after the door to LPOTL closed on him, but I remember pretty instantaneously these LPOTL subreddits already were calling him Alt-right and before he even left rehab.
Because his behavior leading to his absence felt like a betrayal to so many in this community, I think a great many started viewing him under the lens of a disgraced podcaster who has no options other than become a hate-mongering right-wing grifter operating in the modern internet manosphere. Maybe he has, idk, I hadn’t thought of him since a year ago.
Yeah I kept wondering where it was coming from. It's crazy to think he has a political show for so long, but he did, and the few times I listened to it, he was definitely left-to-centrist, absolutely not right wing (err after his flirt with libertarianism, which he quickly disavowed)
yeah people can be useless jerks without being right wing I guess!
The second he left LPOTL I knew he would end up on Tim Pool sooner or later. Travis reeled him in on Abe Lincoln’s top hat or he would have already been that.
This always happens. The right wing has no standards - if you can promote their garbage you can do basically anything and they won't care. So folks who hurt others always end up that direction because then no one expects anything of their behavior.
Making fun of white liberals was like half of his material on roundtable 🙄
Genuine question is Ben still drinking? I know he went to rehab but wasn’t sure he was still sober and or claiming to be. I am not shocked he’s gone alt right I remember during the pandemic he was going off on Twitter about not needing masks and how everyone should just get together irl etc and Henry kinda had to talk him down and he and Marcus mentioned it on Side stories. Then Ben moved to LA kinda quick and I think it was partly because Henry wanted to keep a closer eye on him?
Ben was always contributing the least, Eddie has been a great addition who makes me actually enjoy the show so much more. He’s hilarious and while wildly inappropriate he is actually a good person. Henry and Marcus have both grown a lot as people since starting the show and Ben just didn’t. He’s still not holding himself accountable and it’s a bummer.
He absolutely is. He posted a drawing a stranger did of him recently on Instagram, said the artist approached him in person to give it to him. Someone commented “was this at this bar in Austin? The same guy drew a picture of me last time I was there too!”
I’m almost positive he’s straight up posted photos of him at bars, possibly holding beer but I think he’s more careful to hide the alcohol.
Yeah he’s posted pictures of the wall of what’s very obviously a dive sports bar too
Ed has been a huge improvement. He has "uncle buck" energy and brings a grounded lived perspective to the show.
Disagree. He has the occasional zinger but I don't find him to be that funny or add that much to the podcast.
I find his constant laughing at his own jokes to be insufferable.
I absolutely adore him!!! I love the way he dove in!
Hail Eddie! During a rather dark time, he lifted not just Henry and Marcus up, but also re-established some of our love for the show that we didn't realize was being bogged down by Ben. I almost stopped listening because Ben very obviously wasn't taking the show seriously anymore. Eddie saved LPOTL and our boys. 💕
Same here. I love the addition of Eddie. I listen to the old episodes with Ben and they are not as vibrant and spirited as the ones with Eddie - for whatever reason.
Ben definitely served his purpose when he was there, but the Eddie evolution really made LPOTL more of a treasure for sure. 🫣
Last podcast was my honest balance while at work, I’m a warehouse forklift driver and the hours and constant repetitive work flow can be super maddening. I started by listening to their serial killer stuff, the conspiracies and even the crazy side story stuff. It took me a while to love all of them and I thought Ben, Ben was the balance of it all. Being a Christian who rejoined the faith, Henry’s piece about satanism was eye opening to learn. But I was listening to the old stuff too. The recent episodes where it was announced Ben would no longer be apart of the podcast it honestly felt like I wasn’t going to see a family member for a while or for the foreseeable future, I didn’t want to look anything up. I thought Ben just needed to take a leave for reasons that didn’t pertain to well what we know now…I’m still sad but it’s one of those things about myself. I never expect the worst from anyone. We’re all human beings, but now listening to those episodes that got me to fall in love with these guys who’ve helped me through my own depressive episodes. I’m glad Eddie is on the cast and even being apart of the podcast with his sea world story. I love the podcast now more than ever. I hope Ben gets the help he needs, and I hope for his own health and growth he doesn’t rejoin, he takes a step away from social media entirely. Those five women didn’t deserve to experience the abuse, and I pray for their health and hope they recover from this ordeal.
Cool. I'm all for the drama so I'm on board with the decision, but, if I may ask: why?
We're now 1.5 years out from when the process/situation started and the Megathread was able to help us contain the large amount of external interest in it, as well as bad actors. We haven't had enough posts/issues with people ignoring the Megathread or rule recently to justify continuing the policy for another year.
That’s a very reasonable approach. Kudos mod team.
I hope that Ben actually gets into rehab or treatment or 12-step program. I hope he also apologizes to the women that he's hurt, and then he apologizes to his friends and family. After that I hope that he's able to find stable employment doing his own thing. But a lot of that is going to require him putting in the work and also him taking accountability for his actions. Marcus always says that mental health is not our fault but it is our responsibility, this definitely rings true.
He went to rehab at Passages and graduated early (??). He has a new podcast that just started last week.
“Graduated early” ie checked himself out
I can't remember which episode but there's a point where Ben mentions Passages as being where celebrities who don't really do rehab go to "do rehab". Namedrops it with straight up scorn
I actually have a collection of clips/screen recordings of Ben foreshadowing his own downfall and this one was one of the most jaw dropping. I listen to old episodes all the time and there’s a decent amount of red flags to insanely on the nose comments that end up applying to him.
And in case anyone’s wondering, I’m not recording these moments for some sort of compilation or in bad faith. My girlfriend also listens and always hated Ben so when I hear messy things, I send them to her lol
Edit: I was thinking of Side Stories: the murdaugh family murders. He says “I’ll probably go to rehab at some point”
You should post them, I'd be interested in checking them out. I went off the pod for a bit, when I came back Marcus and Henry had stopped trying to sound patient with him. It was jarring af.
Is there even any Ben news? I don't go looking for it, but usually stuff like this forces itself on me because the internet is the worst. I don't hear anything about Ben though.
He started a new podcast that launched last week. That's probably why people have been posting about him more lately.
Didn't have that on my... wait actually I did have that on my 2025 bingo card. That's A Bingo!
A Bengo, if you will.
I will
My curiosity got the best of me and I saw some Youtube video from him from a few days ago and he basically said he's moving on from his toxic past and wishes nothing but the best for LPOTL but sometimes friendships just end and thats okay. Seems like he is still not taking any responsibility for his past actions and pretending that he got screwed over. But he didnt say anything negative about Marcus or Henry.
He has done some podcasts, but I'm not too sure about his personal life.
I don’t think he will really do anything of value with his life until he stops drinking. Then the healing can start. But also, who knows.
Just that he is about to emerge from the cocoon as a fully metamorphised MAGA grifter.
Anyone know what his podcast is about or the vibe of it? I don't want to listen to him anymore tbh but I was curious if he went off the deep end politically. It always seemed like he was on the verge of it.
Its kind of like side stories but he includes some political news and lots of animal news too.
Is he still an owner of lpn?
It’s not in his IG bio anymore, so I assume no.
I’m currently going through the catalog of episodes I missed and Ben was absolutely shitfaced for parts of the Manhattan Project series.
I never really paid much attention to who the podcasters were because I was just a casual listener but lately I've been listening to episode after episode. I went back to 2021 episodes just so I had more content. I ended up on this thread simply because I could hear the tension and anger in the conversations escalating and wanted to know if I was making shit up or not and I'm definitely not lol. Im currently in the middle of the Leopold and Loeb episodes and some of Ben's comments are genuinely gross. He mentioned how it would be any biys fantasy to have a governess that sleeps with him at the age of like 8-13 and the other guys keep correcting him that he was being molested.
I haven’t checked in on what he’s doing in a while and I’m a bit scared to from the whispers I’ve heard.
I saw/heard Ben talking about being in recovery and celebrating 30 days sober recently. Still rooting for him to make amends for his abusive behavior and redeem himself. Happy that Ed is doing well stepping in. Loving a lot of the new content!
Can’t speak on his sobriety as he’s been pictured in bars and with alcohol in the past. I know he was doing a dry January or something at one point.
A new article came out about him and his other podcast co hosts
https://www.westhollywoodweekly.com/2025/06/ok-bud-podcast-ben-kissel-jerii-aquino-kyle-ploof-comedy.html?m=1&fbclid=PAQ0xDSwK1l2xleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp0MyNFVTvjhK6On3-EwzORBQKkmUINGQUeW7pbuxd4ticw005dl3L8XS8yJL_aem_OxneoO3gzHejGOlbld7chA
Yeah that reeks of paid PR. Kinda sad
He did post recently that he was 60 days alcohol free which, if true, is good for him. He’s at some conference this week called Freedom Fest, I assume covering it for his political podcast
Yeah, that conference is chock full of right winger grifters and science deniers
i think it’s a good idea. time to move on
noticed that he's started to purchase instagram followers after losing around 60k since oct 2023. all the new followers are obvious bots
https://instrack.app/instagram/benkissel1
This article just came out about him and his shows/other co hosts . He also posted he has a company building then a studio. I haven’t listened to his new shows. I tried a few months ago but couldn’t take it. Wasn’t interesting and his voice just sounded like a fake happy voice. Maybe he will succeed. Who knows. I don’t wish failure on him or his other co hosts. I do wish he would take some form of accountability, and maybe he has behind the scenes.
https://www.westhollywoodweekly.com/2025/06/ok-bud-podcast-ben-kissel-jerii-aquino-kyle-ploof-comedy.html?m=1&fbclid=PAQ0xDSwK1l2xleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp0MyNFVTvjhK6On3-EwzORBQKkmUINGQUeW7pbuxd4ticw005dl3L8XS8yJL_aem_OxneoO3gzHejGOlbld7chA
what a loser
I noticed that as well. He shot up almost 20k followers practically overnight after steadily losing followers for months. He doesn’t seem to have had anything go viral so it’s obvious he’s buying them. Real loser behavior.
I'm glad that Ed joined the show, I think he adds so much to the show now, but I still listen to shows with Ben. I hope Ben is doing well these days.
Ed’s roast mode is on another level completely. His rant on the audition story this week was spectacular. “Stork who only delivers abortions” is a burn of the absolute highest order.
I hope the women he abused are doing well. I hope Ben has taken accountability for his actions.
He has not, and I think that’s why this thread popped up
I don't expect he ever will. Abusive people will use every excuse in the book to avoid taking responsibility for what they've done and their enablers are everywhere.
He’s doubling down after all this time. He’ll do well on newsmax. I almost doubt that Fox would hire him. Almost.
I think he'd do great on Fox. Aggrieved white male entitlement makes them billions. Add in the fact that Ben used to be "liberal"ish and then got """"cancelled """" because he abused women, and you've got a recipe for a Fox network talking head.
He didn’t do great on Fox
Sure, but back then he was an opposing viewpoint. Nowadays, I'm not so sure he would be.
I'm neutral on Ben because I stopped paying attention. I'm just hopeful that he stays sober.
I do remember someone on Instagram sending him a bomb threat last year, and I'm against doing shit like that. If you have a problem with Ben, don't harass him online or in person. It solves nothing and it's dangerous to normalize shit like that.
Did Marcus and Henry ever actually talk about what happened with Ben?
A long time ago Marcus promised during an intro to an episode that he will eventually talk about it once they’re allowed to. I don’t think I’ve missed a single episode and I’ve yet to hear any kind of update from them. Did I miss it? Was it on a stream?
Can’t speak for the streams, but they haven’t in any of the episodes.
Why even talk about him any more
can someone point me to something he's said recently that veers right wing? i've listened to four episodes of his new show and i'm not hearing it. the show feels like an off-brand side stories and nothing more. not right wing, not alt right, and not offensive whatsoever.
Nothing, but people have this weird habit of deciding that someone who does something bad must also encapsulate everything else that they think is bad.
He hurt women so he can't possibly be slightly left, that's the side I'm on! If he's capable of bad while being on my team, that means I am too, and I am not capable of the level of the introspection necessary to address that!!
From what I remember if you listen to Abe Lincoln’s top hat he has some libertarian/right wing views. Some of his IG posts could be considered that since for a bit it was about cancel culture. Plus the fact that he used to work for Fox News and appear on the Greg Gutfeld show doesn’t help matters, haha.
Wtf happened to poor little Jerry :(
I believe he said he got attacked by a bigger dog. Then recently got out of his cone and broke open his stitches so he had to be fixed back up
I have a feeling that Kissel is just not a good dog owner. I hope his parents take Jerry as well
Ben is proof that you can be bereft of talent, but if you just keep pushing forward you can have a career.
Hell man, American politics is proof of that. Maybe ben can be in Congress, it's not like he's less qualified than many of them.
Congress? Hell. He could be president.
People still care? He’s an abusive alcoholic and things like this are an inevitability. I’m in recovery and this is the obvious scenario that was to happen. Hope he gets well and develops a spiritual connection but until that happens he’s not worth discussing.
That Taylor girl seemed like a pot stirrer, so at first I thought maybe she was just trying to stir up drama, but then when I saw the rolling stone article interview with Sara Benincasa, I believed it. I’ve followed her for a long time and I truly believe she was telling the truth about what Ben did, and he still hasn’t taken accountability for it.
It's common for abusers to seek out partners who are less "credible" than they are. I'm not surprised the first woman he dated after many years of being single was a single mother and a sex worker. She was and is a vulnerable person, and obviously not very stable either. He chose her knowing, on some level, that people would typically believe him over her.
I'm thankful Sara shared her story so that more people took the accusations seriously.
Well Ben’s posted about them on on Instagram
He seems to be more even-keeled about it, which is progress from his previous affect