UFC President Dana White and comedian Theo Von traded stories on the Tuesday episode of "This Past Weekend" concerning efforts by corporate partners to limit their engagements with personalities unfavored by the powers that be and influence their political speech.
White became incensed when Von told him that exercise equipment company Peloton allegedly pulled its ads from a podcast featuring independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. After laying into the company's CEO, Barry McCarthy, the cage match czar indicated he would be tossing Peloton equipment out of his gyms.
Midway through the 75-minute interview, the duo broached the topic of building corporate partnerships around aligned values. Von noted that after he hosted RFK Jr. on his podcast, his team "had a couple companies call after that and say ... stuff about [Kennedy]. 'We're not advertising on this episode. You gotta take the episode down.'"
White appeared shocked by this revelation, asking, "What's wrong with him?" referring to Kennedy.
"Nothing," responded Von.
"Nothing," stressed White. "Guy's f***ing brilliant. ... Smart f***ing guy."
The pair agreed that Kennedy has drawn the ire of the usual suspects in part because he's a "Democrat with common sense."
White pressed Von on which advertiser pulled ads over the RFK Jr. interview, but the comedian was initially unable to recall the name. However, later in the interview, Von learned from someone off-camera that the advertiser had allegedly been Peloton.
"So Peloton, what do they sell, f***ing stationary bikes? ... Peloton sells stationary bikes and they got a problem with Robert f***ing Kennedy. F*** you, Peloton," said White. "Who the f*** are they? ... Are you f***ing kidding me? F***ing Peloton calling, b****ing about Robert Kennedy."
Visibly agitated, White demanded to see a picture of the company's CEO while Von quipped about Peloton bikes taking people nowhere.
Upon seeing an image of Barry McCarthy, White responded, "Oh yeah. Oh f***ing yeah. Barry McCarthy looks like that guy 100%. He looks like a d*****bag."
"He looks like a guy who eats a little of his own skin at a time," added Von.
Upon learning that McCarthy was based in San Francisco, White said, "There you go."
The UFC president asked an apparent colleague off-camera, "Do we have Pelotons in the gym?" then declared, "We're getting rid of them. We're getting rid of the Pelotons."
Peloton was struggling even before White's verbal thrashing.
CNBC reported that the company's reported net loss for the three-month period that ended Sept. 30 was $159.3 million. In 2022, the company suffered a loss of $408.5 million and fired thousands of employees, whom they gifted with Peloton memberships on the way out. Sales this year have dropped, as have memberships.
Despite a partnership with Lululemon, the Peloton stock price shows little sign of recovering from its catastrophic drop in August.
\ud83d\udd25 Dana White ABSOLUTELY ROASTS Peloton for Trying to Cancel Robert F. Kennedy Jr\n\n"They got a problem with Robert f*cking Kennedy? F*ck you, Peloton!...My guys are going to take the Pelotons out of the gym today. We're getting rid of them. We're going to go throw them in the\u2026
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White told Von he had undergone a similar experience after posting "a video for Trump" on his personal social media accounts.
White rankled leftists in 2016 when he endorsed then-GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, stating, "Donald Trump is a fighter and I know he will fight for this country."
"One of our big sponsors called and said, 'Take that down.' Know what I said? 'Go f*** yourself. You vote for whoever you wanna vote for and I'll vote for whoever I want to vote for.' That's how this works," said White. "Don't ever call me and tell me who to vote for."
White suggested that these politically charged pressure campaigns will "keep happening unless more people stand up for themselves and give them the 'F*** you' response."
Extra to a backbone and a defiant reflex, White suggested that another solution is seeking value-aligned partnerships.
"You have to look deep into who they are and who's running the company, who's making the decisions," said White.
He later noted that in a healthy partnership, "You help build their business. They help build yours. ... It should be a great relationship, and it should be a good experience for everybody involved."
Watch the full interview here.
Dana White | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #470youtu.be
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