Conservative podcaster Theo Von slammed Homeland Security chiefs for using his videos to promote the administration’s deportation drive.
Von, one of the podcasters credited with helping boost President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, denied giving permission for the video to be used by the Department of Homeland Security as it tried to evict millions of immigrants.
He raged at DHS after it shared a video of Von saying, “Heard you got deported dude. Bye!” edited to promote the Trump administration’s contentious mass immigration plan.
Von, who was particularly important in Trump winning young voters, said he recorded the original video in January after a fan gave him their phone and asked him to send a message to their friend who had been deported.
In addition to Von’s video, the edited video also includes footage of people being detained and brags about the number of deportations that have occurred since Trump took office. The department claims it has deported 400,000 people and that a further 1.6 million people have voluntarily self-deported.
“Yooo DHS i didnt approve to be used in this. I know you know my address so send a check. And please take this down and please keep me out of your ‘banger’ deportation videos,” Von wrote.
Yooo DHS i didnt approve to be used in this. I know you know my address so send a check. And please take this down and please keep me out of your ‘banger’ deportation videos. When it comes to immigration my thoughts and heart are alot more nuanced than this video allows. Bye! https://t.co/5v5gagf4Dr
— Theo Von (@TheoVon) September 24, 2025
“When it comes to immigration my thoughts and heart are alot more nuanced than this video allows. Bye!”
The edited video of Von, whose real name is Theodor Capitani von Kurnatowski III, comes just one day after the DHS sparked a backlash for using Pokemon imagery in another video in an attempt to mimic the opening sequence of the popular children’s TV show.
Von, who hosts one of the most popular podcasts in the world, was widely credited as helping Trump tap into the youth vote after hosting him on his podcast during the 2024 presidential campaign, with the president going so far as to thank Von by name in his victory speech.
Since Trump took office, however, Von has broken ranks several times, criticizing the administration for its handling of the Epstein files and asking Vice President JD Vance what had changed after a video of Vance calling for the release of the full Epstein list on Von’s podcast in 2024 resurfaced. He has also been outspoken on the issue of Gaza, referring to Israel’s actions in the region as “one of the sickest things that’s ever happened”.
Yeah what changed? https://t.co/PeBSPbPiKs
— Theo Von (@TheoVon) July 16, 2025
Von did not elaborate on his thoughts regarding immigration. He has previously joked about praying to be reincarnated as a Mexican person and expressed skepticism about the legitimacy of videos of ICE raids in Los Angeles, while ultimately arguing that while Trump’s actions are uncomfortable, they’re a response to a broken system.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of deportations going on… It’s sick when you see children crying and people being taken from their parents, it’s heartbreaking. Anybody thinks that that’s heartbreaking,” he told one caller who asked for his thoughts.
“There’s also, in the country you have rules, you have laws. Some people are here, they’re illegal by the letter of the law… We’re just coming off a huge influx of people that were just let into the country during the last political administration. We’ve had no border patrol agents on. It’s undeniable.”
“You know Trump, he’s heavy handed. That’s who he is, right? We’ve also had a broken system for a long time. So when the hammer starts to come down, or the guillotine as this is, it’s not going to be comfortable. And at first it’s going to be messy. It’s not going to be smooth,” Von continued.
“If a Mexican person needs to hide at my house, man, I’d be willing to discuss it,” he later joked. “I don’t know if I should say that out loud or not.”
The Daily Beast has contacted Theo Von and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
The post MAGA Podcaster Tears Into DHS for Using Him to Promote Trump’s Deportations appeared first on The Daily Beast.
