TYT's Cenk Uygur is Vile, and I Was the One Who Exposed Him (Content Warning)
Ana Kasparian and Uygur's transphobia is completely unsurprising. Let's call it all out
The Young Turks' (TYT) Cenk Uygur’s (seeming) pivot into anti-progressive rhetoric that’s harmful to marginalized groups is nothing new. I exposed him years ago.
Think back to the shocking, big headlines about Uygur in the 2017 era and to the "progressive" show host "apologizing" for the vile things he had said and done. In his 30’s and beyond, by the way.
Racism.
Sexism.
Using women for sex.
Talk of sex with young girls, teens.
Talk of using one's position of power for personal gain.
Cenk Uygur Has Done and Said Extremely Vile Things
In 2017, I dug and found the things I’ll share with you below and sent them to news outlets. Anonymously.
Would I have looked to find something if Uygur hadn't just wrongfully fired and lied about my, at the time, friend and reporting partner and tried to destroy his career, which included our very important reporting on topics like the Flint water crisis? Maybe not...at least, not exactly when I did.
And maybe someone else would have found these things anyway when Uygur later ran a failed 2020 campaign for Congress. News outlets and oppo researchers certainly picked up on what I'd already shown the world years before about the outlook and actions of a man who named his company after a genocide.
I’m a secret weapon - watch out, people with something to hide
I have a talent for research, digging, and for stopping at nothing to get to the truth and find things others can't. I'm proud of it, and have been a secret weapon in this way, including many, many times when I haven't taken credit for it. Like this time. But, I can’t sit silently while Cenk and Ana harm people. So, it’s time to refresh this information and “come clean.”
To get to who Uygur really was (is?), it didn't take any special tools, although I have those up my sleeve too. All it took was the Wayback Machine archives of TYT's very own website, and what I found was shocking.
Cenk and Ana’s Anti-Trans Rhetoric is Unacceptable and Harmful
What I share below is only some of what I found, of the files I have, and maybe I'll do a follow-up if people are interested. Again, I feel the need to speak out and remind people that the way that Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian are behaving toward trans people (as just ONE example of their anti-progressive rhetoric these days) is NOT something we should let stand.
I don't believe in letting people get away with bad things, especially people in power. Especially wealthy people who hold a lot of sway over a captive and often young audience. And in 2017, Cenk Uygur and TYT were at the height of power in the progressive space, despite a history (and present) of not acting progressive.
Unfortunately, despite "apologies," Cenk Uygur and TYT co-host Ana Kasparian don't seem remorseful at all and continue to say horrifying things that are hurting marginalized people. It's disgusting.
A Sampling Of Cenk Uygur’s Horrifying Words and Actions Over Time
For your reference and to further archive, here's just some of what I found back in 2017. You'll see some new things and, again, there's more where this came from.
What follows are Cenk’s own words:
"Obviously, the genes of women are flawed. They are poorly designed creatures who do not want to have sex nearly as often as needed for the human race to get along peaceably and fruitfully." link
Cenk also had some rules for dating:
“There are some hard and fast rules of dating. Women, ignore these at your peril.
Rule 1: There must be some serious making out by the third date.
If I haven't felt your tits by then, things are not about to last much longer. In fact, if you don't get back on track by the fourth date, you're done.
Rule 2: There must be orgasm by the fifth date.
No, ands, ifs, or buts. If I haven't unloaded by this time, things are intolerably slow. There will be no sixth date to give you a second chance. If you haven't delivered by now, you're done.”
Or these:
“When is the point when you forget how fun a drunk orgy can be?"
"I kissed over 23 different women, saw and felt countless breasts..."
"Since this site is now an arm of The Young Turk Show on the radio. It will soon showcase such lovely features as pictures of the young virginal interns who work with us on the show."
Rating women is a constant theme on TYT
"I talk about how I try to get laid and how I rate women based on their looks."
Just vile stuff:
"Yeah, he used his position of power - don't we all, in some way. I tell girls all the time about my cool job at a TV station in hopes that will trick them into sleeping with me."
Ally McBeal is on the top of my list. God, I can't stand her little mannerisms. She is so fucking annoying. If she does that wide-eyed look of shock one more time, I am going to lose my mind and clock her. But before I do all that, I'd like to make love to her.
"C'mon! These Redskins show up everywhere there's a buck to be made these days (by the way, I actually think Redskin is a rare ethnic term that actually is offensive, I'm only using it now because they've made me angry)"
"Now, you're going to try to convince me that these Indian kids would not have smoked if it weren't for the big bad tobacco corporations. Bullshit. They saw the peace pipe buried up your ass long before they ever saw a cigarette ad."
"I get really turned on by the thought of an older woman and a younger woman hooking up. The thought of the older woman seducing the young girl is a great thought."
"People who are thinking of committing suicide amuse me."
Racism, incest, underage fantasies
"I'd buy the best sex money could buy – which I'm sure would be damn good. Two girls at once, Asians, blacks, a Venezuelan on top of a Texan prom queen, a secretary on top of a baby-sitter, twins … and their mama. I'd dress 'em up; I'd dress 'em down. I'd do things to women I hadn't even imagined before (though I can't imagine what that would be)."
Fat Shaming, Rating Women in a "The Young Turks theme song"
"He rates women, the five tiers"
"Tier one is a do or date, tier two, just do. Tier three in a social vacuum, Tier four, fat chance. Tier five, well I guess your kind of ugly and you look a little chubby and I wouldn't let touch me if you were the last person on earth."
The following were written by Dave Koller, a co-founder of TYT
"I had seen Amish country before, so I figured the only way to make it worth seeing again was if we could find Amish people and spit on them...We went nuts, and Cenk rolled down the window and spit out, even though the guy was probably half a mile away."
"In one small Pennsylvania town we stopped for gas, and while Cenk filled up I went to talk to these three girls who were walking down the road nearby. Turns out they were three teenage girls, whores in training...Cenk soon joined me and we discovered these three little spoiled brat bitch young American girls on their way to becoming abused porn actresses or dispensable property in a New York City prostitution ring....They were around 14-16 and in a few more years will be pretty damn good looking, but not great...I asked (I think before Cenk came) if these girls had ever had sex."
"A very interesting story indeed, but that's all there is to it. Cenk really wanted to go to this town because he is at heart a Turkish zealot. He kept thinking we'd see melungeons or something. (Note: Melungeons are a group of people from Appalachia who predominantly descend from Northern or Central European women and sub-Saharan African men. Their ancestors were likely brought to Virginia as indentured servants in the mid-17th century.)
Public urination on private property
"We tried to hit the Country Music Hall of Fame, but got there after close. So Cenk pissed on the building."
"We arrived at lunch time and went to the main post office because Cenk needed to do something. The main post office is in the black part of town, and this was one motherfucking cool part of town. I mean these n—s (edited out by me) were the real deal. I'm not saying the town was a horrible ghetto. It was, but we've all seen worse. I mean these po' black people just hanging out in the heat - this you don't see quite like this in the northeast."
Launching a Bottle Rocket at the Civil Rights Museum Where MLK Was Assasinated
"We went to the Civil Rights Museum, which was made in the motel where MLK was assassinated. As soon as we got out of the car I launched a bottle rocket in the parking lot. "
Sexual Assault, Fetishization of Asian Women
"Except we missed a turn that we needed, so we had to go back onto a commercial road, and at the first place of business we saw with an Asian name, Cenk turned in, assuming it was a restaurant. Except it wasn't – it was the other type of Asian establishment, and I don't mean dry cleaners. I mean massage parlor. We couldn't believe it. Of course we went in. We didn't see the girls, and the price was high and we didn't have time so we didn't patronize, but I did squeeze the Madam's ass on our way out."
"Drive through Navajo country to Monument Valley, where the John Wayne films were shot. Cool fucking place. We hit on these two cute French teenagers while their parents were standing right next to them."
Video Clips, Including Featuring Ana and Cenk
Note, some have since been taken down since I first found them but I’m leaving in the links, titles, and timecodes.
1) Ana acknowledging that sexism played a role in her being passed over by Cenk for John to host the first hour
2) Cenk Mocks Man Drugged and Anally Raped By Woman
WHOLE VIDEO
1:35-1:45
Cenk "Loves This Story" On a Female Allegedly Drugging Man and Anally Raping Him
2:28-3:13
Cenk "Super Amused" Buy Woman Allegedly Drugging Man & Anally Raping Him s
"Ok, here's the parts that I like, she did something to his ass...she might have put a pinky in his ass. One, I'm super amused by this, two now let's show you who that is so you get a better sense; this is her mug shot."
5:02-5:24
Cenk Says If Man Rapes Woman "Arrest Him"; If Girl Does It: "Let Her Go"
5:52-5:58
She "Overstepped Her Bounds By a Little Bit" But "Let Her Go"
7:21-8:02
Cenk Says The "Drugging" of the Man Is "A Little Much"
3) Cenk tells an anti-feminist to "go make me a ham sandwich
1:24-1:48
4) Cenk Condones Harvard Male Soccer Team "Scouting Report" Using Hypothetical Sexual Positions for Women
1:12-2:44
5) Cenk Condoning Hot Female Employers Coming Onto Male Employees
2:00-4:04
"Bad Cenk is going to have his double standard but you couldn't take a joke about sex, and you're a dude?"
6) Cenk Giddy When Ana Says "TYT Lives In a Bubble" Because They Talk Sex Constantly (Gives Enthusiastic Thumbs Up Twice)
4:23-4:34
7) Cenk Tells Male Co-Worker to "Man Up" If Inappropriate Comments Made By Female Staffer
"How Ripe for a Lawsuit Am I?"
5:00--5:24
8) Cenk says teacher caught having sex with her 15 year old student is "hot" and excuses the behavior
0:44-3:51
Cenk says he wouldn't want teacher in jail if it were his son/daughter:
9) Cenk says he needs to see if the teacher is hot to determine his thoughts on the teacher having sex with a 13-year-old student
0:32-2:40
3:14-6:27
Cenk making the case that teacher having sex with 13 year old is only wrong in the context of our times... and admits that he has a double standard
What Now?
I believe in calling out bad behavior and Cenk Uygur continues to be the man he’s always been. The network continues to be what it is.
Can people change? I believe they can. But that’s clearly not what’s happening here.
Again, here is how Cenk just spoke about a trans woman, Bennie Carollo, who just quit the TYT network due to transphobia. A day or so after Ana Kasparian misgendered her on air while acknowledging Carollo’s departure…following transphobia.
I’ll keep reporting and calling out bad behavior. We need to stand up for one another.
**
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Solidarity Forever,
Jenn
Gross and unacceptable.
I didn't know you uncovered all of this back then. You are the best :-) Thank you for speaking out and holding Cenk accountable. His tweet last night was worse than I could have imagined. Ana's exchange with Juniper was just vile. Just incredibly surreal and unfortunate that they are choosing to alienate the trans community. And during this time in history, with everything that is happening, it's just inexcusable. To hell with the both of them.