We’ve all seen the horror stories. Men work their entire lives to build a legacy, and then with one fell swoop, a mere allegation, with zero proof to back it up, destroys their lives.
Over the past decade, we’ve seen the #MeToo hysteria grow to an all time high, as dying media outlets, desperate for clicks and views, knowingly publish fake allegations.
One of the most infamous examples, of course, was the Rolling Stone piece entitled “A Rape on Campus,” which accused UVA’s Phi Kappa Psi fraternity of gang raping Jackie Coakley. [1]
After the story was torn to shreds once evidence came to light, Rolling Stone redacted the article, and writer Sabrina Rubin Erdely issued a not-so-heartfelt apology to the University of Virginia (but none of the accused students whose lives were destroyed by the piece). [2]
Since then, we’ve seen the “Me Too Movement” grow exponentially, and while some of the accusations may be legitimate, many are completely lacking in any sort of evidence.
Recently however, BuzzFeed published a series of articles about Tony Robbins, alleging that he sexually assaulted numerous young women, and was guilty of “sexual misconduct.” [3]
Many have come to view these accusations as a media witch hunt, and have been desperate for somebody to stand against these widely published allegations, with zero evidence.
…and thankfully, Tony Robbins seems to be doing just that.
Where It All Began
It all started when BuzzFeed published a hit piece on Robbins earlier this year on May 17th, claiming that they had “secret interviews” with two of his former employees [3]:
“Two former followers who went on to work for Robbins provided BuzzFeed News with signed statements swearing under oath that they felt he had sexually harassed them by repeatedly pursuing them after they made clear they weren’t interested. Two more women who worked as his assistants said Robbins expected them to work alone with him when he was naked in his hotel room or in the shower.”
They didn’t stop there, though. They went on to publish a 5-Part “investigation” into Tony Robbins, claiming that he used racial slurs and groped several women, among other things [4]:
“One more woman has now provided BuzzFeed News with a sworn statement accusing Robbins under oath of touching her inappropriately during a job interview— bringing the total number of women who say he made sexual advances or was naked in front of them to 10, with nine of them saying they were upset by his actions.”
Interestingly enough, Robbins hasn’t backed down like most of those being accused of sexual misconduct have. In fact, he’s done the opposite – he’s now suing BuzzFeed. [5]
Tony Robbins’ Response (May 2019)
Upon being attacked by a giant media publication such as BuzzFeed, many men would simply roll over and issue a public apology. Tony has done nothing of the sort however, and by standing up to this blatantly false series of articles, he offers many men hope.
After the first hit piece was published, Tony published an article on Medium, entitled: “An Open Letter to Buzzfeed Editors and Board of Directors from Tony Robbins,” in which he exposed their unethical tactics and complete lack of journalistic integrity:
“I have been the target of a year-long investigation by BuzzFeed. Unfortunately, your organization has made it clear to my team that you intend to move forward with publishing an inaccurate, agenda-driven version of the past, pierced with falsehoods.”
He says that BuzzFeed has denied his team’s requests to meet with the editors in person, to present “key evidence” that contradicts their “false allegations.”
“You do not seek the truth; you seek to further your own agenda,” he says. Many men agree with such claims, after witnessing the rampant rape hysteria the media has drummed up.
In the article on Medium, he cites one courageous woman who came out, exposing how BuzzFeed contacted her for an interview, and continues to take her words out of context.
“BuzzFeed has contacted me to hear my opinion about Tony… I relayed my experience and told them how he had changed my life,” Analay Souza Campos says on her YouTube channel.
“BuzzFeed just basically continues to try to use pieces of the intervention out of context, to make the point that they want to make regardless of the experience that I am relaying.”
“Tony and I had a very sacred moment in that intervention. He served me a lot. I thank him for everything that has happened in my life thus far,” she says.
Miss Campos adds that she published a best-selling book which has helped thousands, and thanks Tony Robbins for giving her the motivation necessary to do this.
“I couldn’t have done it without that wakeup call that Tony gave me,” she says.
Apparently, BuzzFeed has completely neglected to report on her video, and continues to twist her words to support their agenda, claiming that Tony Robbins is a sexual deviant.
It’s no wonder that BuzzFeed was said to be the least trusted news source in America, according to a Pew Research Poll on which news sources the people trust most. [6]
The allegations didn’t stop there, however. Even after Robbins exposed BuzzFeed’s lack of journalistic integrity, they continued to publish more damaging articles, smearing his name.
BuzzFeed’s Response (May – November 2019)
Just five days after Robbins published his open letter to the BuzzFeed editors and board of directors, they published another hit piece on him, with more unverified allegations [7]:
“In new exclusive interviews, Kimberly Stokes, who worked as a live-in personal assistant for Robbins when she was 22 years old, told BuzzFeed News that he once walked into her bathroom while she was showering and ‘dropped his towel,’ exposing himself. Stokes said that she had already rebuffed his advances once before.”
“Sophiah Koikas said that Robbins pulled her hand onto his crotch to feel his penis and groped her breast at a Hawaii seminar. Another woman, Mary Lantz, said that Robbins sexually harassed her at an event she attended in Ohio — telling her she was “driving him crazy,” kissing her, hugging her, and touching her breast.”
BuzzFeed claims that they interviewed four separate woman, who all accused Tony Robbins of sexual misconduct. Despite this, there’s no audio footage of these supposed interviews.
Then, on June 18th, they published another hit piece, claiming that Robbins “punishes followers” by making them drink an unidentified brown liquid [8]:
“Video and internal documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News reveal that Robbins places ‘L’ stickers on audience members’ foreheads and then, while the song ‘Loser’ by Beck plays over the speakers, forces them to down a ‘gross shot’ whose contents he does not disclose to them. The practice is part of a pattern in which the embattled self-help superstar urges his followers to ingest potions while on their quest to live a healthier, wealthier, more fulfilling, passionate and purposeful life.”
Again, BuzzFeed has completely taken Tony’s actions and words out of context.
According to Tony himself, the brown liquid is completely harmless, and the ceremony is simply meant to condition his followers to associate pain with failure.
This is a basic concept in psychology which has been proven to work, and which we have known about since Pavlov’s experiments on animals in the late 1800’s. [9]
Tony Robbins’ Response & Lawsuit (November 2019)
Finally, after BuzzFeed published five separate articles accusing him of sexual misconduct among various other wrongdoings, Robbins published an article on Medium, entitled “Who is Watching the Watchdogs?” in which he questions the current state of the media:
“Far from the watchdogs they once were, too many members of today’s tabloid and entertainment media ignore traditional journalistic ethics, values and standards. Too often, in the hyper-competitive, celebrity-driven and political charged environment that currently exists, they fail to verify facts and vet sources, and are permitted to present predetermined stories supporting an agenda or outcome they believe will sow the most outrage and engagement with their target audiences whether true or not.”
In the article, he also announces that he is officially suing BuzzFeed for a “premeditated and malicious campaign” against him and his life’s work:
“For this reason, I am now suing BuzzFeed following a premeditated and malicious campaign against me and my life’s work.”
“In a series of articles this year, BuzzFeed falsely accused me of abusing my position and making inappropriate advances toward employees and event attendees as well as berating abuse victims at my seminars. Those stories were filled with falsehoods and many people actively spoke out against BuzzFeed in the immediate aftermath.”
He then goes on to tear BuzzFeed’s story to shreds, pointing out that their organization is run by a rampant desire to get more clicks, even at the cost of publishing false information:
“BuzzFeed’s Editor-in-Chief was quoted in a Columbia Journalism Review article titled, “Who Cares If It’s True?” arguing that he and his organization reject “formalistic rules like ‘you have to have two sources to go with something.’ ‘It’s easy to get nine sources to say the same thing and still get it wrong. I prefer to rely on smart reporters and on Twitter.’ BuzzFeed’s own news standards and ethics guidelines even argue that on certain topics there aren’t two sides to every story.”
In fact, BuzzFeed’s articles have twisted the words of one woman so ruthlessly, that she has now filed a lawsuit against them, for violating her privacy rights. [10]
“More and more people are coming to see the media not as referees, but as active players in the larger game of agenda pushing,” Robbins states.
“Credible media demand transparency, but online tabloid media disguising themselves as ‘news organizations’ too often remain secretive about their sources, techniques, and own agendas.”
Why Is BuzzFeed Doing This?
Now, many may wonder why BuzzFeed might publish unverified allegations against Mr. Robbins and his life’s work, but anyone with two eyes can see the truth.
First off, we live in the age of rape culture outrage. Any article claiming that a famous man sexually harassed innocent women is bound to go viral, bringing in tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad revenue.
Second, and more interestingly however, is that Robbins has always been a staunch defender of due process. “If you use the #MeToo movement to try and get significance and certainty by attacking and destroying someone else, you haven’t grown an ounce,” he stated in 2018. [11]
Robbins’ statement echoed the thoughts of many men across the nation, who feel that false allegations are often a way for a woman to get revenge, or to simply get attention.
He went on to say that he was “not knocking the #MeToo movement,” but simply suggesting that some women use it to play the victim card, and to gain personal gratification. [12]
Could it be that BuzzFeed targeted him, because they didn’t like the fact that a well-known celebrity and influencer was pointing out the truth about this movement?
Well, nobody knows for certain, but it isn’t hard to believe this may be the case.
In a world where news outlets will push an agenda at any cost, it’s not hard to see why they might want to smear someone who questions their narrative.
What This Means for Men Everywhere
Now, of course, you may be asking: “What does this mean for me?” Many men don’t understand the larger implications of events like this, and how they affect our culture.
To put it simply, this is a good thing for men everywhere. It may not completely bring an end to the #MeToo hysteria, but it will certainly put a big dent in the media outlets who caused it.
Ever since around 2012, the media has been ruthlessly taking down men left and right, with no evidence to support their claims, and by using “independent sources” which can’t be verified.
After this lawsuit against BuzzFeed, however, many news outlets may think twice before publishing unverified claims, which makes it a safer world for men everywhere.
References:
- https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/rolling-stone-and-uva-the-columbia-university-graduate-school-of-journalism-report-44930/
- https://abcnews.go.com/2020/deepdive/how-retracted-rolling-stone-article-rape-on-campus-came-print-42701166
- https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janebradley/tony-robbins-self-help-secrets
- https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janebradley/tony-robbins-accused-of-groping-women-mistreating-followers
- https://www.foxnews.com/media/tony-robbins-starts-legal-actions-against-buzzfeed-over-sexual-assault-report
- https://www.businessinsider.com/most-and-least-trusted-news-outlets-in-america-2017-3
- https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katiejmbaker/four-more-women-accuse-tony-robbins-of-sexual-misconduct
- https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janebradley/tony-robbins-punishes-followers-by-making-them-drink
- https://www.simplypsychology.org/classical-conditioning.html
- https://callagylaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/campos-vs-fuzer-complaint.pdf
- https://nowthisnews.com/videos/pop/life-coach-tony-robbins-criticizes-metoo
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/04/08/tony-robbins-suggested-metoo-was-about-victimhood-now-hes-apologizing/
Jon Anthony is a blogger, dating coach, self-help author, and fitness expert, whose work has been featured on Girls Chase, T-Nation, Info Wars, and more. You can read his blog, Masculine Development, for free.
