Watch This: Vic Berger checks in on de-platformed MAGA chuds, so you don't have to

Grifters thrived in the age of MAGA, but where are they now? Mostly hocking crypto, their own Cameos, and survivalist buckets

Watch This: Vic Berger checks in on de-platformed MAGA chuds, so you don't have to
Scott Baio Photo: Alex Wong

Vic Berger established himself as one of the great documenters of the MAGA era early on in the 2016 election. Over the next four years, the former Super Deluxe video artist made airhorns, silence, and slurping sounds some of the most effective tools for satire around. His work meticulously explored the lives of such grifting luminaries as Baked Alaska, Mike Cernovich, and other names that’ll make you say “Oh, yeah, I vaguely remember seeing those names on Twitter.”

But what happens to a true patriot after the apocalypse, or worse, Joe Biden’s presidential election? While swindling people out of their money is still plenty popular online, many of the MAGA movement’s greatest grifters have largely disappeared. Of course, that’s not by accident. Many of them were de-platformed from their primary revenue sources, such as Twitter, YouTube, Patreon, etc. for expressing obviously hateful, bigoted, and violent messages that spread misinformation and incited domestic terrorism, including the insurrection on January 6. But many of the MAGA-verse’s greatest stars are still out there, attempting to convince themselves and their flailing follower base that they’re still relevant.

Luckily, for those who don’t have the time to keep up with Dave Ruben now that they definitely don’t have to, Vic Berger has kept his eyes fixed. In his latest video for VICE, Berger delivers a hilarious and deeply sad look at where the stars of yesteryear ended up in the past six months. For some, the answer is obvious. Michael Cohen, the “Mooch”, and Army Of The Dead star Sean Spicer all joined Donald Trump, Jr. on Cameo, where they tell people who want to be owned for their birthday that they have been owned like so many libs. Others, like Brandon Straka, were arrested for participating in the January 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Dilbert-creator Scott Adams, now friendless, is still out here trying to convince people that he’s a hypnotist.

Berger’s work is always hilarious and grotesque in equal measure, and this is no exception. From Scott Baio being scolded by his wife for saying “god dammit” to Tim Pool, the subject of a recent exposé in the Daily Beast, hocking his food buckets, it’s a half-hour of schadenfreude featuring names that you hoped to never hear again. If we’re lucky, maybe it’s the last time.

 
Join the discussion...