Tech

Ron Watkins mercilessly trolled after posting clip of himself wearing cowboy hat, body armor

‘Hard to believe that millions of people all around the world have been radicalized because of this dude’

Photo of Mikael Thalen

Mikael Thalen

Ron Watkins in a cowboy hat and body armor

Former 8chan administrator Ron Watkins is being ruthlessly trolled on social media after uploading bizarre footage of himself in a cowboy hat and body armor.

Featured Video

Watkins, who has been accused of being “Q” from the QAnon conspiracy theory, shared the footage to at least two Telegram channels which boast a combined 300,000 followers.

In the clip, Watkins can be seen walking through the wilderness and posing for the camera while discussing “the goal of the AlienLeaks project.” Watkins also “puts a certain allegation to rest” before answering some of his followers’ questions.

Advertisement

AlienLeaks refers to Watkins’ newly-launched initiative aimed at procuring secret government documents on extraterrestrial life. As reported by the Daily Dot on Tuesday, despite promising the “biggest information drops in history,” AlienLeaks thus far has only published already-public data.

Watkins also goes on in the video to deny being one of the people behind QAnon after an HBO documentary showed evidence that appeared to point the finger at the far-right figure.

The topics discussed, however, weren’t what elicited interest in Watkins’ video. Watkins’ bizarre behavior and attire seemed to capture all the attention instead.

“Hard to believe that millions of people all around the world have been radicalized because of this dude, but here we are,” @AliciaMae_O said.

Advertisement
https://twitter.com/CelerySorbet/status/1407944110212739077?s=20

Watkins was also compared to an assortment of fictional characters.

Advertisement
https://twitter.com/primitiveradio/status/1407943810932301828?s=20
https://twitter.com/davenandes/status/1408037007251722243?s=20

Noting Watkins’ long history of spreading debunked claims and conspiracy theories, others simply wished that the controversial figure would disappear.

Advertisement

“He should’ve been in a CIA black site by now,” @TheTanRoosterIV added.

https://twitter.com/UTMBColorado/status/1408054276128190464?s=20
Advertisement

While his influence has undoubtedly wained following former President Donald Trump’s election loss in 2020, Watkins continues to hold sway over a significant portion of the internet’s most ardent conspiracy theorists.


Read more of the Daily Dot’s tech and politics coverage

Nevada’s GOP secretary of state candidate follows QAnon, neo-Nazi accounts on Gab, Telegram
Court filing in Bored Apes lawsuit revives claims founders built NFT empire on Nazi ideology
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Say hi to the Donald for us’: Florida police briefed armed right-wing group before they went to Jan. 6 protest
Inside the Proud Boys’ ties to ghost gun sales
‘Judas’: Gab users are furious its founder handed over data to the FBI without a subpoena
EXCLUSIVE: Anti-vax dating site that let people advertise ‘mRNA FREE’ semen left all its user data exposed
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
 
The Daily Dot