What Really Happened Last Night With Dan Wootton

The Broadcaster's Defamatory Post About Me Backfired Massively

Last night, broadcaster Dan Wootton posted to his 638,000 X followers and 462,000 YouTube subscribers a claim about me that was as defamatory as it was absurd. Unfortunately for him, it backfired in spectacular fashion, with his own audience turning on him en masse.

See below a short snapshot of the reactions from his own YouTube subscribers:

To clear the air and provide transparency for my own subscribers (that is my job as a journalist, after all), I want to address this head-on, and then call for a truce. Hopefully, we can both move on like adults.

Let’s begin with his accusation.

Before publishing it, Dan blocked me, presumably to prevent me from seeing or responding to his defamatory claims. But thanks to Elon Musk’s latest changes to the platform, I can still view the post. I just can’t reply. So much for free speech.

Not that blocking someone is inherently a free speech issue, but doing so before making wild claims certainly raises questions.

First of all…why did he use such a handsome photo of me? I mean, bloody hell!

Now, let’s be clear. I don’t mind being called a grifter or immoral. These are lazy, generic insults that content creators receive all the time, often from other content creators who embody those exact tropes. Self-projection, much?

What bothers me is the false claim that I’ve "secretly worked with Byline Times for many years including trying to destroy [Dan]."

When I first read that, my heart sank. This is a man with real reach, and some followers who hang on his every word. Could this stain my career? Would this feed into some of the more disturbing messages I’ve received before, the kind that imply that, as a Jew, I am not to be trusted and must be secretly conspiring with "the Left"?

(That is not to suggest that that was Dan’s intention.)

I replied:

"Looks like we’re doing this. My lawyers will be in touch. I look forward to the evidence that I’ve secretly worked with Byline Times for many years."

In truth, I don’t really know what I’m talking about. Who the hell are "my lawyers"? I think I’ve just heard that phrase in movies.

But in the panic of the moment, I felt I had to say something that might make him think twice before continuing with a campaign that could seriously damage me, as he has done recently with other creators. If this continues, I will regrettably have to look into the gruelling process of legal action - something Dan knows a lot about, as he is currently involved in a legal process with an accuser:

BBC’s Headline About Dan Wootton in April 2025

Obviously, I’d rather we just talk things out.

Yet, what happened next surprised me.

The overwhelming majority of his own followers rejected the post outright and came out in my defence. Some of the replies were savage. As the backlash grew, I started to feel sorry for him.

So, Dan, I want to bring this to an amicable conclusion.

Some people have asked why I didn’t try to de-escalate earlier. The truth is, I did. I’ve tried. Even if most people don’t believe Dan, the last thing I want is someone with a huge platform repeatedly spreading lies about me. I also don’t enjoy the drama or the awkwardness that all of this entails.

As the saying goes, don’t wrestle with…you know the rest.

I’ve been in the media a long time, and have never been involved in any kind of legal dispute - because I very much believe in talking things out.

So what actually triggered all this?

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