Theo Von: From MTV To Trump

Screenshots via MTV/This Prior Weekend

Theo Von has had a long ride from budding comic to a podcaster interviewing everyone from President-opt for Donald Trump to Mark Cuban, however few doubtless take into account that his profession began all of the means back when he used to be simply 19 on MTV truth presentations.

As MTV moved faraway from wall-to-wall tune movies, they embraced making truth tv on the cheap whereas unscripted displays were nonetheless a slightly new thought, finding their biggest success early on with The Actual World. Von was one the faces that used to be a part of the hodgepodge of fact express contestants on the network, becoming a member of Road Ideas in 2000 at just 19 years outdated.

Road Principles was once a derivative of The Real World and it was once MTV’s second leap into the truth TV genre. The cast of six featured people between the a while of 18 and 24, all of whom lived in an RV, adopted clues, and accomplished missions at various places, primarily throughout southern states. The Place of work superstar Rainn Wilson in truth played an element early on in the show as the Road Master, the show’s presenter who would provide the forged mates their clues.

The exhibit serves as a time tablet these days. It debuted when truth TV is in its infancy, however Von was somewhat fresh. He used to be open and sincere about his personal struggles with people and being emancipated at 14. On occasion his fellow cast members didn’t really understand what to make of him and his every now and then atypical comments, but enthusiasts of him lately can see the early ranges of of the trustworthy and quirky comic and podcaster he would grow to be.

“What the hell is Theo? That’s what I believe people think of me when they first discuss to me and get to know me,” Von says in a clip from the express. “They don’t truly be aware me as a result of a number of times I don’t even take note myself.”

The Louisiana native would go on to compete on a couple of seasons of The Challenge (sometimes called Actual World/Highway Rules Challenge), a spinoff of each Real World and Street Principles.

The Challenge used to be, well, there’s in reality no longer so much edition between these early MTV fact displays. They make the Actual Housewives franchise feel as complex as a Christopher Nolan image. The setup is always the same: collect a forged of young folks, have them compete in more than a few goofy challenges. The catch of The Problem is that the solid used to be pulled from prior competitors on The Real World and Highway Principles. No longer all challenges on these displays have been goofy although. On Street Principles, Von and the solid needed to stroll between two sizzling air balloons on a plank, which sounds like it was taken straight from Fear Issue.

Via 2000 to 2006, Von used to be an MTV common, showing off guidelines of the wacky, wonderful randomness that will grow to be his standup and his This Previous Weekend podcast. Consistent with Von although, Street Rules got here lengthy sooner than he even idea he would pursue comedy.

Von explained in a 2018 episode of the TigerBelly podcast:

I had no plans of going to comedy or being a comedian. I didn’t have any — I was just strolling throughout campus in school and I used to be identical to truly depressed they usually had auditions and next thing you know, they known as me at some point they usually asked me to move on the commute, you know, and I was like, oh, this is going to really, in point of fact attention-grabbing and, yeah, that’s how I bought into it.

As of late clips of Street Principles and The Problem are moderately hard to seek out, however Von possible has no problem with that as he’s defined the convey offered him with some roadblocks as a comic beginning out in Los Angeles.

“It’s now not onerous to separate from, it’s simply, like, I was once so young. I’m 37 now, I used to be 19 then,” he stated within the 2018 episode of TigerBelly.

What’s most interesting about Von’s fact TV occupation is how overshadowed it’s through everything considering. After leaving fact TV in the back of, Von dedicated himself to comedy. He would dabble some in competitors displays like Remaining Comic Standing (the place he gained the net competition in the fourth season), however he bought his greatest soar through his relationship with Joe Rogan and his visitor appearances on The Joe Rogan Expertise.

Von has now built himself his personal podcast empire and he’s interviewed everybody from a mortician to a carnie to Trump. 2024 was once a real banner year for Von as he sat down with Trump within the warmth of the election, had on Vice President-opt for JD Vance, billionaire Cuban, and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien. Von is able to bring an innocence and authentic curiosity to these interviews and the from time to time complicated subject matters, which aren’t always best fitted to comedy. His interview with Trump was one of the president-go with’s easiest as he got extra non-public than typical as the pair discussed dependancy and Trump opened up about his late brother’s struggles with alcoholism.

Von made Mediaite’s Most Influential Listing this yr for a cause, however his place in nowadays’s culture is even more impressive when you believe how far he’s made it after beginning out as simply some other recent-confronted youngster on MTV.

The put up A Seem Again: Theo Von’s Trip From MTV Truth Celebrity To Interviewing Trump, Cuban, and More first appeared on Mediaite.