Is Stefan Molyneux Bill Burr? The answer is more complex than you might think
A conspiracy theory online contends that the facial similarities between the philosopher and the comedian are not just coincidence but evidence that they are in fact the same person
Reporting by conspiracy theory correspondent DeRanged Truther
Bald? Check.
A ginger complexion? Check.
Goatee / beard? Check.
Slightly oversized ears? Check.
The two have never been seen in the same room together and both also have a theatrical background, meaning it’s entirely feasible that whichever one is real could have been doing an accent this whole time. The two also only have a couple years between them.
But what would be the purpose of Bill Burr pretending to be an alt-right bigot and alleged cult leader? Or why would Molyneux masquerade as a comedian who probably doesn’t push the boundaries quite as much as he thinks he does?
One Redditor using the name u/pomegranatedove reckons they’ve figured it all out. We at The Frog have absolutely zero interest in professional standards or truth so will happily push this with little critique.
His theory goes that Molyneux is actually a character created by Burr as part of an extended high-concept comedy special.
This performance began in 2005 when Burr started a podcast called Freedomain Radio as “Molyneux” and Burr has maintained the ruse over thousands of hours of content.
The theoriser does concede that he’s not entirely sure where the joke is yet but thinks it’s likely to be something related to race and IQ, choosing to divorce your family, child abuse creating psychopaths or some bigoted critique of legendary freedom fighter Robert Mugabe.
‘Right now we all really have no idea what form Burr’s comedy special is going to take or when it will be released to the public,’ wrote u/pomegrantedove.
‘I already laugh at how small-minded “Molyneux’s” videos end up being despite how thoroughly-researched and based on rigorous philosophical methods they are. So perhaps that itself is the joke,” he says.
Burr’s commitment to the role is astounding as he has traveled the world in character and appeared as a guest on various TV shows. The mask has never slipped and it must take its toll imitating the mind of such a deranged so-called philosopher.
It must also be incredibly difficult for Burr to resist revealing his scheme to the public every time “Molyneux” is embroiled in another scandal revealing an alt-right hate figure status confirmed by his Wikipedia page.
We like to imagine Burr sat at home quietly chuckling to himself every single time another reputable news outlet falls for his deception. We don’t blame them of course as they’re typically very good at identifying and deplatforming genuine fascists.
One commenter on u/pomegranatedove’s thread provides an alternate theory, however.
The comment, from u/jewssankthetitanic, alleges that “Molyneux’s” video titled “The truth about why I keep waking up at random comedy clubs” is evidence that the comedian and the philosopher are two sides of the same person with neither aware of the other’s existence.
We contacted both Burr and Molyneux for comment but neither was kind enough to dignify us with a response. If that isn’t an admittance that we’ve hit the truth then god knows what else it could be.
Plus isn’t just way more comforting and reassuring to live by an assumption that conforms to your own conceptions of the world?
