{{Short description|American podcaster and author (born 1969)}} {{pp|small=yes}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Bret Weinstein | image = Bret Weinstein by Gage Skidmore.jpg | image_caption = Weinstein in 2022 | birth_name = Bret Samuel Weinstein | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|02|21}} | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | occupation = Author, podcaster | spouse = Heather Heying | website = {{URL|bretweinstein.net}} | education = University of Pennsylvania<br />University of California, Santa Cruz (BA)<br />{{nowrap|University of Michigan (MA, PhD)}} | relatives = Eric Weinstein (brother) | module = {{Infobox scientist | child=yes | field = Evolutionary biology | workplaces = Evergreen State College | thesis_title = Evolutionary Trade-Offs: Emergent Constraints and Their Adaptive Consequences | thesis_url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/63672 | doctoral_advisor = Richard D. Alexander{{r|Weinstein 2009|Edge.org}} | thesis_year = 2009}} }}
'''Bret Samuel Weinstein''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|aɪ|n|s|t|aɪ|n}}; born February 21, 1969) is an American podcaster, author, and former professor of evolutionary biology. He served on the faculty of Evergreen State College from 2002 until 2017, when he resigned in the aftermath of a series of campus protests about racial equity at Evergreen, which brought Weinstein to national attention. Like his brother Eric Weinstein, he was named as a member of the intellectual dark web in a 2018 ''New York Times'' essay by columnist Bari Weiss. Weinstein has been a prominent purveyor of false statements about COVID-19 treatments and vaccines and misinformation about HIV/AIDS.<ref name="Smith 2025"/><ref name="Merlan 2024b"/>
==Early life and education== Weinstein was born on February 21, 1969, in Los Angeles, California. He began his undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Herzog |first1=Katie |title=After Evergreen |url=https://www.thestranger.com/features/2018/05/24/26472992/after-evergreen |work=The Stranger |date=May 23, 2018 |language=en|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260114014919/https://www.thestranger.com/features/2018/05/23/26472992/after-evergreen/|archive-date=January 14, 2026|access-date=March 21, 2026|url-status=dead}}</ref> As a freshman, Weinstein wrote a letter to the school newspaper that condemned sexual harassment of strippers at a Zeta Beta Tau fraternity party.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Professor-Who-Roiled/240267 |title=The Professor Who Roiled Evergreen State Is No Stranger to Campus Controversy |last=Bartlett |first=Tom |date=June 5, 2017 |work=The Chronicle of Higher Education |access-date=May 8, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0009-5982 |url-access=limited}}</ref> After experiencing harassment for the letter, he transferred to the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he met his wife, Heather Heying, and completed an undergraduate degree in biology in 1993.<ref name="About">{{cite web |title=About |url=https://www.bretweinstein.net/about-bret-weinstein |website=BretWeinstein.net |access-date=February 23, 2025}}</ref><ref name="Effinger 2021">{{cite news |last1=Effinger |first1=Anthony |title=A Progressive Biologist From Portland Is One of the Nation's Leading Advocates for Ivermectin |url=https://www.wweek.com/news/2021/09/15/a-progressive-biologist-from-portland-is-one-of-the-nations-leading-advocates-for-ivermectin/ |access-date=February 23, 2025 |work=Willamette Week |date=September 15, 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Weinstein went on to earn a PhD in evolutionary biology from the University of Michigan in 2009.<ref name="Effinger 2021"/><ref name="Weinstein 2009">{{cite thesis |last1=Weinstein |first1=Bret S. |title=Evolutionary Trade-Offs: Emergent Constraints and Their Adaptive Consequences. |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/63672 |format=PDF |access-date=February 23, 2025 |publisher=University of Michigan Library |degree=Ph.D. |date=2009 |hdl=2027.42/63672 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Edge.org">{{cite web |title=Bret Weinstein |url=https://www.edge.org/memberbio/bret_weinstein |website=Edge.org |publisher=Edge Foundation, Inc. |access-date=February 23, 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
== Career == thumb|right|Weinstein holding a TEDx talk at Evergreen State College in 2012
=== Evergreen State College === Until 2017, Weinstein was a professor of biology at Evergreen State College in Washington State. In 2002, he coauthored an article on "The Reserve-Capacity Hypothesis", which proposed that the telomeric differences between humans and laboratory mice have led scientists to underestimate the risks that new drugs pose to humans in the form of heart disease, liver dysfunction, and related organ failure.<ref name="Weinstein 2002">{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/S0531-5565(02)00012-8 |pmid=11909679 |title=The reserve-capacity hypothesis: Evolutionary origins and modern implications of the trade-off between tumor-suppression and tissue-repair |journal=Experimental Gerontology |volume=37 |issue=5 |pages=615–27 |year=2002 |last1=Weinstein |first1=Bret S. |last2=Ciszek |first2=Deborah |s2cid=12912742}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Zimmerman |title=Unseen Dangers in Laboratory Protocols |work=HuffPost |date=March 19, 2012 |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-zimmerman/of-mice-and-men-unseen-da_b_1352201.html}}</ref><ref name="Weinstein 2020">{{cite AV media |last=Weinstein |first=Eric |series=The Portal |title=Episode 19: The Prediction and the DISC |date=February 19, 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLb5hZLw44s |type=video |via=YouTube}}</ref>
====<span class="anchor" id="Evergreen State College Day of Absence"></span> "Day of Absence"==== In March 2017, Weinstein wrote a letter to Evergreen faculty in which he objected to a suggestion pertaining to the college's decades-old tradition of observing a "Day of Absence", during which ethnic minority students and faculty would voluntarily stay away from campus to highlight their contributions to the college. An administrator had suggested that for that year white participants stay off campus, and were invited to attend an off-campus program on race issues.<ref name="Svrluga 2017">{{cite news |first1=Susan |last1=Svrluga |first2=Joe |last2=Heim |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/06/01/threats-shut-down-college-embroiled-in-racial-dispute/ |title=Threat shuts down college embroiled in racial dispute |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 1, 2017 |url-access=limited}}</ref> Weinstein wrote that the change established a dangerous precedent:
{{Cquote|There is a huge difference between a group or coalition deciding to voluntarily absent themselves from a shared space to highlight their vital and underappreciated roles ... and a group encouraging another group to go away. The first is a forceful call to consciousness, which is, of course, crippling to the logic of oppression. The second is a show of force, and an act of oppression in and of itself.|author=Bret Weinstein, in a message to event organizer, Rashida Love<ref>{{cite web |url=https://app.leg.wa.gov/committeeschedules/Home/Document/170557 |title=Correspondence Between Bret Weinstein and Rashida Love |access-date=November 6, 2019 |year=2017}}</ref> }}
The event organizers responded that participation was voluntary and that the event did not imply that all white people should leave.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hartocollis |first=Anemona |title=A Campus Argument Goes Viral. Now the College Is Under Siege. |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 16, 2017 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/us/evergreen-state-protests.html |url-access=limited}}</ref> ''The Washington Post'' reported that racial tensions had been simmering at Evergreen throughout 2017.<ref name="Svrluga 2017"/>
In May 2017, student protests disrupted the campus and called for a number of changes to the college. The protests involved allegations of racism, intolerance and threats; brought national attention to Evergreen; and sparked further debate about freedom of speech on college campuses.<ref name="AbSpegman 2017">{{cite news |author1=AbSpegman |title=Evergreen settles with Weinstein, professor at the center of campus protests |url=https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article173710596.html |access-date=February 23, 2025 |work=The Olympian |date=September 18, 2017}}</ref> During the protests, protesters entered one of Weinstein's classes (which he had held in a public park) and confronted him, loudly accusing him of racism, demanding that he resign, and forcing the class to break up.<ref name="Pemberton 2017">{{cite news |url=https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/education/article175061841.html |title=A school year of events that led to chaos at The Evergreen State College |first=Lisa |last=Pemberton |work=The Olympian |date=September 23, 2017 |access-date=July 19, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/448711-oberlin-college-case-shows-how-universities-are-losing-their-way |title=Oberlin College case shows how universities are losing their way |first=Anjelica |last=Tan |date=June 15, 2019 |website=The Hill |access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref> Weinstein was advised by the Chief of Campus Police to temporarily stay away from campus for his safety.<ref name="Mikkelsen 2017">{{cite news |last1=Mikkelsen |first1=Drew |title=Professor told he's not safe on campus after college protests |url=https://www.king5.com/news/local/olympia/professor-told-hes-not-safe-on-campus-after-college-protests/443098670 |access-date=September 21, 2021 |work=King 5 News |date=May 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623231051/https://www.king5.com/news/local/olympia/professor-told-hes-not-safe-on-campus-after-college-protests/443098670 |archive-date=June 23, 2017}}</ref>
Weinstein and his wife, Heather Heying, brought a lawsuit against the school, alleging that the college's president had not asked campus police to quell student protesters.<ref name="Jaschik 2017">{{cite news |last1=Jaschik |first1=Scott |title=Who Defines What Is Racist? |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/05/30/escalating-debate-race-evergreen-state-students-demand-firing-professor |access-date=February 23, 2025 |work=Inside Higher Ed |date=May 29, 2017 |url-access=limited |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Richardson 2017">{{cite news |last1=Richardson |first1=Bradford |title=Evergreen State students demand professor resign for failing to participate in 'Day of Absence' |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/may/25/evergreen-state-students-demand-professor-resign-f/ |access-date=February 23, 2025 |work=The Washington Times |date=May 25, 2017}}</ref> Weinstein also said that campus police had told him that they could not protect him, and that they had encouraged him to stay off campus. Instead, Weinstein held his biology class that day in a public park.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-campus-mob-came-for-meand-you-professor-could-be-next-1496187482 |title=The Campus Mob Came for Me—and You, Professor, Could Be Next |first=Bret |last=Weinstein |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=May 30, 2017 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/05/26/professor-told-hes-not-safe-on-campus-after-college-protests-at-evergreen-state-university-washington/ |title=Opinion: 'Professor told he's not safe on campus after college protests' at Evergreen State College (Washington) |last=Volokh |first=Eugene |date=May 26, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=January 29, 2021 |url-access=limited}}</ref> A settlement was reached in September 2017 in which Weinstein and Heying resigned and received $250,000 each, after having sought $3.8 million in damages.<ref name="AbSpegman 2017" />
===Post-Evergreen activities===
right|thumb|upright|Weinstein in 2018
Following his resignation from Evergreen State College, Weinstein appeared on the podcasts of Sam Harris and Joe Rogan,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Sam |date=December 19, 2017 |title=Episode 109: Biology and Culture: A Conversation with Bret Weinstein |url=https://samharris.org/podcasts/109-biology-culture/ |website=Making Sense |type=podcast |access-date=August 1, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Merlan 2024a">{{cite news |last1=Merlan |first1=Anna |title=Joe Rogan and Bret Weinstein Promote AIDS Denialism to an Audience of Millions |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/joe-rogan-and-bret-weinstein-promote-aids-denialism-to-an-audience-of-millions/ |access-date=September 16, 2025 |work=Vice |date=February 15, 2024}}</ref> and moderated two debates between Harris and Jordan Peterson.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ruffolo |first1=Michael |title=Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson waste a lot of time, then talk about God for 20 minutes |url=https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/06/26/analysis/sam-harris-and-jordan-peterson-waste-lot-time-then-talk-about-god-20-minutes |website=National Observer |access-date=August 1, 2019 |date=June 26, 2018}}</ref> Weinstein appeared before the U.S. House Oversight Committee in 2018 to discuss freedom of speech on college campuses<ref>{{cite news |first=Joey |last=Vazquez |title=Congressional hearing explores freedom of speech crisis on college campuses |work=Washington Examiner |date=May 23, 2018 |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/red-alert-politics/congressional-hearing-explores-freedom-of-speech-crisis-on-college-campuses}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=United States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform |title=Hearing – Challenges to the Freedom of Speech on College Campuses: Part II |date=May 22, 2018 |url=https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/challenges-to-the-freedom-of-speech-on-college-campuses-part-ii/ |access-date=May 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181222091930/https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/challenges-to-the-freedom-of-speech-on-college-campuses-part-ii/ |archive-date=December 22, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and appeared in the 2019 documentary ''No Safe Spaces'', which documents the Evergreen incidents.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fund |first1=John |title=In ''No Safe Spaces'', an Odd Couple Teams Up to Fight Free-Speech Bans |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/11/documentary-no-safe-spaces-adam-carolla-dennis-prager-fight-free-speech-bans/ |work=National Review |date=November 3, 2019}}</ref> He was named in a 2018 ''New York Times'' essay by columnist Bari Weiss as a prominent member of the "intellectual dark web". The term was coined by Weinstein's brother Eric, and came to refer to a loose network of public figures opposed to left-wing identity politics and political correctness.<ref name="Postill 2024">{{cite book |last1=Postill |first1=John |title=The Anthropology of Digital Practices: Dispatches from the Online Culture Wars |date=2024 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=978-1-003-85133-2 |chapter=Introduction |page=8 |doi=10.4324/9781003335238 |quote=Other notable figures were Jordan Peterson, Bret Weinstein (Eric Weinstein's brother), his wife Heather Heying, Ben Shapiro, Joe Rogan, Dave Rubin, and Christina Hoff Sommers.}}</ref>
In June 2019,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weinstein |first1=Bret |date=June 30, 2019 |work=DarkHorse Podcast |title=Benjamin Boyce - Bret Weinstein's DarkHorse Podcast #2 |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/benjamin-boyce-bret-weinsteins-darkhorse-podcast-2/id1471581521?i=1000459815271 |via=Apple Podcasts |access-date=August 24, 2022}}</ref> Weinstein began the ''DarkHorse Podcast'' on his YouTube channel,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weinstein |first1=Bret |title=Bret Weinstein: Evergreen, Project Veritas, & Censorship with Benjamin Boyce |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd6S73Hcws4 |date=June 30, 2019 |access-date=August 24, 2022 |type=video |via=YouTube}}</ref> which is usually co-hosted with his wife Heather. Their first guest was Andy Ngo.<ref name="Effinger 2021"/> Other guests have included Harris, Glenn Loury, Douglas Murray, John Wood Jr., Thomas Chatterton Williams and Coleman Hughes. Topics for the podcast often center on current events, science, and culture.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weinstein |first1=Bret |last2=Heying |first2=Heather |date=n.d. |title=DarkHorse Podcast |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bret-weinstein-darkhorse-podcast/id1471581521 |via=Apple Podcasts |access-date=September 26, 2020}}</ref>{{Independent source inline|date=April 2025}}
Weinstein was a 2019–2020 James Madison Program Visiting Fellow at Princeton University, which continued for the 2020–2021 year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jmp.princeton.edu/announcements/james-madison-program-announces-2019-20-fellows |title=The James Madison Program announces 2019–20 fellows |publisher=Princeton University |date=April 12, 2019 |access-date=July 19, 2020 |archive-date=July 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710121439/https://jmp.princeton.edu/announcements/james-madison-program-announces-2019-20-fellows |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://jmp.princeton.edu/about/people/visiting |title=Current Visiting Fellows | James Madison Program |website=jmp.princeton.edu |access-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405144024/https://jmp.princeton.edu/about/people/visiting |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2021, Weinstein and Heying's book, ''A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century'', was published. The book reached the New York Times Best Seller list for October 3, 2021, at No. 3 for Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction and No. 4 for Hardcover Nonfiction.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 3, 2021 |title=Best Sellers: Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2021/10/03/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/ |url-status=live |work=The New York Times |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210929022022/https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/ |archive-date=September 29, 2021}}</ref> The hardcover listing was marked with a dagger, indicating that some retailers had reported receiving bulk orders.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2021/10/03/hardcover-nonfiction/ |title=Best Sellers: Hardcover Nonfiction |date=October 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210926200232/https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/hardcover-nonfiction/ |archive-date=September 26, 2021 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> In a review for ''The Guardian'', psychologist Stuart J. Ritchie writes that Weinstein and Heying "lazily repeat false information from other pop-science books", and that overall the book was characterized by an annoying, know-it-all attitude.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Guardian |author=Stuart J. Ritchie |date=September 26, 2021 |title=A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century review – self-help laced with pseudoscience |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/sep/24/a-hunter-gatherers-guide-to-the-21st-century-review-sciencey-self-help |type=Book review}}</ref>
== Health misinformation == === COVID-19 === {{further|COVID-19 misinformation|Ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic}}
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Weinstein made several public appearances advocating the use of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin to prevent or treat the disease and downplaying the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.<ref name="Baker 2022">{{cite journal |last1=Baker |first1=Stephanie A. |last2=Maddox |first2=Alexia |title=From COVID-19 Treatment to Miracle Cure: The Role of Influencers and Public Figures in Amplifying the Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin Conspiracy Theories during the Pandemic. |journal=M/C Journal |date=2022 |volume=25 |issue=1 |doi=10.5204/mcj.2872 |doi-access=free |issn=1441-2616}}</ref> A review in the academic journal ''AIDS and Behavior'' says Weinstein has been "instrumental in spreading COVID misinformation".<ref name="Smith 2025"/> Physician David Gorski, editor of ''Science-Based Medicine'', describes Weinstein as a prominent "COVID-19 contrarian"<ref name="Gorski 2021">{{cite web |last1=Gorski |first1=David |title=Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 2 |url=https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/ivermectin-is-the-new-hydroxychloroquine-take-2/ |website=Science-Based Medicine |access-date=February 23, 2025 |date=June 21, 2021}}</ref> and "one of the foremost purveyors of COVID-19 disinformation", citing his appearances on ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' and ''Real Time with Bill Maher''.<ref name="Effinger 2021"/> An article in ''Canadian Family Physician'' characterizes Weinstein as one of the "intelligent misinformers", whose academic and presentational skills gives their medical misinformation a "superficial air of credibility".<ref name="Dainton 2022">{{cite journal |last1=Dainton |first1=Christopher |last2=Wong |first2=Jenna |title=Repairing our broken relationship with the vaccine hesitant: Empathy, compassion, and humility are needed |journal=Canadian Family Physician |date=2022 |volume=68 |issue=3 |pages=211–213 |doi=10.46747/cfp.6803211 |doi-access=free |pmid=35292461 |pmc=9833200}}</ref>
Weinstein has made erroneous claims that ivermectin can prevent or treat COVID-19, calling it "a near-perfect COVID prophylactic".<ref name="Goldhill 2022">{{cite news |last1=Goldhill |first1=Olivia |title=Encouraged by right-wing doctor groups, desperate patients turn to ivermectin for long Covid |url=https://www.statnews.com/2022/07/26/ivermectin-has-become-a-popular-treatment-for-long-covid-with-a-push-from-doctors-with-ties-to-right-wing-political-groups/ |access-date=February 23, 2025 |work=STAT News |date=July 26, 2022}}</ref> There is no good evidence to support such claims.<ref name="Paolo 2021">{{cite web |last1=Paolo |first1=William |title=Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 4: Bret Weinstein misrepresents meta-analyses |url=https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/ivermectin-is-the-new-hydroxychloroquine-take-4-bret-weinstein-misrepresents-meta-analyses/ |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=Science-Based Medicine |date=August 2, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bartoszko |first1=Jessica J |last2=Siemieniuk |first2=Reed A C |last3=Kum |first3=Elena |display-authors=etal |date=April 26, 2021 |title=Prophylaxis against covid-19: living systematic review and network meta-analysis |journal=BMJ |volume=373 |issue=n949 |pages=n949 |doi=10.1136/bmj.n949 |pmc=8073806 |pmid=33903131}}</ref><ref>{{Multiref2 |{{cite report |author=World Health Organization |author-link=World Health Organization |title=Therapeutics and COVID-19: living guideline, 6 July 2021 |publisher=World Health Organization (WHO) |year=2021 |id=WHO/2019-nCoV/therapeutics/2021.2 |hdl=10665/342368 |hdl-access=free}} |{{cite web |title=Therapeutics and COVID-19: living guideline |url=https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-therapeutics-2021.2 |publisher=World Health Organization |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806093733/https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-therapeutics-2021.2 |archive-date=August 6, 2021 |date=July 6, 2021}} }}</ref> Weinstein has hosted ivermectin advocate Pierre Kory on his ''DarkHorse'' podcast to discuss the drug,<ref name="Merlan 2021b" /><ref name="Gonzalez 2021">{{Cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Oscar |date=July 9, 2021 |title=Can ivermectin be used to treat COVID-19? What you should know |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/can-ivermectin-be-used-to-treat-covid-19-what-you-should-know/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806041728/https://www.cnet.com/news/can-ivermectin-be-used-to-treat-covid-19-what-you-should-know/ |archive-date=August 6, 2021 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref> and has advocated for the use of ivermectin on other podcast and television news appearances''.''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bolies |first=Corbin |date=July 16, 2021 |title=Tucker Carlson Hyped These Fringe COVID Theories. The Science Just Fell Apart. |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/covid-studies-on-child-mask-wearing-ivermectin-are-retracted |access-date=July 22, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gertz |first=Matt |date=July 16, 2021 |title=A big study supporting ivermectin, Fox's latest miracle COVID treatment, was just retracted |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/big-study-supporting-ivermectin-foxs-latest-miracle-covid-treatment-was-just-retracted |access-date=July 27, 2021 |website=Media Matters for America |language=en}}</ref> Weinstein took ivermectin during a livestream video and said both he and his wife had not been vaccinated because of their fears concerning COVID-19 vaccines.<ref name="Merlan 2021a">{{cite web |title=Why Is the Intellectual Dark Web Suddenly Hyping an Unproven COVID Treatment? |website=Vice |date=June 24, 2021 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/why-is-the-intellectual-dark-web-suddenly-hyping-an-unproven-covid-treatment/ |first=Anna |last=Merlan}}</ref> On Rogan's podcast, Weinstein said that ivermectin alone is "good enough to end the pandemic at any point" and claimed that the drug's true effectiveness against COVID-19 was being suppressed in order to push vaccines for the financial benefit of Big Pharma.<ref name="Piper 2021">{{cite news |last1=Piper |first1=Kelsey |title=The dubious rise of ivermectin as a Covid-19 treatment, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22663127/ivermectin-covid-treatments-vaccines-evidence |access-date=February 23, 2025 |work=Vox |date=September 17, 2021}}</ref> After Weinstein's and Heying's YouTube channels were demonetized in response to their claims about ivermectin, they moved their subsequent broadcasts to the fringe alternative video sharing platform Odysee.<ref name="Merlan 2021b">{{Cite web |last=Merlan |first=Anna |date=July 1, 2021 |title=The Ivermectin Advocates' War Has Just Begun |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/ivermectin-covid-treatment-advocates-rogan-weinstein-hecker/ |access-date=July 1, 2021 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref> On an episode of ''Tucker Carlson Today'', Weinstein said that if ivermectin functioned as he thought it did, then "the debate about the vaccines would be over by definition."<ref name="Pengelly 2021">{{cite news |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/23/fda-horse-message-ivermectin-covid-coronavirus |title='You are not a horse': FDA tells Americans stop taking dewormer for Covid |date=August 23, 2021 |first=Mark |last=Pengelly}}</ref> Weinstein later said he was wrong to state that a study had shown a 100% effective ivermectin protocol for the prevention of COVID.<ref>{{cite web |type=video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqjbvBa3XIQ |title=Bret and Heather 94th DarkHorse Podcast Livestream: Is it Later Than We Think? |via=YouTube |host1=Weinstein, Bret |host2=Heying, Heather |date=August 28, 2021 |time=29:55 |quote=Because it reported 100% success at preventing COVID in those who were treated, it does have some impact on the question 'Is there a prophylactic protocol that would be so highly effective?', and we have to assume the answer is 'no' until we see evidence otherwise [...] Initially when I spoke of this study I described it as a suggesting there was an Ivermectin protocol that was 100% effective, that was never implied by the study, because the study was a combination of Ivermectin and Carrageenan [...] And now at this point I would say, no weight should be given to the study at all.}}</ref>
Weinstein told ''Haaretz'' that despite not having been vaccinated against COVID-19 himself, he supports vaccines in general and believes that mRNA vaccines have promise despite what he claims are "some clear design flaws".<ref name="Sharir 2021" /> Weinstein has falsely claimed that the spike protein produced by or contained within COVID-19 vaccines is "very dangerous" and "cytotoxic".<ref name="Kertscher 2021">{{cite news |last1=Kertscher |first1=Tom |title=No sign that the COVID-19 vaccines' spike protein is toxic or 'cytotoxic' |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jun/16/youtube-videos/no-sign-covid-19-vaccines-spike-protein-toxic-or-c/ |access-date=February 25, 2025 |work=Politifact |date=June 16, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Reuters 2021">{{cite news |author1=<!--anonymous author(s)--> |title=Fact Check: COVID-19 vaccines are not 'cytotoxic' |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-vaccine-cytotoxic-idUSL2N2O01XP/ |access-date=February 25, 2025 |work=Reuters |date=June 18, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=What do we know about the toxicity of spike proteins made from COVID-19 vaccines? |url=https://health-desk.org/articles/what-do-we-know-about-the-toxicity-of-spike-proteins-made-from-covid-19-vaccines |access-date=August 28, 2021 |work=health-desk.org |language=en |quote="False claims about the toxicity of spike proteins from COVID-19 vaccination often misinterpret studies, and fail to take into account how spike proteins from COVID-19 vaccination behave differently than the spike proteins from natural COVID-19 infection."}}</ref> Eric Topol, vice-president of the Scripps Research Institute, stated that Weinstein's position on mRNA vaccines is "totally irresponsible. It's reckless. It's sick. It's predatory. It's really sad."<ref name="Effinger 2021"/>
In a 2024 clip of the ''Tucker Carlson Network'' podcast that was widely shared on Instagram, Weinstein asserted that the World Health Organization's (WHO) proposed pandemic treaty to help member nations prevent and prepare for future infectious disease outbreaks could be used to strip U.S. citizens of their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech. He also later claimed that the WHO treaty would eliminate "national and personal sovereignty".{{r|Ahmed 2024}} However, the treaty would have no ability to override U.S. law or alter the U.S. Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land in the United States.<ref name="Ahmed 2024">{{cite news |last1=Ahmed |first1=Sofia |title=World Health Organization's pandemic plan mischaracterized |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/may/15/bret-weinstein/the-world-health-organizations-pandemic-plan-wont/ |access-date=February 26, 2025 |work=Politifact |date=May 15, 2024}}</ref>
=== HIV/AIDS ===
Weinstein is one of several social media influencers whose COVID contrarianism is accompanied by promotion of HIV/AIDS denialism.<ref name="Smith 2025">{{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Tara C. |title=HIV Denial in the COVID Era |journal=AIDS and Behavior |date=2025 |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=309–316 |doi=10.1007/s10461-024-04528-3 |doi-access=free |pmid=39395068 |issn=1573-3254 |pmc=11739256 |type=literature review}}</ref> Appearing on an episode of the ''Joe Rogan Experience'' podcast in February 2024,<ref name="Smith 2025"/> Weinstein erroneously stated that some people with AIDS were not infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).<ref name="Al-Sibai 2024">{{cite news |last1=Al-Sibai |first1=Noor |title=Joe Rogan's Idiotic New Theory: AIDS Is Caused by Poppers |url=https://futurism.com/neoscope/joe-rogan-aids |access-date=February 23, 2025 |work=Futurism |date=February 17, 2024}}</ref> Weinstein agreed with Rogan's false claim that party drugs such as poppers are an "important factor" for AIDS, calling the idea that HIV does not cause AIDS "surprisingly compelling".<ref name="Merlan 2024b">{{cite news |last1=Merlan |first1=Anna |title=How covid conspiracy theories led to an alarming resurgence in AIDS denialism |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/08/07/1095762/covid-conspiracies-hiv-aids-denial-public-health/ |access-date=February 26, 2025 |work=MIT Technology Review |date=August 7, 2024 |url-access=limited |language=en}}</ref> The American Foundation for AIDS Research reacted to the podcast, saying "It is disappointing to see platforms being used to spout old, baseless theories about HIV. ... The fact is that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), untreated, causes AIDS. ... Mr. Rogan and Mr. Weinstein do their listeners a disservice in disseminating false information".{{r|Merlan 2024a}}
== Political views == Between 2017 and 2021, Weinstein variously described himself as liberal, progressive,<ref name="Sharir 2021">{{cite news |last1=Sharir |first1=Moran |title='There's an undercurrent on the American left that regards Jews as suspect' |url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2021-07-16/ty-article-magazine/.premium/theres-an-undercurrent-on-the-american-left-that-regards-jews-as-suspect/0000017f-df85-db5a-a57f-dfef70390000 |work=Haaretz |date=July 16, 2021 |language=en |type=interview}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Weinstein |first1=Bret |title=The Phenomenon of Left and Right |url=https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/237420/phenomenon-left-right/ |work=The Jewish Journal |date=August 17, 2018}}</ref> and left-libertarian.<ref name="JRE 2017">{{cite web |title=Joe Rogan Experience #970 - Bret Weinstein |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=xq4Y87idawk |publisher=PowerfulJRE |access-date=February 23, 2025 |type=video |via=YouTube |date=June 2, 2017}}</ref> In 2020, he announced Unity 2020, a plan to nominate for the 2020 United States presidential election a pair of suitable candidates, each associated with one of both major political parties, to govern as a team.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/07/interview-bret-weinstein-unity-2020-ticket-proposal/ |title=The Unity 2020 Ticket: An Interview with Bret Weinstein |first=Matt |last=Bitton |website=National Review |date=July 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://articlesofunity.org/ |title=A Plan to Save Our Republic |publisher=Unity 2020 |archive-date=August 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811190347/https://articlesofunity.org/ |url-status=usurped}}</ref> In early 2024, he favored Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the 2024 United States presidential election.<ref>{{cite tweet |user=BretWeinstein |number=1757075936371961898 |title=RFK Jr. is fighting to restore the consent of the governed—a central pillar of the West. His battle with corruption has led to vicious slanders against him, which some in the Kennedy family have joined and amplified. He doesn't owe them an apology. He is fighting for them too. |first=Bret |last=Weinstein |date=February 13, 2024}}</ref> After Kennedy's withdrawal from the race, Weinstein campaigned for Donald Trump.<ref name="Ball 2024">{{cite news|last=Ball |first=Molly |date=September 29, 2024 |title=Coalition of the 'Weird' Mobilizes for Trump |url=https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/coalition-of-the-weird-mobilizes-for-trump-5145e4a4 |access-date=October 8, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241003143541/https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/coalition-of-the-weird-mobilizes-for-trump-5145e4a4 |archive-date=October 3, 2024 |language=en |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
==Personal life== Weinstein has lived in Portland, Oregon, since 2018.<ref name="Effinger 2021"/> He is married to Heather Heying, an evolutionary biologist who also worked at Evergreen. Heying resigned from the college along with Weinstein during the Day of Absence controversy.<ref name="AbSpegman 2017" />
==Selected publications== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book |last1=Heying |first1=Heather |last2=Weinstein |first2=Bret |title=A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century: Evolution and the Challenges of Modern Life |publisher=Portfolio |location=New York |date=2021 |isbn=978-0-593-08688-9}} * {{cite news |title=Evolutionary Trade-Offs: Emergent Constraints and Their Adaptive Consequences |date=January 2009 |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/63672/fruitbat_1.pdf?sequence=1 |last=Weinstein |first=Bret S. |publisher=University of Michigan}} * {{cite journal |title=The better angels of our nature: Group stability and the evolution of moral tension |first1=David C. |last1=Lahti |first2=Bret S. |last2=Weinstein |journal=Evolution & Human Behavior |date=January 2005 |volume=26 |number=1 |pages=47–63 |doi=10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2004.09.004 |bibcode=2005EHumB..26...47L}} * {{cite journal |doi=10.1016/S0531-5565(02)00012-8 |pmid=11909679 |title=The reserve-capacity hypothesis: Evolutionary origins and modern implications of the trade-off between tumor-suppression and tissue-repair |journal=Experimental Gerontology |volume=37 |issue=5 |pages=615–627 |year=2002 |last1=Weinstein |first1=Bret S. |last2=Ciszek |first2=Deborah |s2cid=12912742}} {{refend}}
==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==Further reading== * {{cite news |last1=Jarry |first1=Jonathan |title=Bret Weinstein, Would-Be Galileo |url=https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking/bret-weinstein-would-be-galileo |publisher=McGill University Office for Science and Society |date=September 27, 2024 |location=Montreal |language=en}}
==External links== {{Commons}} {{Wikiquote}} * {{Official website|https://bretweinstein.net/}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weinstein, Bret}} Category:1969 births Category:20th-century American Jews Category:21st-century American Jews Category:21st-century American biologists Category:Academics from Los Angeles Category:Activists from Los Angeles Category:American conspiracy theorists Category:American free speech activists Category:American libertarians Category:American YouTube vloggers Category:COVID-19 conspiracy theorists Category:Evergreen State College faculty Category:American evolutionary biologists Category:HIV/AIDS denialists Category:Jewish American activists Category:Jewish American scientists Category:Living people Category:Scientists from Los Angeles Category:University of California, Santa Cruz alumni Category:University of Michigan alumni Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni