American television host Mike Rowe defended his work with conservative outlet PragerU after a fan told him she had “lost all respect” for him when he began collaborating with the group.
“If you’re involved in PragerU, I’ve lost all respect for you…..and apparently your ignorant followers….happy?” the woman posted to Facebook.
The comment was made on July 12, 2020, but Rowe’s reaction resurfaced on Monday when PragerU posted a screengrab of the host’s response.
“The part that fascinates me, Jennifer, is the part where you assume your respect is something I might be craving,” Rowe sharply responded, refusing to discredit PragerU.
“What happened exactly, to give you the impression that people you’ve never met might care about having your respect?” he emphasized.
Screenshot via Facebook
In 2016, Rowe teamed up with PragerU to create an informative video titled, “Don’t Follow Your Passion.”
In the video, the former “Dirty Jobs” host argues that it can be “terrible advice” to tell someone to follow their passion.
“In my opinion, you have all been given some terrible advice, and that advice is this: Follow your passion,” he says. “Every time I watch the Oscars, I cringe when some famous movie star—trophy in hand—starts to deconstruct the secret of their success. It’s always the same thing: ‘Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t have what it takes, kid!’; and the ever popular, ‘Never give up on your dreams!'”
“Look, I understand the importance of persistence, and the value of encouragement, but who tells a stranger to never give up on their dreams, without even knowing what it is they’re dreaming? How can Lady Gaga possibly know where your passion will lead you?” Rowe argues, adding, “When it comes to making a living, it’s easy to forget the dirty truth: just because you’re passionate about something doesn’t mean you won’t suck at it. And just because you’ve earned a degree in your chosen field, doesn’t mean you’re gonna find your ‘dream job.'”
“Dream Jobs are usually just that—dreams,” the host offers. “But their imaginary existence just might keep you from exploring careers that offer a legitimate chance to perform meaningful work and develop a genuine passion for the job you already have. Because here’s another Dirty Truth: your happiness on the job has very little to do with the work itself.”
Rowe, a fierce advocate for blue-collar workers, likened President Donald Trump’s win in 2016 to the success of his former show, “Dirty Jobs.”
“But here’s the thing – ‘Dirty Jobs’ didn’t resonate because the host was incredibly charming,” he said via Facebook, according to Fox News. “It wasn’t a hit because it was gross, or irreverent, or funny, or silly, or smart, or terribly clever. ‘Dirty Jobs’ succeeded because it was authentic. It spoke directly and candidly to a big chunk of the country that non-fiction networks had been completely ignoring.”
“In a very simple way, ‘Dirty Jobs’ said ‘Hey – we can see you,’ to millions of regular people who had started to feel invisible,” he continued. “Ultimately, that’s why ‘Dirty Jobs’ ran for eight seasons. And today, that’s also why Donald Trump is the President of the United States.”