LGBT Podcaster Arrested by Feds Over Alleged Threats to Kill Trump
Federal agents arrested prominent LGBT podcaster and former Christian reality television host Benjamin Azariah Southworth in Los Angeles on Thursday after a grand jury indicted him for allegedly threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump.
Southworth, 40, faces federal charges of threatening to kill the president, cyberstalking and making harassing interstate communications, according to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
Federal prosecutors also accuse Southworth of conducting a harassment campaign against the family of one of Trump’s personal attorneys.
Essayli said Southworth allegedly posted videos calling for Trump’s assassination before targeting the attorney’s family by publishing their home address and telephone numbers online.
Prosecutors further allege that Southworth left threatening voicemail messages for the family, including one warning that “justice comes to your door.”
“Threats against the President of the United States are federal crimes,” Essayli said while announcing the charges, adding that his office would aggressively prosecute threats of political violence.
Southworth has also operated a website called “Holy Menace,” where merchandise carrying anti-Trump messages has been sold. At the time of his arrest, the website reportedly offered $5 stickers explicitly calling for Trump to be killed.
While federal agents were taking him into custody Thursday, Southworth shouted accusations against Trump and declared that “the country has fallen.”
Court documents reportedly detail numerous statements Southworth allegedly made about assassinating the president.
In one video allegedly posted to Instagram on April 7, prosecutors say Southworth openly declared that he had been calling for Trump’s execution and then explicitly called for the president to be killed.
The White House condemned the alleged threats and called for political violence and assassination rhetoric to be rejected regardless of its source.
Southworth’s arrest comes amid heightened concerns about threats against Trump and other political figures following multiple assassination attempts and security incidents in recent years.
Before becoming known for LGBT-focused content, Southworth worked in Christian entertainment. During the late 2000s, he hosted a Christian reality television program called “The Remix,” which featured Christian musicians and bands.
Southworth came out as gay in 2008 and later toured with Christian singer Ray Boltz, who had also publicly come out as gay.
In 2020, Southworth launched the “Yass, Jesus!” podcast alongside actor Daniel Franzese. The program describes itself as an interfaith, sexuality-affirming comedy show focused on the intersection of Christianity and LGBT identity.
The federal charges against Southworth remain allegations, and he has not been convicted. Prosecutors will still have to prove their case in court.
But federal authorities are making clear that explicit threats against the president — along with alleged harassment and threats directed at attorneys or their families — will be treated as serious federal crimes as concerns about political violence continue across the country.