Industry News

Landau: Steven Crowder Censored Me, Fellow Comic

Former 'Louder with Crowder' co-host unloads on Rumble superstar

Steven Crowder said he went public with his Daily Wire contract dispute for a vital reason.

The web site’s initial contract to Crowder, valued at $50 million for four years, said he’d get paid less if his show got censored by Big Tech platforms like YouTube. It’s why Crowder signed a deal with Rumble, the free speech alternative to YouTube.

That kind of censorship, Crowder warned, cannot stand.

I didn't want to do this...

Now, former “Louder with Crowder” co-host Dave Landau says Crowder routinely censored his commentary on the video podcast … and worse.

Landau opened up about leaving the popular show on “Your Welcome with Michael Malice.” Landau shared how he knows how to be a co-host in the modern era, witness his work alongside radio legend Anthony Cumia on Compound Media.

He similarly supported Crowder during their time together, but in the final months of their professional relationship, Crowder kept Landau on a tight leash.

“I had been more censored as things went on … for example, I couldn’t use the word [ejaculate],” Landau said.

The restrictions didn’t stop there.

"YOUR WELCOME" with Michael Malice #255: Dave Landau

Landau alleged Crowder had a “dump”-style button to silence him if he spoke too much on the show.

“A light was put in[to the studio]. It was his rant button and it was basically a ‘Dave Don’t Talk’ button,” Landau recalled of both the button and the light that flashed when it was deployed. “When it was hit I wasn’t supposed to talk … and [Crowder] would press it.”

“I know my job. I know that he talks a lot … I know that he’s the star of the show … I know when to sit back. it’s what I did with Anthony [Cumia] for years … it’s what I do,” he said. “I’m not trying to ever steamroll him.”

“It was just, ‘hey, don’t be funnier [than Crowder].’ That’s the truth. I mean it sounds bitter, but I knew it was true because I was pulled aside and it was, ‘make sure if you’re doing a rant or you’re riffing, he gets the last word,” he said.

“You were told this explicitly?” Malice asked.

“Yes.”

RELATED: LANDAU: NYC IS A POWDER KEG 

“Even if I did have a funnier joke I’d just leave it out. It was important for the fans to not hear it. I always thought it was my job as a comedian to leave out the good one,” Landau deadpanned.

“Somebody who’s so pro free speech and non-censorship he was really about censorship of me,” he said, adding he was forgiving of the issue due to Crowder’s medical woes at the time.

What Happened After My Surgery...

The Michigan native later said Crowder’s censorial mood extended to fellow comic Matt McClowry.

Landau planned a stand-up comedy special in Dallas and Crowder asked to join the lineup. Landau agreed, knowing his colleague would help promote it.

The initial show became two sold-out shows thanks to the Crowder connection.

McClowry, an off-screen Landau pal, opened both shows with material that earned a standing ovation. Landau then asked Crowder if McClowry could co-host “Louder with Crowder” on a day when he wouldn’t be there.

Crowder agreed.

Later, Landau learned McClowry had been blocked from that guest co-hosting gig without explanation.

Crowder texted, “What’s done is done,” according to Landau. “What does that mean? It’s your show,” Landau recalled.

Crowder called Landau up and yelled at him over the guest hosting issue and related topics.

“He told me he owns me … ” Landau said of the heated conversation. “It was venomous … I saw a different person that I had heard rumors about.”

“Then he said Matt [McClowry] couldn’t do his routine’s closing bit, which is killer, because it’s too dirty … if we were going to tour together,” he said. “There was projection about how he was angry about how well that bit did.”

The bit in question was a personal anecdote about McClowry’s high school wrestling days and his Asperger syndrome.

Crowder allegedly would tell Landau before their live performances to “let’s keep it clean,” despite the latter’s penchant for dark, adult material.

“Why? This has been me for 20 years,” Landau said.

Landau used the Malice show appearance to reveal he signed a deal with Blaze TV to star in a video podcast/sketch series set to debut in May or June.

HiT will update this story if/when Crowder responds to Landau’s comments.

22 Comments

  1. Crowder’s show is entertaining but the guy is obviously a ego maniac. It’s why he pulled the stunt he did with DW and I’m not surprised by this either. I’m glad he’s found a platform on Rumble and is having success but his style and personality aren’t my preference. I mostly just tune him out.

    1. I’m glad you tune it out. Find me the person that hasn’t been let down, or tell me how perfect it is that he definitely has an ego, but backed up by facts. You see jokes and craziness, but what if it doesn’t matter if you watch?…But if you’re upset by anything said, just know… ‍♂️

    2. Telling someone to keep it clean when they are on another person’s show isn’t censorship, it’s just plan hospitality. You don’t go trash someone else’s home. Crowder made his program and doesn’t want it trashed. That’s perfectly fair.

      1. Reread that part. Crowder told Landeau to keep it clean on Landea’s show

        “Landau planned a stand-up comedy special in Dallas and Crowder asked to join the lineup. Landau agreed, knowing his colleague would help promote it.”

        “Crowder allegedly would tell Landau before their live performances to “let’s keep it clean,” despite the latter’s penchant for dark, adult material.”

  2. This is clearly nonsense. Telling someone to not use bad words isn’t censorship. Poole does the same thing on his show. Crowder got bigger names to join him and Dave sounds bitter. All this being said, 8ndobthinknLandau is hilarious, he was great on timcast.

    1. To suppress or delete any content that one finds objectionable. Hmmm? . Yeah Crowder suppressed content of Dave’s and the definition of censorship is….?

  3. Not exactly the same as a contractual agreement to self censor, which DW pushes onto all of it’s employees.

    I love the guys over at DW, but that contract was egregious, you can’t claim to be fighting big tech while kowtowing to them.

    As for this, it’s literally Crowder’s show, and this just stinks of a hit piece.

    Weak tea.

    1. Didn’t you watch Jeremy’s walkthrough of Crowders term sheet? Because if you did you’d not be calling it egregious or a contract. A term sheet isn’t a contract. It’s getting an idea of what either side expects, with plenty of room to do something completely different. Maybe you have no idea what’s normal and haven’t worked in an area involving intellectual property before but I have, by being involved in producing music for media. These terms are absolutely reasonable, and way more reasonable than you’d ever hope to find anywhere else. Crowder LITERALLY expects to be paid this huge figure and provide absolutely no value whatsoever. You know that because when Jeremy make him unable to find an argument against the idea that DW can’t afford to pay him if he’s not monitizable anymore, Crowder literally argued that they should do it anyway for some social moral reason. He even tries to act like it’s not even about him, therefore arguing DW should pay everyone huge amounts regardless of whether they can’t be monitizable. The biggest joke here is Crowder would absolutely never provide the deal he claims DW should offer to anyone when he’s the one paying the bills.

      The feigned offense about DW suggesting himself is amazing, since that’s exactly what he’s been doing for years. He literally has the same exact concept. That’s why he has mugclub and says he can say stuff on mugclub that he can’t say on YouTube. That’s exactly what DW was suggesting, for the same reasons.

      Crowder chose to try and climb the success ladder by trying to steal his friends company’s subscriber base by lying about them.

  4. I am sorry to say this.I would not have ever known Dave without his Crowder co-host. I really like Dave and think he’s hilarious. I understand Crowder having to censor certain words or things that might be vulgar. It’s his show and he wants parents to be able to listen with kids around. Dave and he were great together. I hope that Dave really appreciates the exposure he got from the show.

  5. I’m still of the opinion that I can enjoy both Landau and Crowder. Crowder helps me by his references, Landau helped me because he made me laugh hard so many times.

    Very disappointed to see their dirty laundry aired.

    All the best to both.

  6. Two sides to every story. Crowder promoted Dave ALL THE TIME. I have no idea where Dave is getting any other information – as he’s on Crowder’s show. Sure Steven is truly on the edge – but that’s the life and Dave should know better – than play victim. Plus he signed a contract with Blaze – so why the ripping? I don’t see eye-to-eye with Dave if he got his deal anyway – good for him! It’s not right what he just did – because right now we only have his word – and some of this sounds contradictory.

  7. Now that Landau is gone, I’m going to go sign up for Crowder’s new Mug Club on Rumble right away. Landau is a pro-abortist leftie who wasn’t funny at all and made the show hard to watch. The old Crowder shows were great, so hopefully it will go back to that now with Landau gone.

  8. I’ve been a long time fan of Crowder but after he slandered the Daily wire for the so called, “egregious contract” as Crowder stated… I don’t personally like Crowder anymore. I will still watch his daily show because i enjoy the up to date information as to what’s going within the world and our country (U.S.A) but overall Steven Crowder does indeed have a big ego and has proven he will do anything for his show up to and including slander of his friends.

  9. He had it made at Compound Media. $150,000.00 a year to co-host a show for 2 hours a day 4 days a week. With Friday, Saturday and Sundays off to do his stand up and/or family time. But he quit to go with Crowder through an E MAIL!! Karma.

  10. I would have “censored” Dave right of the show if I had the option. I didn’t find his dirty crudeness humorous, I found it annoying to disgusting. Since it wasn’t my show, I didn’t have the option. Had I the option, he could say whatever he wanted, WHEN I wasn’t paying him.

  11. Hmm, both of these men seem quite egocentric and narcissistic to me, but then they need to be to actually believe that never having studied any form of social science, that their best bet is offering their subjective opinions as a form of fact based entertainment.
    People should really only get paid to comment on what they have either experience or education in, in my opinion. (And no, this is not a hypocritcal take. I studied archaeology, a social science and I am commenting directly on the subject of this article not paid commentary on attention grabbing social issues, please comprehend the difference).
    Crowder’s little stunt with the Daily Wire was disgraceful and only revealed that his fan base are either wilfully or actually ignorant on that particular subject given how they ignored or refused to believe the analysis of people with experience in the relevant areas.
    The information Crowder provides on his show in regard to the rest of the world is often biased and factually incorrect. He is a racist, in my opinion, and worse, simply not amusing to me on any level. I had no idea he considered himself a comedien.
    This man, Landau, is whining that someone whose target demographic are American conservative Christians didn’t want him using subjectively vulgar language that might alienate his base. The complaint is ridiculous. Humour is subjective. How does he know that everyone would have found his comments funnier than Crowder’s? It’s ver presumptuous of him since it’s possible for them to both be just as unamusing as each other.

  12. You mean crowder dictated to the people on his show how he wanted it to run??? Ohhhhhhh the humanity!!! Every single show works like this. You don’t like working on someone else’s show, go start your own….just be sure to allow your co-host and others do as they see fit….wouldnt want to be called a hypocrite or an ass.

  13. It’s nuts how many comments are missing the point that Dave was saying Crowder tried to censor the stand-up show that was originally Dave’s gig. That is consistent with Crowder’s ego thinking he controls every situation. Same thing happened on Joe Rogan years ago when Joe took HIS SHOW in direction and a topic Crowder didn’t want to talk about- SC looked like he was going to cry because he wasn’t getting his way.
    The other point Dave was trying to make was that he knows his job wasn’t to stand-out in LWC and he accepted that, but that Crowder was a jerk about how he made sure he and other people knew it.
    Crowder is not funny, so Dave or anyone else on that show will always outshine him in that category. The only reason I watch Crowder time-to-time is because he is an enemy to the left and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But dude- get a grip!

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