Disclaimer: As the intended go-to source for all information related to JonTron, it is of the utmost importance that we document everything possible regarding the YouTube Channel. Under most circumstances, things pertaining to NormalBoots' other creators, as well as information related to Jon's personal life are to be kept minimal, if they are showcased at all. However, there are times when these pieces of information need to be brought to light and recorded for educational purposes. Audiences need to be made aware of whose content they are consuming so they can make informed decisions. JonTron Wiki is a place where humor and information meet, but I must ask that discussions and edits on and relating to this page refrain from excessive jokes and gaffs. Opinions need to link to their editor's pages. Failure to comply will not be tolerated.
Jon Jafari is a human, as are we all- or at least I like to believe we are. Jon has proven time and time again that he is a decent, law-abiding citizen living in the United States of America. He voted for Obama, he respects pronouns, and he has, on numerous occasions, denounced racist caricatures and frequently has taken the piss out of Hitler and Nazis.
That being said...
Jon has some bass-ackwards views in a LOT of areas. This page aims to highlight those backwards views. Not to vilify or vindicate Jon, mind you, but to put them out objectively, so people can decide for themselves if Jon is a content creator they want to associate with or not. In addition, minor controversies, such as the hiatuses, and tertiary controversies such as the ProJared Incident and Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil's charity fraud will also be covered on this page.
Jon's Socio-Political Views & Associated Controversies[]
Sargon of Akkad, Destiny and "Great Replacement Theory"[]
On January 27th, 2017, Jon had appeared on a podcast hosted by British political commentator Carl Benjamin, perhaps better known by his alias, Sargon of Akkad. In this interview, and a later one conducted with political commentator Destiny, Jon made numerous racially-charged comments that were in line with a conspiratorial movement known as the "Great Replacement theory". Jon's ad hominem comments cited a number of unsubstantiated statistics calling attention to a supposed imbalance in crimes committed by people of different ethnicities and financial status.
What followed these interviews was a gradual downward spiral for Jon, his career and public reception for a time. Although Jon is still going strong, he's never truly apologised for the statements he's made, and to date this has alienated a number of original fans.
Sargon Interview, 1/27/17[]
Archive Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNhOfBrCHlg
Twitter Post, 3/12/17[]
Destiny Debate, 3/12/17[]
Archive Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RQA9GZprqM
Jon's Departure from NormalBoots, 3/18/17[]
NormalBoots put out a statement announcing Jon stepping down from NormalBoots around the time of the controversy. This lead to an initial misconception that he was fired for his political beliefs. It wouldn't be until the ProJared incident when it would finally be revealed that Jon had left NormalBoots due to his slower output of content, having planned to do it for some time, but ultimately buckling due to the backlash. NormalBoots stated during the initial post that Jon would remain an honorary member, however.
Jon's Statement, 3/19/17[]
Archive Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krOOThz3fJg
(The following passage seeks to interpret Jon's words literally, not scrutinize. Please watch the video archive and feel free to offer your own interpretation.)
Because of the explosive reaction, Jon decided to respond. In the now-delisted response video, Jon doesn't outright apologise for his statements, but rather clarifies that he was not prepared to talk about such topics abruptly in the midst of a debate, citing the pressure as being far greater than what he is typically used to tolerating.
He insists that his sloppy situation resulted in numerous things coming out incorrectly, and as such being misinterpreted by audience members who witnessed them. He further clarifies that his standpoint was more focused on the supposed hypocrisy of the, in his words "tribalization" of the United States, referring specifically to the nations inconsistent handling of the concept of racial equality. He speaks of how so many people push for things to be categorically segmented into racial or ethnic groups while the same people will complain when a white person speaks up in the interest of their own ethnicity, in Jon's mind manufacturing a double standard that stagnates the process of improving racial equality.
He continues, expressing frustration at how often people request conversations regarding the topic of race, but don't actually commit to the topic, citing the oversensitivity and uncomfortability of certain aspects of the conversation as being enough to end the conversation in a volatile manner. After this he brings it back to the double standard, showing numerous articles that list Caucasian people as being inherently racist, or stating that it's impossible to be racist towards whites. He shows footage of Samantha Bee blaming white people for ruining America after voting Trump into the office with Jon noting how saying anything of the sort in regards to black people, using the Obama election as an example, would have resulted in outcry.
Jon summarizes his point, stating "You can't keep banging the 'Racial Category Drum' and then be surprised and shocked when people think in racial categories." He affirms his understanding that African-Americans have had it rough in the US since the very beginning, and further emphasizes that he is aware that discrimination exists, but also stresses that the concept goes both ways; it is universally unacceptable. He expresses that he feels the country is regressing on the issue.
He then pushes over to his opinion on immigration. He states he has no issues with the concept of immigration, "when done correctly". Rather, he takes issue with things like mass immigration, noting that his parents are immigrants and that outright hatred of immigration would be a betrayal to the people he loves.
He leaves off with a final, admittedly poignant finisher. He reiterates that the pressures of the Twitch Debate left him sloppily throwing around points and statistics aimlessly, and that he believes the country would be better if the people that lived there would simply acknowledge their neighbors as Americans, "drop the hyphens" as he says. He expresses concern with how he believes America has gone down an awkward path in its development. He further reiterates that the reason these issues had even come up is primarily because they'd been eating at him for years, and he just felt like he needed to speak up, against his better judgement.
Audience Reaction[]
Jon on Vaccines[]
ProJared Incident[]
In 2019, Jared "ProJared" Knabenbauer came under fire after allegations were levied against him with regards to him supposedly sending explicit images to underage fans, alongside supposed infidelity from his ex-wife Heidi O'Ferrall. The allegations seemed damning initially (as said explicit pictures were released online) and many were quick to hop on the bandwagon, causing Jared to immediately fall silent. Jared would eventually return in a video explaining the situation in detail with a large sum of "receipts" in his words. He was able to successfully clear his name with a number of fans and his career has slowly recovered from the incident. Jared continues making content today and has seemingly fully moved on.