A live online episode of Gavin McInnes' Censored show last Thursday was interrupted by what seemed to a group of people barging into the studio off camera.
"We're shooting a show, can we do this another time?" McInnes said to a person supposedly off camera. The self-described "Western chauvinist" and Proud Boys founder then said that he should get a lawyer. For the next hour, the camera recorded an empty chair.
Speculation as to whether the incident was a stunt immediately began to swirl among both fans and opponents of McInnes, whose vocal support of Donald Trump and association with the far-right Proud Boys has made him one of the most hated figures on the right, The Daily Beast reports.
Some wondered if the Proud Boy connection was behind the arrest, especially since members of the group have been indicted for seditious conspiracy in relation to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. But nearly a week after the incident, many of McInnes' fans believe that he faked his disappearance in a bid for attention.
"The local and federal law enforcement agencies that could potentially have arrested McInnes have all denied involvement, and McInnes hasn't been charged with any crimes. Now McInnes, still laying low, is facing backlash from his former allies and supporters over the hoax," reports The Daily Beast.
"Gavin McInnes has never spent a day in prison," fumed Matthew Walker, a Tennessee Proud Boys leader, in a Telegram post. "7 of my friends are in there because of him!"
