The conspiracy theories are poisoning American politics and dividing the American people. Michael Edward Gross (born June 21, 1947) is an American television, film, and stage actor. It's difficult to get into. Michael Gross Death Fact Check. It has to be this the elaborate global adrenochrome supply has been disrupted. Trump is posting about QAnon on Truth Social, his platform. And they say - you know, maybe it's a story about children being abused, for example. [9], Gross remains close friends with his Family Ties co-star Meredith Baxter. Many viewers who knew Michael from Primetime television were excited to see him in Daytime, and were intrigued with his interactions with his son, Michael [Christian LeBlanc], and his ex, Gloria [Judith Chapman . And it was fascinating. He even survived through . Just because one, I love Burt, but I always thought of him as this guy kind of on the fringes, and I just came to the fore because everybody else walked away.. GROSS: When was the last time Q sent a message? You just mentioned Guantanamo Bay. You know, JFK Jr. died in 1999 in a plane crash. Where does that originate? People dressed like him on Halloween. SOMMER: Yes. So that is the moment that QAnon really explodes. He's a politics reporter for The Daily Beast. [11] He is also the spokesman for the World's Greatest Hobby campaign sponsored by the Model Railroad Industry Association that promotes the hobby of model railroading. SOMMER: Sure. So then, one day, some QAnon believers said, hey, do you think that guy looks like JFK Jr.? I cover all things DC and Godzilla. You'll find lots of interviews. How did Michael Gross die? In a video obtained by TMZ, someone that looks an awful lot like the legend is seen having a night . After the Cubs won the 2016 World Series, Gross suggested his character Burt Gummer switch to a Cubs cap for Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell, replacing the Atlanta Hawks cap he had worn in the first five films of the series. The images that could reveal what happened on June 25, mysteriously disappeared from the mansion of the star. GROSS: And Alex Jones actually sends the message, I'm sick of all these witches and warlocks. It was sort of a fringe person who other QAnon believers think is a kook. That means the alternate ending was likely never meant to see the light of day. I was hanging out at the Trump Hotel, and I saw this woman wearing a JFK Jr. shirt, who was convinced that he was coming back That day. SOMMER: Sure. And now it will be officially hosted at a Trump property. And that's why in 2024, we'll just have to work extra hard to elect him. Why do they do all this bad stuff? So just go through what this one person told you about why they were there to give back the presidency to Trump. And, you know, there's an entire industry built up online focused on sucking people into QAnon. And so these people became convinced that he was JFK Jr. And what is maddening to me is that this is a guy who he knows he's not JFK Jr. Jackson was a best-selling American singer, songwriter, and dancer. He signed off on it, saying that he assumed the series was done after four, so who's to argue with seven? And so JFK Jr. saw this and said, you know, I know how sick these people are. There is sort of this QAnon criminal underground. All rights reserved. I mean, look, Biden does not look young. I interviewed Ron Watkins when he was in D.C. to speak to Congress about these mass shootings. Favorite character is between Swamp Thing and Darkwing Duck. The veteran actor has starred in several television, film, and theater productions, including "Family Ties," which launched his career. He's been following QAnon from its very beginning and was writing about the far right even before that. "And he's really pissed off at them. He had a van covered in Trump pictures. According to wikipedia still alive. "Just because one, I love Burt, but I always thought of him as this guy kind of on the fringes, and I just came to the fore because everybody else walked away.". So 8chan/8kun is an anonymous image board, and so it's essentially this very anarchic message board based on Japanese anime communities. Copyright 2023 NPR. A substance with special, energizing qualities that can only be found in the brains of children who have been sexually tortured in satanic rituals is harvested from children and distributed to top Democrats, Hollywood celebrities and bankers in the cabal. Yes, Katherine's total net worth is $120 million as of February 2023. So let's talk about attempts to find out who Q is. Will Sommer, welcome to FRESH AIR. And suddenly, QAnon splits from Alex Jones, and they become bitter enemies. He now says, well, that's meant to embarrass me. So after Biden's inauguration, I think QAnon believers were really shocked. So one of the major ones is a question of whether JFK Jr. faked his death in the '90s from a plane crash and is, in fact, still alive. Michael Gross (born June 21, 1947) is an American television, movie, and stage actor who plays both comedic and dramatic roles. It wasnt like I thought, Oh, Ive got to be in charge. No, everybody else left!, I truly am a survivalist, in more ways than one. Of course, Gross also said recently that if Universal wanted to reboot the franchise again with Burt in a minor role as the cranky survivalist neighbor -- the character's starting point, before all the other original Tremors leads fell away -- he'd be delighted for it. Alex Jones has a conspiracy theory about the conspiracy group QAnon. Thea Chaloner directed today's show. Well, I look at the state of the right right now and the way that QAnon really thrived and the way that no one who could have stopped QAnon's growth bothered to do it. She covers immigration. So it's like, who's making money? He's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet, " they said. And, of course, I mean, most obviously here, January 6 and this belief that the election in 2020 was stolen is so prevalent on the right that I think even if it doesn't - isn't known as QAnon anymore, in the same way that Pizzagate went away and sort of reemerged as QAnon, I think this conspiratorial sense on the right and this restless and sometimes violent energy is going to remain with us. I mean, so much of QAnon is about saying don't trust independent sources of truth - the media, the government, academia, scientists - because all of those people are lying, and they're conspiring to trick you. Michael J. He's talking about tunnels and cabals and mole children. [10], Gross is a passionate railfan with an extensive collection of railroad antiques. So I think this conspiratorial nature of QAnon has really gone mainstream in the GOP. And everyone thinks they're joking right up until they're not. Gross was first seen by a broad audience in his role as Steven Keaton in the 1980s sitcom Family Ties; he and his co-star Meredith Baxter, who played his wife Elyse Keaton, were born on the same day, June 21, 1947. Ill see ya. The rest of the family is mortified and doesn't know what to do to change the beliefs of the family member who's become part of QAnon, who's believing in these crazy conspiracy theories. SOMMER: There really are not a lot of options. And he's kind of cast out of the movement. And so they said, well, jeez, you know, if this guy doesn't know what he's doing, what chance do we have? So, for example, when the pandemic started and all of these TV shows had to start producing from home and talk show hosts, for example, weren't getting their daily makeup, they would say, wow, you know, this person really looks old. Michael stuck around long enough to watch his adoptive son, Mateo, speak his first words. As you say, it was a physical struggle with Satan and a fight for the soul of the world. Some of them call him the God emperor of the United States. GROSS: And what do the Watkins family, what do the father and son have to say about that? Yes, prominent Jewish people in Hollywood. "George was the love of his life and if he hadn't died I think George would still be here," he . GROSS: That's the thing. It's - the QAnon person she was quoting from wasn't even a mainline QAnon person. Now, once they move it over to 8chan, he then - whoever runs Q loses control of it. And then suddenly, it's being packaged in this way that almost looks like a news network. Copyright 2022, Bounding Into Comics. Joh'Vonnie. And then the filmmaker said, well, do you mean you're Q? Michael Jackson is alive! His reporting has made him a target of QAnon, making it essential for him to wear disguises when he shows up at their rallies. But because she was a QAnon believer - and she was holding a giant Q on a staff maybe twice her height - she said she wasn't just there to, you know, see Trump reinstated or see him get another four years or disrupt the vote count. So this - but at its core, it is this idea of this kind of satanic or this occult ritual involving children's blood. Spoilers ahead for Tremors: Shrieker Island, out today. I should say, 8chan also became notorious as a place for mass shooters to post their manifestos and to livestream their actions. Ever since, millions of fans worldwide have come to believe the singer's death was a hoax and that he was still alive and well. SOMMER: Sure. She said that she was there because she believed that world elites keep children in tunnels where they drain them of their blood - they call them mole children - and that she believed that, you know, the sort of the greatest forces in the world were committing horrible crimes against children and that there had to be this kind of climactic moment that she believed would be that day. This is FRESH AIR. As I said before, you know, I've been laughing at some of the wild QAnon conspiracy theories. James Gunn Reveals New Superman, Batman Movies and More, seems to set up the end of the long-running franchise, Tremors: Shrieker Island Star Michael Gross on The Movie's Shocking Ending, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Quantumania Exclusive Interview | Phase Zero ft. Jeff Loveness, Jonathan Majors Shares His Original Reaction to Being Cast as the MCU's Kang, Wicked Movie Star Cynthia Erivo Teases Differences From Stage Musical, Avatar 3: James Cameron Teases Possible Connection to Disney Theme Park, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan and Heat Actor, Dead at 61, David Harbour Recalls Viral Interview Moment for We Have a Ghost, Scream VI Releases Demi Lovato's "Still Alive" Music Video, Shazam! GROSS: This is a problem that has faced a lot of families whose children have joined cult groups. He's posting pictures of himself wearing Qs, stuff like this. It wasn't his idea, but that is not to say that Gross felt forced out. And it makes them seem young and vigorous. And so instead, you should trust random guy with a YouTube channel or random person with a Twitter or Telegram account. SOMMER: Oh, absolutely. And then that was really the start of it for him, as his son sort of withdrew from the world and became obsessed with QAnon. Watch. By Neil Genzlinger. I'm Terry Gross. That is far from the only "Michael Jackson is still alive" conspiracy theory floating around the internet. This child went missing in England, and this rumor began that the local Jewish population had kidnapped him and murdered him in a ritual to get blood to create bread for Passover. Michael Peterson had been forced to sell his assets, including the family home, to pay legal fees, leaving him broke. GROSS: And also, you know, if your beliefs aren't based on logic, logic will have a hard time undoing those beliefs. All rights reserved. It was kind of like the second coming or something, and I just can't understand why, of all people, Trump became this messianic figure. But he still shows up at these events, and sometimes he'll wear a JFK Jr. shirt. He lives together in a house in La Canada Flintridge, California, United States. Model Railroad Industry Association (2005), Last edited on 19 February 2023, at 08:01, Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story, "Exclusive: Michael Gross Talks Tremors 5", "Michael Gross Receiving Best Act Award for Tremors 3 | Stampede Entertainment", "Meet 'Family Ties' Star Michael Gross' Beautiful Wife of 35 Years Elza Bergeron", "Michael Gross Has A 'Recurring Nightmare' About Doing A 'Family Ties' Reboot (EXCLUSIVE)", "Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross Maintain 'Ties', The Celebrity Collector - Michael Gross, his family tree and his collections are rooted in the railroad, World's Greatest Hobby campaign keeps model railroading on the right track for the future, "What's Here A message from Michael Gross", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Gross_(actor)&oldid=1140265324, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 08:01. So often it is someone who is perhaps into eccentric internet things already, albeit comparatively harmless ones, like Bitcoin or maybe sort of natural wellness, or alternative health things like oils or maybe a multi-level marketing scheme. I'm going to have to Google this QAnon thing. But when that happened, they got really concerned. GROSS: Let's talk about antisemitism and QAnon. So what are some of the patterns that you see in what family members who come to you tell you? However, it is not recommended that a "Family Ties" reunion be brought up to the actor as his answer to that question remains as: GROSS: If those two are behind it, if the people who run 8kun are behind it, does that mean that they're doing it just to get more followers, and therefore to maybe make more money? I spoke with a woman named Teresa (ph) who had come from the Midwest to come out to D.C. Yes. I mean, they - the - QAnon's sort of a movement that - they just can't believe in Occam's razor, the most obvious solution. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. So tell us a little bit about 8kun and its predecessor, 8chan, and how they have been linked to either knowing or being Q. SOMMER: Sure. The fans certainly havent walked away. I mean, we think about Ron DeSantis pushing this idea that every gay teacher is a groomer or that - or now we see Donald Trump revving up and sort of implying that DeSantis is a pedophile. By subscribing, you agree to receive email communication from Bounding Into Comics. So Q ends up on 8chan, where - there's an interesting moment. Thank you. In the year 1944 Michael won a scholarship to Hockey Downs School. You have to terrorize them in a satanic ritual. Appearing in countless television classics, including Baywatch and Knight Rider, the actor was all anyone could talk about throughout the 90s. In a film that sees the veteran survivalist tell another character that there's no winning against the monsters he fights, "just survival," Gross takes on a version of Burt that is looking backward (including potentially reuniting with old flame Jas (Caroline Langrishe). So ReAwaken America is sort of - it's a very popular pro-Trump road show, essentially, that travels the country. The 1988 Elvis Presley phone call. Gross is a fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. And when I was reading them, I was so struck by how QAnon had really reached the top ranks of the government. This is FRESH AIR. Why do you - what makes you say that? He was somebody who was going to right all the wrongs in the world and turn the world into a more utopian place. So the advice is often to, you know, maintain the relationship, which can be very difficult, and sort of just hope that the QAnon believer will snap out of it themselves. And I said, you know, that guy looks nothing like JFK Jr. And she said, you know, haven't you ever heard of special effects? This substance called adrenochrome is a liquid fountain of youth that will help keep the users alive. Gross talked about nothing but that and Burt with ComicBook.com recently. Since his release from prison on bond in 2011 and his official release in 2017, Peterson has returned to his passion for writing . And what was that message? And so he was running this website. Disclosure Information: Some of the organizations with products on our site may pay us a referral fee or affiliate commission when you click to apply for those products. He warns that QAnon isn't a one-time phenomenon. SOMMER: Yeah. His other notable works include Big Business, Batman Beyond, ER, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and How I Met Your Mother. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. I mean, just Vincent Fusca alone, this guy who, you know, he knows is sort of impersonating JFK Jr. - there is comedy there. Accuracy and availability may vary. They look back to these fake documents and say, see, this was talking about adrenochrome. 2, it draws on so many of the tropes and the plotlines, if you will, that he's been promoting for decades. SOMMER: Yes. "And everybody else is like, 'Nah, I've had enough. He's been reporting on QAnon since it began. Dec. 10, 2021. 20 pieces of proof will shock you. Recently, the 60-year-old explained that while he doesn't fear death, he's "happy . So it was actually a few months ago. And he's a guy with sort of a thin mustache, a - middle-aged. You have tried to track down Q's identity. It's hidden. He is an amateur railroad historian, photographer, modeler, and part-owner in a working railroad, the Santa Fe Southern Railway, a former branch line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway which operates between Lamy and Santa Fe, New Mexico. I mean, it really is - as ridiculous as it seems, it is a viable movement for many. Haven't you ever heard of Tyler Perry and Madea? But in a way, QAnon no longer needs Q. I think as people started to suspect that - QAnon believers initially believed it was someone close to Trump, like Michael Flynn, for example, or maybe Don Jr. But, you know, it's very difficult. This is because he was jailed for life, and he hasn't been able to make any money since then. - he would say, well, I don't know what you're talking about, so a very slippery character. If Elvis Presley were alive, he would have turned 86-years-old in January 2021. And they started to say, well, maybe Q was just a guy in his mom's basement, but what he taught us was real. But the question is who's going to make money from it? Michael Gross Birthday and Age. And because there are so few resources for this issue, I often find myself fielding questions from family members who have lost someone to QAnon. He is regarded to be one of the 20th century's most influential cultural icons. It is dangerous. I always said, if Kevin Bacon or Fred or Reba or anybody [wanted to return], Id be there in a minute, he shared. I was at a QAnon conference when it happened, and everyone was saying, oh, Q's back, Q's back. Michael J. Michael Gross has been celebrated as a true miracle since his 1982 World Cup. It's about heaven and hell. Celebrity Net Worth Revealed: The 55 Richest Actors Alive in 2023. And then, in a sort of more mundane but similarly tragic way, there are also just all of these families that have been destroyed by QAnon, where suddenly someone in the family starts saying, well, you know, I got this crazy story about Hillary Clinton to tell you. And we're also seeing the - I think the idea that we - that Republicans got from QAnon, that you could sort of just casually call your political opponents pedophiles or accuse them of being involved in conspiracies to corrupt children, that this is - has become mainstream in the Republican Party. Lo and behold, this is our Top 60 of celebrities that have been caught smoking or, Celebrities dont always wear makeup anymore. Is Michael Gross still alive? Michael Gross Birthday. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. So it is just a deluge of content, a lot of it pornographic. He looks like he's been through an earthquake, crushed by a house, but he's alive. In his book, the Hunter S. Thompson character receives a drug called adrenochrome from another character, and that guy says, you know, you can only get this from a pedophile. And then suddenly they just fall into QAnon. SOMMER: (Laughter) Yeah, it's very mind-boggling. And then Q has revved up as of the fall and, you know, same kind of cryptic messages - stay the course, patriots, these kind of things. Michael Gross. And so let's talk a little bit about the dangers.