Definitely not the side of Theo Von we’re used to seeing.
The comedian and podcaster has become one of the biggest names in comedy over the past few years thanks to his unfiltered and unique thoughts on his podcast This Past Weekend. During this past Presidential election, he gained notoriety after interviewing then-candidates JD Vance and Donald Trump.
And speaking of President Trump, Theo just joined him for part of his Middle East trip, and during an appearance this morning, the president spoke to troops at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where Theo also greeted troops and did a few minutes of stand-up:
Theo Von warmup act in Qatar for Trump – full video pic.twitter.com/DfM6HfCsrM
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) May 15, 2025
Theo joked about the fight in that set, which occurred at The Twelve Thirty Club in Nashville on May 2nd, just before Theo did two nights of stand-up as part of his Return of the Rat tour at Bridgestone Arena. You see a man with birthday balloons walk up and try to talk to Theo, who looks visibly annoyed. There’s not much context, but after the guy gets very much in Theo’s personal space, you see him grab the guy by the neck and push him back.
Theo proceeds to say something else to him (I can’t quite make it out), and you can hear someone in the background telling “Jason” to stop, which I’m assuming is the name of the balloon guy antagonizing this.
TMZ obtained footage of the incident, and an eyewitness told them that Theo used “crushing force” and was not joking or messing around, which is typically all we see him do. Another source says the balloon guy was there with a group of people, and had “repeatedly harassed” Theo, using “threatening language” and telling him they wanted to “screw with him on camera.”
I’m inclined to believe that Theo probably was being harassed, because he’s widely regarded as one of the nicest people in the comedy world, and one who is generally willing to mingle with fans. Of course, this is only a short video, but you can watch for yourself here:
Honestly, it’s so weird seeing him like that… the opposite of the funny, self-deprecating guy he portrays on his podcast and in stand-up, but everyone has a breaking point and I think being threatened by some random with balloons who won’t leave you alone would do it for a lot of people.
Jason Saitta, the guy in the video who “got choked out by Theo Von,” as he puts it, also shared a video explaining his side of the story, saying it’s not what it looked like in the video. He says he’s a Nashville musician who had finished a gig playing there, on his birthday, and wanted to get a video popping his birthday balloons with Theo. He says he was respectful and waiting on another fan to finish talking to him because he didn’t want to interrupt.
Jason says he went up and asked if Theo would pop the balloons with him, and Theo immediately turns his head and dismisses him. He told Theo he was a fan and “just messing” with him, Theo says something else to him you can’t hear, and that’s when Theo grabbed his neck and pushed him back.
Jason says he was a week out from vocal cord surgery, though he was thankful he didn’t end up with any “career-ending” damage, which seems wildly dramatic and makes is very difficult to take you seriously, but anyways, here’s what he had to say:
“What happened was a completely uncalled for reaction, especially when you consider the facts that nobody in my party had been badgering him for hours, we hadn’t even talked to him, this was a fourteen second interaction and that was it. As an entertainer in downtown Nashville, I get being overwhelmed by crowds and people coming up to you all the time…
I’m post surgery, I was one week back from recovery, this could have ended my career, but luckily there was no damage to my vocal cords or neck. I’m not trying to get any sympathy or anything out of this, I just want people to know that the celebrities you see on camera can be completely different people in real life, you don’t know. Thank you for listening to the truth.”
We might get to hear Theo’s side of the story on his podcast eventually, but I think it’s a good lesson to be careful when you approach a celebrity in public like that, even if you have good intentions… this guy claims he did, but then proceeds to blast Theo online and sell the video to TMZ.
Like he mentioned, Theo was talking and interacting with other fans who walked up to him, so maybe he didn’t like the way this guy just expected him to make a video or something? Who knows, but I think when someone turns their back to you like that, you just need to walk away… for someone who claims to be mobbed by crowds all the time, you’d think he’d be able to understand when someone wants you to go away.
I’ve never heard of Theo really ever having a bad interaction with a fan around Nashville, so needless to say I’m pretty skeptical here. Bothering someone to make a video go viral, running to TMZ, and then playing the victim like he violently assaulted you isn’t a good look, Jason. And honestly, all the “omg! I’m so sorry you had to experience this. I’m so glad you’re ok” comments on Jason’s video are wild… you’re a grown man who got up in someone’s face and got pushed back, you weren’t hit by a car. He says he isn’t looking for sympathy, but everything he said in the video would indicate otherwise.
TMZ says they spoke with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and they had responded to a misdemeanor assault complaint on May 4th having to do with this incident, though they confirmed no action will be taken concerning it. Although, I’m sure we’ll see a civil lawsuit coming after he survived such a violent encounter…
The fans were overwhelmingly on Theo’s side, and lit up the comments section:
“Theo W.”
“Theo is one of the kindest souls in the world. Theo W is all I see.”
“I’ll wait to hear Theo share this story.”
“Theo is so calm and collected. He is a vessel of past trauma…. I would never want to see him angry.”
“I don’t need an explanation. I support it!”
“He is a real one! Good for him.”
“Theo is a national treasure and must be protected at all costs.”
“Theo innocent he could’ve slapped that dude. People don’t understand personal space.”
“If Balloon boy did this to a random guy at a Nashville bar he might have been knocked out.”
“Funny way to say Theo got someone out of his personal space.”
“Get out of his personal space then.”
“How embarrassing it would be to get manhandled while holding balloons.”
“Normalize punching people within your personal space.”
“People need to learn to respect people space and not harass them, good for Theo.”
“More respect for Theo after this.”
“Theo Von got that DAWG in ’em.”
“No amount of anything could make any of us hate Theo fam.”
“Team Theo. Idc what happened.”
“He touching him. Don’t touch people and get in their faces.”
“Theo ain’t in the wrong he warned him!! You could tell just by body language alone that guy was being an obnoxious drunk.”
“That ain’t no fan bro. That’s a dude playing a stupid game and got stupid prize.”
If the Rat King turns his back on you, I’d take that as a signal to just walk away. In this day and age of social media, I think people can honestly be too comfortable asking things of entertainers they don’t know like that, and I think it’s a good lesson on how and when it’s appropriate or warranted to do so.
Also, you’re a grown man walking around with birthday balloons? C’mon…
