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Anti-Scientologist Aaron Smith-Levin Proves His Bigotry Extends to Persons With Disabilities
A proud misogynist and violent bully, Aaron Smith-Levin has spent nearly a decade engaging in daily harassment of the Church of Scientology and its members. But in 2023, Smith-Levin also came out as an antisemite—going so far as to joke about his own hatred for Jews—and in May of this year, Smith-Levin extended his public hate campaign to persons with disabilities.
Specifically, on May 22, Smith-Levin made the following “joke” on a YouTube podcast: “The last summer that I was there, I was just brutally molested every day by this guy with Down syndrome.” Smith-Levin then erupts in maniacal laughter, lasting for a full minute.
“How was this joke funny? This man is a sociopath.”
Apparently proud of his disgusting slur, Smith-Levin clipped his 18-second “joke” and posted it on X.
He was met with instant outrage, including from his own followers, who posted:
- “Mocking disabled people is a joke?”
- “No seriously, WTF is wrong with you.”
- “Finding humor at the expense of SA [sexual assault] victims AND our disability community. Gross.”
- “That’s a disgusting joke. Not funny at all.”
- “You are devoid of morals and empathy.”
- “You’re sick if you think that’s funny.”
- “Making fun of SA and disabled people is disgusting.”
- “Disgusting enough that you said this… but then you clip and share it. Wtf.”
- “How was this joke funny? This man is a sociopath.”
One spokesperson for a national Down syndrome foundation put it this way in speaking about Smith-Levin: “There is absolutely no place in society and our rhetoric today to demean anyone—let alone someone with Down syndrome—making them the butt of an insensitive joke like this.”
But Smith-Levin was undeterred, taking to YouTube to announce he would not be apologizing. “I very intentionally made a very offensive joke and it was premeditated,” he said, grinning. “Oh my God, I was so proud of myself.... I thought it was absolutely hilarious—and just having the opportunity to tell that joke made the entire trip [to Los Angeles] worth it.”
After Smith-Levin’s former YouTube sponsors learned of his repulsive comments, one, My Heritage, reached out to STAND to say they were “shocked.” “We’ll make sure never to work with [Aaron Smith-Levin] again,” they wrote.
