Jonathan Van Ness Says The Real Reason They Cried During His "Armchair Expert" Trans Rights Conversation With Dax Shepard Was Edited Out

Jonathan Van Ness is speaking out on what really happened during their appearance on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast.

Brief recap: During the episode, Dax attempted to debate JVN on trans rights issues for 25 minutes — to the point where they were "exhausted" and in tears.

During the conversation, Dax spouted anti-trans and anti-science rhetoric that, for anyone with the ability to do the tiniest bit of actual research, is fairly easy to disprove.

The whole thing was a mess. After the episode aired, Jonathan shared a screenshot of the podcast and wrote, "I don't quite have words for this yet but I will someday."

Well, Jonathan shared a clip of their upcoming appearance on Keke Palmer's Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast where they discuss the Armchair Expert incident in depth for the first time.

@jvn_official / Via tiktok.com

"If you listen to podcasts, you know what an edit is — that was an edit, and that was an edit that I asked for approval or insight into, and was not given," they explained regarding how the conversation appeared to listeners.

"So, after that conversation, I did ask for a transcript and what that was going to look or sound like, because that was quite a conversation, and I was not given insight into that."

"There were some significant pieces of that conversation that were left out that did ultimately have me in tears."

JVN also wrote in the TikTok caption, "Many of you have asked for my response to the Dax interview on Armchair Expert. This is what I’ll say for now."

So, it sounds like that's all for now — but if they speak more on it, we'll keep you updated.

Peer-support services are available at the Trans Lifeline. You can call the hotline at 1-(877)-565-8860.

If you or someone you know has experienced anti-LGBTQ violence or harassment, you can contact the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs hotline at 1-212-714-1141.