Comedy show featuring Proud Boys founder canceled at last minute in Rutherford

RUTHERFORD − A comedy show slated to feature Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, who also co-founded VICE Magazine, was canceled at the eleventh hour Thursday after police intelligence led authorities to believe the event could incite conflict, as activists were allegedly organizing a protest outside the event, police Chief John Russo said in an interview Friday.

Speaking with NorthJersey.com and The Record, Mayor Frank Nunziato said the borough was unaware of the booking until midday Thursday, when he was advised by Russo. Councilmember Maria Begg-Roberson had also received complaints from people based on social media postings about the show, he said.

"It was billed as a comedy show. When we found out later in the day it was at the Williams Center, apparently there were 200 tickets sold," Nunziato said, noting the borough has no say in the venue's scheduling. "He’s a private owner. We have no control over who he contracts with."

The event was a stop on the Cognitive Dissidents tour, which appears to be organized by Josh Denny, who describes himself on Twitter as a "'Canceled' comedian, podcaster, foodie and Libertarian." A listing for the tour on ticket vendor Eventbrite's webpage notes Denny regularly appears on McInnes' podcast. But Eventbrite does not share a full roster of comedians booked for Thursday's show.

A stop on the tour scheduled for Penn State was also canceled last month, according to multiple reports.

Russo said he reached out to McInnes on Thursday regarding why he'd advised the venue to cancel the event.

"I explained to him the situation and, obviously, he was not happy," the police chief said. "But there was no way that I could have provided adequate security with the time frame given."

An employee at the Williams Center on Friday afternoon could not comment and management was not available on-site.

Russo said he was unaware of McInnes' reputation and suggested the cancellation was purely from a security perspective, as his department's intelligence division was seeing threats made against the performer online.

"After doing research, yes, it’s easy to see there are people who take exception to what he does, which creates the security risk for me," Russo said. "I’m not going to comment on the content of this tour. And my decisions were not based on the content of his show or who he is."

He added that there was no violent clash nor any criminal arrests at the venue Thursday after the cancellation.

Nunziato has not received word as to whether the Williams Center's owner will continue working with that booker, who is not listed on the venue's website.

The Williams Center was sold to a private owner and resident last year and currently works with a third-party booker, which scheduled the appearance of the divisive political figure and media personality.

McInnes founded the Proud Boys in 2016, saying his intention was to promote "western chauvinist" values, according to The New York Times, which reported this year that McInnes officially left the group in 2018.

Yet, he's continued to refute the Proud Boys' reputation as a hate group, even suing the Southern Poverty Law Center over such a statement in 2019, USA Today reported.

Members of the Proud Boys have been accused of participating in the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, and have been a focus of the congressional probe into the siege on the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, alleging members coordinated the attack ahead of time.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article was corrected to reflect a New York Times piece that states McInnes founded the Proud Boys as a "western chauvinist" group.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Proud Boys founder nixed for comedy show at Williams Center