Baked Alaska | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anthime Joseph Gionet 1987 or 1988 (age 37–38)[1] Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. |
| Other names | Tim Gionet Tim Treadstone |
| Education | Azusa Pacific University (BS) |
| Occupation(s) | Influencer Livestreamer |
| Known for | Alt-right personality |
Anthime Joseph "Tim"Gionet (born 1987 or 1988),[1] more commonly known asBaked Alaska, is an Americanfar-right influencer[2][3][4][5] who gained notoriety through his advocacy on behalf ofalt-right andwhite supremacist ideology.[6][7][8][9][10] He has also used the aliasTim Treadstone.[10]
Prior to his 2016 transformation into an alt-right activist, Gionet was initially a rapper and Internetprankster. He later worked as a commentator forBuzzFeed, where he supportedlibertarian andprogressive political positions and marched in support ofBlack Lives Matter.[10] In 2016, Gionet turned to the politics ofDonald Trump and the alt-right in what he described as a rejection of "political correctness".[10] By 2017, Gionet's political views hadradicalized; that year, he began to use hissocial media platform andInternet activism to promoteracist andantisemitic ideologies, which included sharingneo-Nazi content on social media.[8] He also played a role in the 2017 white supremacistUnite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
At the beginning of 2019, Gionet claimed to have changed his views and released videos in which he denounced the alt-right andmeme culture as sources of terrorism and violence. As part of an attempt to rebrand himself, he gave a series of interviews condemning the alt-right and expressed plans to establish a non-profit organization in order toteach anti-racism to white supremacists. In November 2019, Gionet reverted to his earlier politics, professing far-right ideology and collaborating with the white nationalistGroyper movement.[11] He then began to earn notoriety for hislivestreams, in which he would antagonize or harass bystanders, resulting in anassault charge in December 2020.[12][13][14]
Originally known as anextremely online personality, Baked Alaska was graduallybanned from most mainstream social media platforms.[15] In January 2021, Gionet livestreamed theU.S. Capitol building breach by apro-Trump mob, which was found to be a violation of his release.[16] It was later reported that Gionet's footage was used by theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to identify other trespassers.[17] Gionet was later arrested by federal agents that month in connection with his activities at the Capitol.[18][19] He was released pending trial and continued livestreaming while facing federal charges.[20][21] On January 10, 2023, Gionet was sentenced to 60 days in jail.[22] Gionet waspardoned by Donald Trump on January 20, 2025.[23]
Gionet was born inAnchorage, Alaska, to a family of eight. His father is a pharmacist and his mother is a nurse. Both his parents are devoutChristians who operate a non-profit organization aimed at promoting Christianity and providing medical supplies to orphanages in easternRussia. During his formative years, Gionet was actively involved in his parents' charity and went to Russia with them numerous times. Five of his siblings were adopted from Russia.[10] As an adolescent, Gionet spent a year and a half in the Russian city ofPetropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. He later said that part of his "chaotic nature" may have stemmed from this experience.[24]
In 2006, Gionet left Alaska forLos Angeles and attendedAzusa Pacific University,[10] where he graduated with aBachelor of Science inmarketing.[25]
While working atWarner Records, Gionet was a social media and marketing intern forWarped Tour.Kevin Lyman gave him the nickname "Alaska" in reference to where he grew up. In order to make it more "unique", Gionet changed the nickname to "Baked Alaska", areference to him being amarijuana user and a play on thedessert of the same name.[10]
In 2011, Gionet worked forCapitol Records for a short time, before pursuing his own career inrap music with a "wild,redneck, kick-ass" persona. He kept his nickname Baked Alaska as astage name.[10] His rap songs used a satirical tone[25] and traded on his Alaskan roots, with titles like "I Live on Glaciers"[1] or "I Climb Mountains".[10] In 2013, theAnchorage Daily News published a profile of Baked Alaska, describing him as a "comedy/music video artist".[25]
Gionet also posted many humorous videos onVine where he became known as aprankster, achieving some online popularity. A video of him pouring a gallon of milk on his face attracted several millions of views.[26][15] In 2013, he called himself a "cross betweenWeird Al,Lonely Island,Borat andJackass".[25]
Gionet attempted to promote his rap career by producing several professionally-made videos, which failed to becomeviral. While in Los Angeles, he was also involved in the party scene and had issues with drugs and alcohol, leading him to seek professional help to get sober. Unhappy with his life in Los Angeles and the lack of progress of his musical career, Gionet was about to return to Alaska when his social media skills and popularity on Vine led him to be hired byBuzzFeed.[10]
From 2015 to 2016, Gionet worked forBuzzFeed as asocial media strategist, and later commentator. He first managedBuzzFeed's Vine account, then took over one of itsTwitter accounts.[26] As he had done during his rap career, Gionet was protective of his real name while he worked atBuzzFeed; most of his colleagues knew him only as "Alaska" and some of his employers believed his family name was "Treadstone", after another of his aliases.[1]
Gionet first identified politically as alibertarian, supportingRand Paul's 2016 presidential campaign and thelegalization of marijuana, and participating inBlack Lives Matter street demonstrations.[10] For a time, he kept aBernie Sanders poster at his desk, but later started wearingMAGA hats around the office.[26] Gionet says he leftBuzzFeed and turned to the politics ofDonald Trump and the alt-right in rejection of "political correctness". He commented in 2017 that "BuzzFeed turned [him] into a monster".[10]
After leavingBuzzFeed in 2016, Gionet traveled asMilo Yiannopoulos'Dangerous Faggot Tour manager. He later stopped working for Yiannopoulos, who reportedly found his views too extreme.[10][27]
In May 2016, Gionet was introduced to then-candidate Donald Trump, and Trump signed Gionet's arm next to where he had Trump's face tattooed.[10] Later that month, Gionet released the song "MAGA Anthem", which featured pro-Trump lyrics and amassed more than 100,000 views onYouTube.Mike Cernovich then hired Gionet to work on a project dedicated to gathering Trump supporters.[27] Following the2016 presidential election, Gionet continued his pro-Trump activism, delivering speeches and participating in multiple rallies.[28][29][30]
Gionet was also known for spearheading the #DumpKelloggs and #TrumpCuphashtag campaigns.[31] #TrumpCup was a Twitter trend in November 2016; following allegations that aStarbucks employee refused to write "Trump" on a cup, Gionet began a campaign instructing patrons to claim their name was "Trump", forcing baristas to write it. Thehashtag trended with more than 27,000 tweets in the span of two days.[32][33][34][35] #DumpKelloggs was an attempted boycott in response toKellogg pulling ads fromBreitbart.[31]
In late 2016, conflict arose between Cernovich and Gionet when Gionet madeantisemitic remarks on Twitter, claiming the media was "run in majority by Jewish people". Gionet was disinvited fromDeploraBall, an unofficialinaugural ball for the alt-right. Gionet later mended his relationship with Cernovich, saying that he had been "heated" when he made those posts, and that he had misspoken.[10][36][37][38][39][40]
In February 2017, Gionet called for a boycott ofNetflix in response to the announcement ofDear White People. He claimed that the show was "anti-white" and promoted "white genocide".[41][42] In July 2017, Gionet wrote and self-published a book,Meme Magic Secrets Revealed, through Amazon.[10] The book was removed as a copyright violation due to its use ofPepe the Frog on the cover.[43][44] Also that year, Gionet participated in an alt-right rally outside theLincoln Memorial inWashington, D.C., and later addressed participants at the white nationalistUnite the Right rally inCharlottesville, Virginia, on August 11, 2017.[27] At the Unite the Right rally, he marched and chanted, "You will not replace us", "White Lives Matter", and "I'm proud to be white".[45] Gionet wasmaced by unknown assailants during the rally; a video which showed him pouring milk on his face to try to neutralize the chemical went viral in September 2017.[15][46]
On social media, Gionet has frequently promoted theFourteen Words, a white supremacist slogan.[47][46][48] He has also hosted an onlinetalk show in which he interviewed far-right personalities such asneo-NaziRichard B. Spencer.[49] He was permanently banned from Twitter after posting a photoshopped image ofLaura Loomer, aJewish far-right activist, inside agas chamber.[10] In December 2022, Gionet had his original Twitter account reinstated.
Since 2016, Gionet has frequently changed his political ideology, and has on various occasions oscillated between far-right ideology and anti-racist progressivism. After years of promoting white nationalist and alt-right politics, in March 2019, Gionet attempted to rebrand himself as a reformed ex-racist, who had come to recognize that the alt-right andmeme culture were hateful and led to terrorism and violence. He released an emotional video apologizing for his past participation in meme culture, and stated: "I was brainwashed, I felt like I was part of a cult". Gionet also alleged a link between meme culture and theChristchurch mosque shootings, and warned of conservatives becoming radicalized to the far-right.[50][51] In the course of his attempted rebranding, Gionet claimed in an interview withThe Daily Beast that he was never serious about far-right politics, and thought that the alt-right "was just fun memes and jokes and edgy4chan posting" until he "got to the end of this rabbit hole and realized these guys are serious".[50] Gionet purportedly abandoned his support for President Trump, and began promoting2020 Democratic presidential candidateAndrew Yang, such as in his rap music video "Yang Gang Anthem".[50]
Without finding success in this rebranding,[52] Gionet relocated toPhoenix, Arizona, by July 2019. Helivestreamed at a left-wing protest, alternately pretending to be a reporter and protester, antagonizing journalists, and provoking protesters on camera.[52]
In November 2019, Gionet officially reverted his politics. He deleted his apology videos, and began collaborating with the white nationalistGroyper movement in its "trolling" ofTurning Point USA rallies.[11]
From 2019, Gionet became known for his livestreams in which he often filmed himself variously annoying, harassing, insulting and sometimespepper spraying bystanders at the whims of his audience.[12][13][14][26]
During 2020, in the midst of theCOVID-19 pandemic, Gionet would film himself trespassing on privately owned establishments thatrequire the wearing of face coverings, while refusing to wear one. He would mock and insult employees of these establishments for wearing masks, and refuse to leave when told to do so.[14] He eventually posted on social media that he had contractedCOVID-19.[26]
As he livestreamed, Gionet received donations from his audience. He was reportedly paid tens of thousands of dollars by Internet viewers who found his conduct amusing, or agreed with the political messages. In October 2020, he was banned fromYouTube for his repeated illegal behavior.[53] Later on, he used the streaming service IP2Always.Win, which is known for hosting similar videos.[54]
| January 6 United States Capitol attack |
|---|
| Timeline •Planning |
| Background |
2020 presidential election and other causes |
| Participants |
|
| Aftermath |
On January 6, 2021, Gionet participated in theattack on the U.S. Capitol in support of then-President Trump.[26][55][56][57] Due to bans from other platforms, Gionet used the serviceDLive to livestream his actions outside and inside the building.[19] About 16,000 people watched his Capitol livestream.[1] DLive later suspended several accounts, removed broadcasts, and suspended earnings of those who participated in the Capitol riot, including Gionet's.[58][59] Gionet was also banned fromTikTok following these events.[60] On January 13, it was reported that Gionet's livestream was being used by theFBI to identify and track down suspects who had broken into the Capitol building, some of whom Gionet had interviewed.[17]
Gionet was arrested in multiple livestreamed instances oftrespassing andassault, including pepper spraying abouncer, inScottsdale, Arizona, in December 2020.[14] Following this particular incident, Gionet was found guilty of assault, disorderly conduct, and criminal trespass, allmisdemeanors.[61][21] On January 13, 2022, Gionet was sentenced to 30 days in jail.[62][63][64]
On January 14, 2021, Gionet failed to appear at a court hearing in Scottsdale in which prosecutors aimed to revoke hispre-trial release that had been granted after his December 2020 arrest related to the incident with the bouncer.[16] Prosecutors argued that Gionet had violated his bail conditions multiple times in relation to the 2021 Capitol attack: by leaving the state of Arizona, by knowingly entering and remaining on the Capitol grounds without lawful authority, and by violently entering and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.[65] An Arizona judge issued awarrant for Gionet's arrest due to breach of bail conditions.[66] He was apprehended by the FBI inHouston, Texas, on January 15, 2021.[18][19]
On November 3, 2021,Maricopa County prosecutors charged Gionet with misdemeanorcriminal damage and attempted criminal damage over an incident in which Gionet allegedly defaced aHanukkah display. The charges relate to a livestream from December 19, 2020, during which Gionet recorded himself tearing a "Happy Hanukkah" sign from amenorah in front of theArizona State Capitol, saying "No more 'Happy Hanukkah', only 'Merry Christmas'".[21]
In July 2022, Gionet pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing inside a Capitol building, a misdemeanor.[67] In January 2023, he was sentenced to 60 days in jail.[22] The randomly-assigned judge in the case, District Judge Trevor McFadden, said his actions prior to sentencing showed his lack of remorse. In December 2022, Gionet tweeted "i can't believe i'm going to jail for annft salesman," referencingDonald Trump.[68]
On January 20, 2025, after beginning hissecond term in office, President Trumpissued pardons to roughly 1,500 other individuals charged with crimes connected to January 6, including Gionet. Gionet celebrated the pardon onX (formerly Twitter), writing: "Thank you to everyone who has always supported me over the years. It's a bit emotional for me knowing 1,500 patriots were just freed. My probation is terminated. God is so good."[69]
alt-right powerhouses Richard Spencer and Baked Alaska
