Jordan Bernt Peterson (born 12 June 1962) is a Canadian psychologist, author, and media commentator. He received widespread attention in the late 2010s for his views on cultural and political issues. Often described asconservative, Peterson self-identifies as aclassical liberal andtraditionalist.
In 2018, he paused both his clinical practice and teaching duties and published his second book,12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. Promoted with a world tour, it became a bestseller in several countries. In 2019 and 2020, Peterson suffered health issues related tobenzodiazepene dependence. In 2021, he published his third book,Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, resigned from the University of Toronto, and returned topodcasting. In 2022, Peterson became chancellor of the newly launchedRalston College, a private,unaccredited,liberal arts college inSavannah, Georgia, United States. His various lectures and conversations, available mainly on YouTube and podcasts, have garnered millions of views and plays.
Early life
Jordan Bernt Peterson was born on 12 June 1962 inEdmonton, Alberta.[2] He is the oldest of three siblings, with a younger sister and a younger brother, born to Walter (1937–2024) and Beverley Peterson (1939–2024).[3][4] Beverley was a librarian at the Fairview campus ofGrande Prairie Regional College, and Walter was a school teacher ofNorwegian ancestry.[5][6] Peterson grew up in a mildly Christian household.[7]
In junior high school, Peterson became friends withRachel Notley and her family. Notley became leader of theAlberta New Democratic Party and the 17thpremier of Alberta.[8] Peterson was a member of theNew Democratic Party (NDP) from ages 13 to 18.[9][10] As a teenager, Peterson decided that "religion was for the ignorant, weak and superstitious" and hoped for a left-wing revolution, a hope that lasted until he met left-wing activists in college.[7]
Peterson then returned to the University of Alberta and received a BA inpsychology in 1984.[13] In 1985, he moved to Montreal to attendMcGill University where he earned his PhD inclinical psychology under the supervision ofRobert O. Pihl in 1991, and remained as apost-doctoral fellow at McGill'sDouglas Hospital until June 1993, working with Pihl andMaurice Dongier.[11][14] While at McGill University and the Douglas Hospital, Peterson conducted research into familial alcoholism and its associated psychopathologies, such as childhood and adolescent aggression andhyperactive behaviour.[9]
From July 1993 to June 1998, Peterson lived inArlington, Massachusetts, while teaching and conducting research at Harvard University, where he was hired as an assistant professor in the psychology department. AuthorGregg Hurwitz, a former student of Peterson's at Harvard, has cited Peterson as an inspiration of his, and psychologist Shelley Carson, former PhD student and now professor at Harvard, recalled that Peterson's lectures had "something akin to a cult following", stating, "I remember students crying on the last day of class because they wouldn't get to hear him anymore."[1] Following his position at Harvard, Peterson returned to Canada in 1998 to become afull professor at theUniversity of Toronto.[13][15]
In February 2018, Peterson entered into an agreement with theCollege of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) after a professional misconduct complaint about his communication and the boundaries he sets with his patients. The college did not consider a full disciplinary hearing necessary and accepted Peterson entering into a three-month undertaking to work on prioritizing his practice and improving his patient communications. Peterson had no prior disciplinary punishments or restrictions on his clinical practice.[20][21] In March 2020, the CPO's Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) investigated statements made by Peterson which were alleged to be "transphobic, sexist, racist" and "not in keeping with any clinical understanding of mental health".[22] They concluded their investigation without making any orders but expressed concern that "the manner and tone in which Dr. Peterson espouses his public statements may reflect poorly on the profession of psychology" and advised him to "offer [his] opinions and comments in a respectful tone in order to avoid a negative perception toward the profession of psychology."[22]
In November 2022, the ICRC ordered Peterson to complete a specified continuing education or remedial program regarding professionalism in public statements.[22][27][28] The ICRC concluded that some of the language used in his public statements between January and June 2022 "may be reasonably regarded by members of the profession as disgraceful, dishonourable and/or unprofessional" and that his statements "posed moderate risk of harm to the public" by "undermining public trust in the profession of psychology".[22] They also concluded that he "appeared to be engaging in degrading comments about a former client and making demeaning jokes on the Joe Rogan experience".[22]
Peterson during a podcast interview in August 2023
Peterson denied any wrongdoing and filed for judicial review.[29][27] Peterson's appeal was reviewed in August 2023 by a panel of three judges of theOntario Divisional Court, who unanimously upheld the college's initial decision[30] concluding that the ICRC's reasoning in their 2022 decision was "transparent, intelligible, justifiable, and reasonable" and ordered Peterson to pay the CPO $25,000 in legal costs.[22] The decision was upheld on appeal to theCourt of Appeal for Ontario in January 2024.[31] In August 2024, theSupreme Court of Canada declined to hear an appeal from the appeal court decision, closing Peterson's legal options for resisting the social media training.[32]
In October 2024, Canadian prime ministerJustin Trudeau said under oath that Peterson was funded by Russian state-owned media outletRT. In response, Peterson said he was considering legal action.[33]
Peterson's third book,Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, was released on 2 March 2021.[41] On 23 November 2020, his publisher Penguin Random House Canada (PRH Canada) held aninternal town hall where many employees criticized the decision to publish the book.[42]
Social media
Jordan B Peterson
Former profile picture used on Peterson's channels
In 2013, Peterson registered a YouTube channel named JordanPetersonVideos,[43] and immediately began uploading recordings of lectures and interviews. From 2014, uploads include recordings from two of his classes atUniversity of Toronto ("Personality and Its Transformations" and "Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief").[44] In March 2016, after three years of basic uploading of course videos, Peterson announced an interest to clean existing content and improve future content.[45] The channel gathered more than 1.8 million subscribers and his videos received more than 65 million views as of August 2018.[18][46]
Twitter
On 29 June 2022, Peterson's Twitter account was suspended under the site's "hateful conduct policy" after posting a tweetmisgendering anddeadnaming transgender actorElliot Page, calling his physician "a criminal".[47][48] Peterson said he was notified that he would be required to delete the tweet in order to restore access to his account, which he said he "would rather die than do".[49][47] YouTube has demonetized two of Peterson's videos, one about his Twitter suspension and another video where he saidgender-affirming care was "Nazi medical experiment-level wrong."[50] Peterson's Twitter account was restored in November 2022 afterElon Muskacquired the company.[51]
Other media
From early 2017, funding for projects dramatically increased through his use ofPatreon. Peterson hired a production team to film his 2017 psychology lectures at the University of Toronto. Donations received range from $1,000 per month in August 2016 to $14,000 by January 2017; more than $50,000 by July 2017; and over $80,000 by May 2018.[8][18][52][53] With this funding, a number of projects and lecture series were proposed. However, regular donations for the YouTube channel were interrupted in January 2019, when Peterson deleted his Patreon account in public protest of the platform's controversial banning ofanti-feminist content creator,Carl Benjamin (also known as Sargon of Akkad) for using racist language on YouTube.[54]
Following that, Peterson andDave Rubin announced the creation of a new,free speech–orientedsocial networking and crowdfunding platform.[55] This alternative had a limited release under the nameThinkspot later in 2019 and has remained inbeta testing as of December 2019[56] receiving largely negative reviews from media critics.[57][56][58][59] In 2024 he launched thePeterson Academy, an online education platform offering pre-recorded lectures.[60][61]
Peterson has appeared on manypodcasts, conversational series, as well as other online shows.[46][62] In December 2016, Peterson startedThe Jordan B. Peterson Podcast.[63] In March 2019, the podcast joined theWestwood One network with Peterson's daughter as a co-host on some episodes.[64] Peterson defended engineer James Damore after he was fired fromGoogle for writing an internal memo titled "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber".[37] In January 2022, Peterson was interviewed byJoe Rogan onThe Joe Rogan Experience. During the interview, Peterson said that the Earth'sclimate is too complicated to accuratelymodel. Severalclimate scientists criticized Peterson, saying that he misunderstood climate modelling.[65] Also in June 2022, Peterson signed a deal with the news companyThe Daily Wire, which includes the distribution rights to Peterson's video and podcast library. Peterson will also produce bonus content and specials featuring guests for thevideo on demand platform DailyWire+.[66]
In May 2017, Peterson beganThe Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories,[37] a series of live theatre lectures, also published as podcasts, in which he analyzesarchetypal narratives in theBook of Genesis as patterns of behaviour ostensibly vital for personal, social and cultural stability.[37] A second series of lectures on theBook of Exodus released on DailyWire+ in November 2022, and another series on theBook of Proverbs has been announced.[67]
In March 2019,Cambridge University rescinded a visitingfellowship invitation to Peterson. He had previously said the fellowship would give him an "opportunity to talk to religious experts of all types for a couple of months," and that the new lectures would have been on the Book of Exodus.[68] A spokesperson for the university said there was no place for anyone who could not uphold theinclusive environment of the university.[69] Vice-ChancellorStephen Toope explained that a photograph of Peterson with his arm around a man wearing a shirt reading "I'm a proudIslamophobe" led the faculty to the rescindment due to a conflict between Peterson's "casual endorsement by association" and the school's commitment tointerfaith dialogue.[70][71]
TheCambridge University Students' Union released a statement of relief, considering the invitation "a political act to ...legitimise figures such as Peterson" and that his work and views are not "representative of the student body."[72] Peterson said that the photograph was one of 30,000 taken with his fans in the previous 15 months,[73] called the university's decision a "deeply unfortunate ... error of judgement", and said that theDivinity Faculty had submitted to an "ill-informed, ignorant and ideologically-addled mob" in rescinding the invitation.[74][75] Peterson also said that he would stop posing for photographs with fans wearing "provocative political garb, given that the fallout can be used by those who are not fond of me to capitalise on the opportunity the photos provide, particularly in isolation and context-free."[73]
PsychologistDaniel Burston cites Peterson's "tendency to idealize the past" and "fervent embrace of radical individualism" as evidence for his conservatism.[76] Peterson features prominently in conservative media,[46] is commonly referred to as a conservative by journalists,[38][80][81] and published "A Conservative Manifesto" in 2023.[82] He has been described as "conservative-leaning" byThe New York Times[54] and as an "aspiring conservative thought leader" byThe Washington Post.[83] Conservative philosopherYoram Hazony writes inThe Wall Street Journal that "The startling success of [Peterson's] elevated arguments for the importance of order has made him the most significant conservative thinker to appear in the English-speaking world in a generation."[84] Libertarian journalistCathy Young commented in theLos Angeles Times:
Peterson's ideas are a mixed bag [...] But you wouldn't know this from reading Peterson's critics, who generally cast him as a far-right boogeyman riding the wave of a misogynistic backlash.[85]
On November 24, 2024, in her Observer Column ofThe Guardian, Martha Gill reiterated a good number of the criticisms of Peterson, noted social dynamics facilitating the appeal of similar internet personalities, and suggested that he was "tapping into the self-improvement market among young men" and advocating a form of spirituality as a route, given that religion was in decline among members of that cohort.[86]
Academia and political correctness
Peterson asserts that universities are largely responsible for a wave of "political correctness" that has appeared in North America and Europe,[18] saying that he had watched the rise of political correctness on campuses since the early 1990s.[87] Peterson believes thehumanities have become corrupt and less reliant on science, in particular sociology. He contends that "proper culture" and western civilization are being undermined by "post-modernism and neo-Marxism".[15][12]
Peterson's critiques of political correctness range over issues such aspostmodernism,postmodern feminism,white privilege,cultural appropriation, and environmentalism.[62] His social media presence has magnified the impact of these views; Simona Chiose ofThe Globe and Mail wrote that "few University of Toronto professors in thehumanities andsocial sciences have enjoyed the globalname recognition Prof. Peterson has won".[18] Writing in theNational Post, Chris Selley said that Peterson's opponents had "underestimated the fury being inspired by modern preoccupations like white privilege and cultural appropriation, and by themarginalization, shouting down or outright cancellation of other viewpoints in polite society's institutions".[88]Tim Lott stated inThe Spectator that Peterson became "an outspoken critic of mainstream academia".[12]
Peterson's views of academic culture have been criticized by other academics such asDaniel Burston.[89]
Postmodernism and identity politics
Peterson has proposed cutting funding forliberal arts programs throughout Canada, claiming that students were being indoctrinated with "cultural Marxism".[90] He has said that "disciplines likewomen's studies should bedefunded", advising freshman students to avoid subjects such as sociology,anthropology,English literature,ethnic studies, and racial studies, as well as other fields of study that he believes are corrupted by "post-modernneo-Marxists".[91][92][93] He has said that these fields propagatecult-like behaviour andsafe-spaces.[92][91] In 2017 he said that he would create a website to reduce enrollment in "postmodern neo-Marxist cult classes by 75 per cent across the West", including women's and ethnic studies, prompting 'alarm' from the University of Toronto Faculty Association for Peterson's plan to "place under surveillance certain kinds of academic content". Peterson did not go on to develop such a website.[94]
In a 2018 interview withTime magazine, Peterson expressed his opposition toidentity politics, saying "You don't play racial, ethnic and gender identity games" and argued that it is practiced by both the left and the right: "[t]he left plays them on behalf of theoppressed, let's say, and the right tends to play them on behalf ofnationalism andethnic pride". He goes on to argue that both are equally dangerous and that "the correct game...is one where you focus on your individual life and try to take responsibility for your actions.".[95] Burston writes that Peterson's reluctance to criticizeracially charged remarks by Donald Trump while freely criticizing theAmerican Left has served to enable Trump's "authoritarian agenda".[96]
In 2017, Peterson did an interview with theToronto Sun following a public controversy around cultural appropriation in which a senior editor for theCBC tweeted that he would "contribute $100 to an appropriation prize" before a debate about cultural appropriation between journalists, resulting in a public apology by the editor and his reassignment to a lower position.[97] In the interview Peterson claimed that the reaction on social media and events that followed had promoted self-censorship among journalists saying that the "radical mob learned...they can humiliate and take down even journalists that have impeccable reputations and large followings" and that he had "talked to many journalists this week about this issue... they're all engaging in cautious self-censorship". He also argued that censorship makes people deceptive saying that "You start by just not saying things, and you end up by saying things that you know to be untrue."[97]
Peterson has used the terms "cultural Marxism" and "postmodernism" interchangeably to describe the influence of postmodernism on North American humanities departments; he viewspostmodern philosophy as an offshoot or expression ofneo-Marxism.[98][15][99][100] Burston writes that in attributing the decline of the liberal arts solely to the advent of postmodernism andpolitical correctness, Peterson has joined sides with the right in thecampus culture wars.[101]
Peterson's arguments about subjects outside his area of expertise, such as postmodernism,gender identity, and Canadian law, have been criticized as "conspiratorial" and "riddled with pseudo-facts" byDorian Lynskey [Wikidata] ofThe Guardian.[38] Peterson argues thatsocial justice promotes collectivism and sees individuals as "essentially a member of a group" and "not essentially an individual". He also argues that social justice "view[s] the world" as "a battleground between groups of different power".[102] Several writers have associated Peterson with the "intellectual dark web" including journalistBari Weiss, who included Peterson in the 2018New York Times article that first popularized the term.[103][104][105][106]
Gender and gender expression
Peterson has said that there is an ongoing "crisis of masculinity" and "backlash against masculinity" in which the "masculine spirit is under assault".[2][107][108][109] He has said thatthe Left characterizes the existingsocietal hierarchy as an "oppressive patriarchy" but "doesn't want to admit that the current hierarchy might be predicated on competence."[2] He has said men without partners are likely to become violent, and that male violence is reduced in societies in which monogamy is a social norm.[2][107] He has claimed that the rise ofDonald Trump and far-right European politicians is due to a negative reaction to a push to "feminize" men, saying that "if men are pushed too hard to feminize they will become more and more interested in harsh,fascist political ideology".[110]
A 2018Channel 4 News interview withCathy Newman included a debate over the gender pay gap in which Peterson claimed that a "multivariate analysis of the pay gap indicates that it doesn't exist"[111] and that other factors like generalized differences between the personalities of men and women account for the difference.[112][113][83] Newman received criticism for her approach to the interview, including mischaracterizations of some of Peterson's claims, and was the victim of an online harassment campaign following the interview.[114][112][115] Channel 4 News reported that it had consulted with security specialists due to "vicious misogynistic abuse, nastiness, and threats" made against Newman.[116] Peterson said that he immediately called on his supporters to "back off" once he became aware of the abuse and denied that the harassment was reflective of "fundamental misogyny".[117]
On 27 September 2016, Peterson released the first installment of a three-part lecture video series, entitled "Professor against political correctness: Part I: Fear and the Law".[8][118][119] In the video, he stated that he would not use thepreferred gender pronouns of students and faculty, alleging it fell undercompelled speech and said that he opposed theCanadian government'sBill C-16 which proposed to add "gender identity or expression" as a prohibited grounds of discrimination under theCanadian Human Rights Act and expand the definitions of promoting genocide and publicly inciting hatred in thehate speech laws in Canada.[a][120][118][121]
Peterson speaking at a Free Speech Rally in October 2016
Peterson citedfree-speech implications in opposition to the bill and falsely[122][123] said that he could be prosecuted under provincial human-rights laws if he refused to call a transgender student or faculty member by the individual'spreferred pronoun.[124][125][15] According to law professorBrenda Cossman and others, this interpretation of C-16 is mistaken, and the law does not criminalize misuse of pronouns.[122][124][123]
The series of videos drew criticism fromtransgender rights groups, faculty, and labour unions who condemned Peterson for "helping to foster a climate for hate to thrive" and for "fundamentally mischaracterising" the law.[126][8] Ateach-in and rally was held by members of the trans and non-binary community on campus, which drew "free speech protestors" and far-right political commentator Lauren Southern withRebel News who spoke at an event on campus along with Peterson.[125][127][128]
When asked in September 2016 if he would comply with the request of a student to use a preferred pronoun, Peterson said:
It would depend on how they asked me. […] If I could detect that there was a chip on their shoulder, or that they were [asking me] with political motives, then I would probably say 'no'. […] If I could have a conversation like the one we're having now, I could probably meet them on an equal level.[128]
Two months later, theNational Post published anop-ed by Peterson in which he further expressed his opposition to the bill, saying thatgender-neutral singular pronouns were "at the vanguard of a post-modern,radical leftist ideology that I detest, and which is, in my professional opinion, frighteningly similar to theMarxist doctrines that killed at least 100 million people in the 20th century."[129]
In February 2017,Maxime Bernier, then candidate for leader of theConservative Party of Canada, stated that he had shifted his position on Bill C-16, from support to opposition, after meeting with Peterson and discussing it.[130] Peterson's analysis of the bill was also frequently cited by senators who were opposed to its passage.[131] In April 2017, Peterson was denied aSocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant for the first time in his career, which he claimed was in retaliation for his statements regarding Bill C-16.[132] However, amedia-relations adviser for SSHRC said, "Committees assess only the information contained in the application."[133] In response the far-right[134]Rebel News launched anIndiegogocrowdfunding campaign on Peterson's behalf,[133] raisingC$195,000 by its end on 6 May, reportedly equivalent to three years of research funding.[135] In May 2017, as one of 24 witnesses who were invited to speak about the bill, Peterson spoke against Bill C-16 at a Canadian Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs hearing.[131]
In November 2017,Lindsay Shepherd, theteaching assistant of aWilfrid Laurier University first-year communications course, wascensured by her professors for showing, during a classroom discussion about pronouns, a segment ofThe Agenda in which Peterson debates Bill C-16 with another professor.[136][137][138] The reasons given for the censure included the clip creating a "toxic climate", being compared to a "speech by Hitler",[10] and being itself in violation of Bill C-16.[123] The censure was later withdrawn and both the professors and the university formally apologized.[139][140][141]
In June 2018, Peterson filed a $1.5-million lawsuit against Wilfrid Laurier University, alleging that three staff members of the university had maliciously defamed him by making negative comments about him behind closed doors.[142] In the same month Shepherd filed a lawsuit against the university, the two professors, the third staff member and a student, alleging "harassment, intentional infliction of nervous shock, negligence, and constructive dismissal".[143] By September 2018, Wilfrid Laurier had asked the court to dismiss Peterson's lawsuit, stating that Peterson filed it in an attempt to limit debate on matters of public interest. Laurier commented that "there is inescapable irony in the fact that Peterson...is bringing a claim for the stated purpose of causing academics and administrators to be more circumspect in their words."[144]
Peterson's lawsuit was dismissed by the court on November 7, 2024.[145] Shepherd's lawsuit was dismissed the next day.[146]
Climate change
Peterson is aclimate-change denier and has publicly expressed his disbelief in thescientific consensus on climate change.[79][72][147][148][149][150] He has been identified by climate scientists as a "key organizer at the global level for efforts to oppose and delay action on climate change".[151] His videos spreading climate change denialism have been viewed millions of times and include titles such as "The world is not ending", "Unsettled: climate and science" and "The great climate con".[152]
In November 2023 theAlliance for Responsible Citizenship, an organization affiliated with Peterson,[160] held a three day conference beginning with a statement by Peterson stating that "We do not believe that humanity is necessarily and inevitably teetering on the brink of apocalyptic disaster."[160] The conference hosted several speakers who downplayed the extent ofanthropogenic climate change and promoted the use offossil fuels.[161][162] Attendee and biologistJennifer Marohasy characterized the conference as a platform for spreading climate change denialism.[163]
Peterson has been criticized by climate scientists for providing a platform on his YouTube channel to climate deniers such asJudith Curry andAlex Epstein. Michael Mann of the University of Pennsylvania criticized Peterson for "poisoning the minds of so many influenceable people with his pseudo-intellectual and pseudoscientific drivel, drivel that is being weaponized in the right-wing assault on science and reason" and described him as "a central cog in the denial machine".[151] Researchers at theCenter for Countering Digital Hate identified Peterson as a key example of a new form of climate change denial on YouTube. With much of the public aware of the existence of climate change, the "New Denial" explained in the report does not attempt to deny the fact of climate change but rather argues that "climate solutions won't work, that the science backing those solutions is unreliable, or that global warming isn't actually harmful".[164][165]
Religion
In a 2017 interview, Peterson was asked if he was a Christian; he responded, "I suppose the most straight-forward answer to that is yes."[166] When asked if he believes in God, Peterson responded: "I think the proper response to that is no, but I'm afraid he might exist."[19] In a podcast withDouglas Murray andJonathan Pageau, Peterson stated that God is the "ultimate fictional character" which is "at the top of the hierarchy of attention and action".[167]
Burston argues that Peterson's views on religion reflect a preoccupation with what Tillich calls the vertical or transcendent dimension of religious experience, to the detriment of what Tillich termed the horizontal dimension of faith, which demands social justice in the tradition of thebiblical prophets. Burston describes such a one-sided emphasis on "internal or inner-worldly transformation" as a "hallmark of the traditionalist conservative mindset".[170]
Peterson expanded his religious views inWe Who Wrestle with God, an analytical reading of the Bible published in 2024.[171]Christianity Today said, "On its own terms, Peterson’s exegesis can be quite successful," but adding it was "slippery on theological truth".[172]The Times was more critical, saying the "book is unreadable. Repetitive, rambling, hectoring and mad," describing his reading of the text as "symbological paranoia...biblical scholarship as conspiracy theory."[173]The Guardian wrote that Peterson's "insistent contempt for nuance and disagreement...and the reduction of any alternative perspective to its most shallow or trivial form, does not encourage the serious engagement Peterson presumably wants."[174]
In May 2025, Peterson engaged in a debate with 20atheists that was hosted byJubilee Media and was originally titled1 Christian vs. 20 atheists. However during the debate, which wentviral onsocial media, Peterson refused to identify as a Christian and was evasive about his religious beliefs. This came as a surprise to the atheists he was debating, who had specifically been invited to the show to debate a "Christian". Shortly after release, the title was changed toJordan Peterson vs. 20 atheists.[175]
Influence
In 2018,Kelefa Sanneh wrote inThe New Yorker that Peterson "is now one of the most influential—and polarizing—public intellectuals in the English-speaking world".[176][110][83] In 2022, Mick Brown wrote inThe Daily Telegraph that Peterson "has become the most visible, outspoken and certainly the most polarising figure in the 'culture wars' between Left and Right, challenging the new orthodoxies of political correctness that have permeated academia, education, and political and cultural life."[177] In August 2018,Caitlin Flanagan ofThe Atlantic argued that Peterson is popular especially among young white men because of his opposition to identity politics.[178] Zack Beauchamp ofVox states that while Peterson's conservative criticism of identity politics and political correctness is not new, his academic credentials make them feel much more authoritative.[15] The Canadian news magazineMaclean's characterized Peterson as a pseudo-intellectual popular with thealt-right, characterizing him as superficially profound but influential as "the stupid man's smart person", a label which has been repeated by several other publications.[179][180][181][182]
During a press tour to promote her 2022 filmDon't Worry Darling,Olivia Wilde said the sinister character Frank was inspired by Peterson. She described him as "this insane man, Jordan Peterson, who is this pseudo-intellectual hero to theincel community."[183][184][185] Peterson called the film "the latest bit of propaganda disseminated by the woke, self-righteous bores and bullies who now dominate Hollywood."[184][186] He also criticized the term "incel", calling it a "casual insult" for men who are "lonesome and they don't know what to do and everyone piles abuse on them."[183]
Debates and media appearances
Beginning in 2003,[15] Peterson appeared on television, speaking on a subject from a psychological perspective. OnTVOntario, he appeared onBig Ideas in 2003 and 2006,[187][188] and in a 13-part lecture series based onMaps of Meaning, aired in 2004.[13][188] In a 2007 BBCHorizon documentary,Mad but Glad, Peterson commented on the connection between pianistNick van Bloss'Tourette syndrome diagnosis and his musical talent.[189] From 2011, TVOntario'sThe Agenda featured Peterson as an essayist and panelist on psychologically relevant cultural issues.[190][verification needed]
Starting around 2000, Peterson began collectingSoviet-era paintings.[10] In 2016, Peterson became an honorary member of the extended family of Charles Joseph, aKwakwakaʼwakw artist, and was given the name Alestalagie ("Great Seeker").[10][197]
Family
Canadian health blogger Mikhaila Peterson Fuller and Peterson in 2024
Peterson married Tammy Roberts in 1989,[8] with whom he has a daughter, Mikhaila, who is named after Soviet leaderMikhail Gorbachev, and a son, Julian.[5][8][38] Peterson's sister is married to computer architectJim Keller.[8]
Mikhaila suffered fromjuvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) in her childhood,[198] requiring a hip and ankle replacement when she was 17 years old.[177] Mikhaila, who also has a career as a political commentator and podcaster, has since adopted what she calls "thelion diet", consisting entirely of eating only beef, salt, and water.[198] While analyzing Mikhaila's diet and promotion thereof, a 2020New Republic article by writer Lindsay Beyerstein described her as a "nutrition 'influencer' with no medical credentials".[199]
Health issues
In 2016, Peterson restricted his diet to only meat and a few vegetables in an attempt to control his depression and the effects of anautoimmune disorder.[6][79] In mid-2018, he stopped eating vegetables altogether and continued eating only beef, salt, and water.[198][199] Nutrition experts point out that such a diet can result in "severe dysregulation"[198] and Mikhaila later claimed that Peterson experienced a "violent reaction to a meat and greens only diet".[200]
Peterson was prescribedclonazepam for anxiety that reportedly began after this "violent reaction". The dose started at 0.5 mg/day in 2016 and had increased to 4 mg/day by 2020.[200][201] Peterson attributed his increased usage of clonazepam to his wife Tammy's diagnosis ofkidney cancer.[199] Peterson said that he made several attempts to reduce the dosage or stop the drug completely,[199] but experienced "horrific"benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome.[202]
According to Peterson, in January 2020 he was unable to find North American doctors willing to place him into a medically induced coma as a treatment for his addiction. As a result he flew to Moscow, Russia to find a doctor who would perform the procedure.[203] Doctors in Russia reportedly diagnosed him withpneumonia in both lungs upon arrival and placed him into a medicallyinduced coma for eight days, followed by four weeks in theintensive care unit, during which time he reported having suffered a temporary loss of motor skills.[202]
For several months after treatment in Russia, Peterson and his family moved toBelgrade, Serbia.[204] In June 2020, Peterson made his first public appearance in over a year, when he appeared on an episode of his daughter's podcast recorded in Belgrade, at which point he was "back to [his] regular self".[204] In August 2020, Peterson's daughter announced her father had contractedCOVID-19 during his hospital stay in Serbia.[205] Two months later, Peterson informed viewers of his YouTube channel he had returned to Canada and aimed to resume work in the near future.[67]
In August 2025, Peterson's daughter stated that her father was suffering fromchronic inflammatory response syndrome, citing recent exposure to mould. She linked the condition to Peterson's emotional outbursts.[206]
^The phrase "a prohibited ground of discrimination" means it is illegal to discriminate against an individual or groups of people "on the grounds of" (based on) race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, etc.[120]
^"About". Jordan B Peterson. n.d. Retrieved16 October 2024 – via YouTube.
^Psychology Students' Association (June 2010)."Psychology"(PDF).Arts & Science Student Union Anti-Calendar. University of Toronto. pp. 189 & 193.Archived(PDF) from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved14 June 2020.
^"2 Minute Message about this channel" (video). Introductory Videos: 1–5 minutes. JordanPetersonVideos. 19 March 2016. Archived fromthe original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved11 February 2021 – via YouTube.
^Loftin, Mac (18 August 2023). ""The Crime of Innocence": Baldwin, Bataille, and the Political Theology of Far-Right Climate Politics".Political Theology.24 (6):589–605.doi:10.1080/1462317X.2023.2185990.ISSN1462-317X.
^McLaughlin, Neil; Wegenschimmel, Neil (2 January 2024). "How Erich Fromm Can Help Address the Jordan Peterson Problem in Psychoanalysis".Psychoanalytic Inquiry.44 (1):53–70.doi:10.1080/07351690.2023.2296367.ISSN0735-1690.
^King, Jordan (26 May 2025)."Testy Jordan Peterson Exchange During Christianity Debate Viewed 3.4M Times".Newsweek. Retrieved27 May 2025.An exchange between Jordan Peterson and an atheist debater has gone viral after the famous psychologist and author refused to identify himself as a Christian. Peterson debated around 20 atheists on the YouTube channel Jubilee, which was uploaded on May 25. A small snippet of the video has gone viral on X, formerly Twitter, with one post garnering 3.4 million views.
^"Mad but Glad".BBC. 3 April 2007. Retrieved28 March 2008.There are also contributions from scientists who explore and reveal the biological basis for the connection: The manic writer, herself a Harvard scientist, the eminent neurologistOliver Sacks, and the psychologist Jordan Peterson.
.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
.svg)
