A former employee of right-wing pundit Steven Crowder accused him of fostering a “toxic and abusive” work environment, and then subjecting him to years of “legal abuse” after he left the company.

In a video made public on Tuesday, Jared Mitello — known publicly as Jared Monroe and on the show Louder With Crowder as “Not Gay Jared” — claimed he has been tormented by the controversial internet personality for years. He does not name Crowder in the video, but a source told Mediaite he is the subject.

“Enough is enough. This can’t go on any longer,” Monroe said. “I am currently being legally abused and intimidated into silence by a former employer.”

Monroe worked on Louder With Crowder from 2014 to 2018, serving as a co-host on the show. The program reached a massive audience on YouTube, eventually boasting 5.8 million subscribers, before it decamped to the much smaller alternative video platform Rumble. In addition to the smaller platform, internal turmoil and scandals involving its eponymous host have put a dent in its audience.

Monroe decided to quit the show in August 2018, saying, “I could no longer put myself or my growing family through the toxic and abusive work environment I had endured for years.”

“This place was and is to this day a workplace rife with sexual misconduct, degeneracy, and aggression,” he said. “The things I saw, the things done to me, and the things I witnessed my employer do to others were disgusting, shocking, and utterly indefensible. I have the receipts.”

Monroe claimed the work environment was “so toxic” that he was admitted to the hospital at one point for a heart condition and was put on an anti-anxiety medication.

Leaving wasn’t easy, however. Monroe alleged that he was bullied into signing an aggressive separation agreement after a drawn out legal fight in which Crowder’s lawyers argued he should be blocked from working in media anywhere in the world for two years, have his personal Twitter account seized, and turn over all his personal production equipment that he paid for himself.

Eventually, after emptying his personal bank account to pay his legal fees, and with a pregnant wife at home, Monroe said he eventually gave in and accepted a deal with Crowder that paid him no money and enforced a noncompete and nondisparagement clause.

Then, in October 2023, five years after Monroe had left Louder With Crowder, he was served a cease and desist from his former employer threatening legal action if he did not “immediately cease all communication” with others about the company.

He said he was also served a Rule 202 Petition, which demanded he be subjected to a deposition under oath in which lawyers could question him about his communications, as well as hand over documents of any and all communications about the company.

The threats came soon after Mediaite reported on allegations of bullying, inappropriate drug use, and lewd sexual workplace misconduct at Louder with Crowder.

After that report, sources told Mediaite that Crowder sought to crack down on leaks to media outlets. He sent draconian non-disclosure agreements to his current staff with a $100,000 breach of contract penalty.

While Monroe’s noncompete expired after two years, the term of his nondisparagement clause is unlimited – hence the fresh legal action from Crowder. Monroe said he refused to comply with Crowder’s demands, stating he did not want to open himself up to more legal abuse from his former boss.

Then, last week, Crowder’s demand for Monroe’s deposition and cooperation in handing over the documents was awarded by the court.

“They await my forced cooperation,” Monroe said. “I will not. I will continue to fight.”

In his video, Monroe requested Crowder release him from his nondisclosure agreement. He’s now asking for donations to help him and other ex-employees of Crowder to fight back. He plans on using any money raised to file a counter motion to have the nondisclosure agreement tossed out.

“Jared isn’t a rich man,” said one former Louder with Crowder employee who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation. “He knows Steven has millions of dollars and an army of lawyers. Steven is extremely vindictive and always looks for any opportunity to get back at anyone he feels has wronged him. Even just leaving the show he views as a huge betrayal. Jared is basically faced with an abusive ex-boss who wants to make his life a living hell and has the funds to do so.”

Monroe isn’t the only one who has been subjected to legal action from Crowder. In October, his company sued his estranged wife Hilary Crowder for tortious interference after her family accused him of “mentally and emotionally abusive behavior” in a statement to the journalist Yashar Ali.

Ali also published a video, captured on Steven and Hilary Crowder’s Ring camera, that appeared to show Steven emotionally abusing a heavily pregnant Hilary.

Crowder also named several members of Hilary’s family, several of her friends, and one of her attorneys in his lawsuit, which alleges the statement accusing him of abuse and the video damaged his company.

Crowder did not respond to an immediate request for comment. In a statement to Mediaite, Monroe said, “I had no choice. My hand was forced. Anyone who threatens my ability to protect and provide for my family while terrorizing me and my friends with their wealth and power in the darkness has chosen the wrong victim. No more darkness. Time for truth.”

Louder with Crowder CEO Gerald Morgan CEO defended taking legal action against Monroe in a statement to Mediaite: “We will not be intimidated by media smear tactics. Mr. Monroe entered into an agreement with Louder with Crowder that he knowingly violated. After discovering repeated violations, Louder with Crowder was forced to take legal action. The trial court has denied Mr. Monroe’s effort to avoid the legal proceedings which are moving forward pursuant to the courts order.”

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