Exclusive: Man Behind YouTube’s Honey Badger Sensation Explains His Viral Character

Flickr/Arno Meintjes
Flickr/Arno Meintjes

The popular YouTube video known as “The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger” holds a special place in the history of Breitbart News.

Narrated in a comically sassy fashion — “such a naaaaasty little beast” —  the wildlife video spotlights the resourceful honey badger in its natural habitat as it fends off predators, hunts for food in painful places, and generally excels at not giving a shit. The animal’s thick skin and underdog confidence made it a natural fit for Breitbart’s unofficial mascot.

The flamboyant voice-over was identified for years as “Randall.” But in actuality it belongs to comedian and voice-over actor Christopher Gordon, who is lending his voice to another wildlife venture — the new Netflix documentary series Absurd Planet, which uses humorous narration to make learning about science and nature more fun.

Gordon spoke with Breitbart editor-in-chief Alex Marlow on Friday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily. The actor discussed  Absurd Planet and recounted how he came up with the voice of honey badger narrator “Randall” back in 2011.

“The character of ‘Randall’ is basically my mom,” Gordon said, adding that he wanted the voice to come from someone who was afraid of wildlife. “What if my mom was a wildlife narrator, because my mom is  terrified of nature.”

Listen below: 

Gordon said he has no problem with the honey badger being adopted by Breitbart News as its mascot.

“I loved it. I think it’s fantastic,” he said. “I’m just happy with anyone who embraces the honey badger — left, right, it doesn’t matter to me.”

He said the honey badger’s “badass” attitude has resonated with people across the political spectrum.

“It’s this level of confidence that comes with being a honey badger — I’m badass I’m going stick with what I gotta do,” he said. “The honey badger is apolitical but at the same time it’s been adopted by the left and right and it’s completely fine with me.”

The viral video gave a boost to Gordon’s entertainment career.

“Originally I was just sort of odd jobbing it,” he called. “When I did that, it just sort of took off.”

The YouTube video helped him land an agent and with that, came more jobs. “Lots of doors were opened. I’m blessed,” he said. “I think a lot of good things came from it.”

Gordon also talked about the world of comedy and how audiences have become less tolerant of risky jokes.

“I don’t know why or when this happened,” he said. “I think we’ve reached this point in our society where everyone is just very critical and looking for something to pick apart.”

He said Absurd Planet is meant to be non-political fun that everyone can enjoy.

“So much of everything these days is politicized,” he said. “So it’s really nice to be able turn on the show and not have to focus on anything politically.”

Breitbart News Daily broadcasts live on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com

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