Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is calling on YouTube to restore the accounts of conservative commentators Alex Jones and Nick Fuentes.
“I think it’s better if you just unlock those accounts and let the guys be heard,” Ramaswamy said in a YouTube video. “Censorship isn’t good for America. It’s antithetical to our culture.”
Jones and Fuentes’ accounts were removed just four days after being created, despite YouTube’s recent move to let previously banned creators return for past violations on COVID-19 vaccines and the 2020 election. By Thursday, however, the platform held firm.
“We terminated these channels, as it’s still against our rules for previously terminated users to start new channels,” YouTube explained. “The pilot program for terminations that many people have been referencing this week isn’t available yet and will be a limited pilot program to start. We’ll have more on how the program will work, who is eligible, and how creators can access it soon.”
Fuentes wrote in response on X: “Sounds a little ridiculous. Can’t we just have free speech?”
YouTube removed Jones’ account before the COVID-19 pandemic for alleged hate speech and child endangerment, while Fuentes was banned in 2020 over hate speech violations.
Ramaswamy, who is running for Ohio governor next year, likened the account removals to the temporary suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
“Our country is at its best when we’re able to hear one another. Nick Fuentes & Jimmy Kimmel probably don’t like me, for different reasons,” Ramaswamy wrote on X. “I don’t care. It’s still un-American to muzzle the peaceful expression of opinions. And no, that’s not a legal point; it’s a cultural point.”
Dear YouTube… pic.twitter.com/ucaCSLhURh
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) September 25, 2025
