Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, the one-time professional wrestler, is in the grip of Russia — or at least Russian TV.
A year after he told Larry King that he wanted to help bridge the gap between the United States and Russia, he’s on the hook to work for Russian state television.
“I am working for the enemy of mainstream media now,” Ventura said of “The World According to Jesse,” a commentary show airing Fridays beginning this month on RT America, the Washington, D.C., arm of the international network RT. Formerly known as Russia Today, RT is funded by the Russian government and says it brings “the Russian view on global news.”
Also revealing: “Ventura was elected as an independent and remains so. He says he voted for the Green Party’s Jill Stein last year. And he can be expected to use his program to skewer both major political parties, the news media, President Donald Trump and America’s military industrial complex.
“One thing Ventura is unlikely to do: criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ventura doesn’t consider that to be the point of the show, although he said he has assurances from RT that he will not be censored.”
The ex-governor says he’s not concerned about RT’s reputation as a propaganda outlet, the paper said.
“I have total artistic control and I can talk about anything I want,” he said. “We’re more interested in talking about our country. I didn’t join RT to report on Russia.”
The paper said Ventura is loyal to the network in part because he and his wife, Terry, lost his union health insurance in 2016 with the Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA because he was doing too little union-related work.
“I was in a panic,” he recalled. He called RT, where he already had a contract, and the network enrolled him in a health insurance plan in 10 days. “Russian Television saved my wife and I.”