Canadaland Publisher and Editor Jesse Brown has announced that he’s made the decision to fire himself as host of the network’s flagship podcast.
After 13 years as Canadaland’s primary host, Brown revealed Thursday that he’s stepping away from the mic to double down on covering the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict and the rise of antisemitism in Canada.
Jesse Brown is fired! https://t.co/G2iloLg7Fz
— CANADALAND (@CANADALAND) October 8, 2026
“For the last 13 years I’ve covered Canadian media and news, but now there is another story that’s gotten my attention. It seems to me that the Palestine issue has turned into something way bigger than the conflict in the Middle East, way bigger than the issue I’ve been talking about of antisemitism in Canada,” Brown wrote in an email to subscribers. “I feel the same draw to focus on this topic that I felt towards Canadian media 13 years ago. I’ve learned to trust that feeling.”
“I’m staying on as Canadaland’s Editor and Publisher, but my reporting and commentary from now on, and for the foreseeable future, is going to be about this surging global movement,” he added.
Brown plans to replace himself by the end of October with three new hosts, including one for the flagship Canadaland podcast, which publishes on Mondays; a new host for Canadaland Politics, set to publish Tuesdays; and a new media critic, who’ll anchor content Wednesdays and Fridays. Harrison Lowman also joins as Managing Editor.
Brown, who launched Canadaland in 2013, has been perceived as taking a “pro-Israel” stance on the Palestine-Israel issue since the October 7th attacks in the Gaza Strip in 2023. Following a subsequent coverage focus on the Anti-Zionism movement and rise of antisemitism in Canada, Brown told an audience at the Radiodays North America Podcast Day for Creators in May that at its peak the backlash following that focus shift cost the network roughly 15% of its subscribers.
“We went through an audience capture crisis,” Brown acknowledged at the event. “It was a little bit of an organic cancellation campaign…people were saying ‘anyone still supporting this is supporting a genocide.’”
Refusing to accept the terms that ceasing coverage because some listeners didn’t like it was a good business decision, he went on to say that he was encouraged by the 85% of the audience that stuck with Canadaland – not necessarily because they agreed with him.
Brown told Broadcast Dialogue that his future coverage will include a new investigative podcast about Anti-Zionism. While continuing to publish via Canadaland, he’ll also contribute to outlets like Newsweek and The Atlantic.
