Nelk Boys Admit They Mishandled Netanyahu Interview: ‘We Were Both Just Ignorant’

Nelk Boys founder Kyle Forgeard confessed Thursday to mishandling a controversial interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, admitting he was “just ignorant” about what was currently going on in the region.

During an appearance on the Nelk Boys’ Full Send Podcast – the first since their controversial interview with Netanyahu last week – Egyptian-American comedian Bassem Youssef criticized Forgeard and his team for their ill-prepared softball interview with Netanyahu, which resulted in their YouTube channel losing more than 10,000 subscribers in just one day.

“Obviously last week was controversial for us, to say the least. We had someone on the podcast, very controversial,” said Forgeard. “What was your reaction when you saw that we had Benjamin Netanyahu?”

Youssef responded, “You were not prepared. Two years under like the biggest genocide in our history, you guys have no idea what’s going on.”

He argued:

It’s not about you platforming someone or someone giving a chance for like free speech. You were used, right? And it didn’t start with the podcast. It started two years ago, in March 2023 when you went to Israel, because I know like I told you that Israel has increased their hasbara budget, which is their propaganda machine, with $150 million, and part of that money goes to influence people in college campuses, hire influencers like you, getting them into fancy trips in Israel, giving them this filtered, layered picture that is made up, that is fake. I mean, I watched it yesterday and I was cringing.

Youssef continued, “You were used in a propaganda machine to tell people this is what you need to know about Palestinians. They’re just like a bunch of people with cows and goats, marrying two people, living in a tent, happy with pita bread and milk. So you were recruited in March 2023 and you were activated in July 2025.”

“I can definitely admit that, I mean, I think we were both just ignorant to what was going on over there,” confessed Forgeard. “I’ll be honest, I thought he was controversial, but I was definitely ignorant to what was going on in that area, and I could admit that.”

He added, “I wish we could have gone back and, you know, had two weeks to sit down with someone like yourself, and we should have grilled him 50,000, 100,000 times harder, but it’s something we can’t get back.”

“You understand that this conversation has been happening for two years?” asked Youssef. “First of all, I’m not absolving you from your trip. You guys are not little kids, you are fucking 30 years old, right? People in your age have families and they have a career.”

The comedian concluded, “You need to stop infantilizing yourselves, like, ‘We’re just stupid people doing stupid stuff.’ You’re 30 years old and you need to be aware of what’s happening in the world and that your reach and your platforms mean something and it affects people.”

Watch above via Full Send Podcast.