Who is the ‘blonde Tom Holland’ that keeps debating Republicans?

Jubilee, the ever-popular YouTube channel, produces videos that are not just meant to entertain and pass the time, they often round up people with starkly opposite views on socio-political issues to try and dialogue with each other, sharing each other’s points of view, which is something we desperately need in today’s highly polarized world.

In September 2024, two particular Jubilee videos triggered a wave of online chatter. One, posted on Sept. 8, had conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk debating 25 liberal college students. The other, posted on Sept. 20, featured one “Woke Teen” facing 20 Trump supporters in the same exact setting as Kirk. What do both these videos have in common? Answer: A talented liberal debater in the form of 19-year-old Dean Withers, who has earned himself the admiration of countless people online due to his performance, especially in the latter Jubilee video.

Dean was already active on TikTok as a debater prior to the filming of both videos. However, it was thanks to Jubilee that he skyrocketed into online fame and became the focus of many netizens’ interests for his ability to expertly argue against Republicans, affectionately earning the nickname of “blonde Tom Holland,” which he has embraced as part of his X (formerly Twitter) bio.

How to win the internet by debating one Trump supporter at a time

First of all, let us get out of the way how frustrating it is for the red flags to go up every time it seems like a productive conversation has finally begun to materialize. This was not a problem that only affected the 20 conservatives, the same thing happened on the Charlie Kirk episode with the liberals. Dean even commented on this vexing tendency:

So, unfortunately, while the videos could have been a great opportunity for people on opposite sides of the political spectrum to actually have a constructive conversation on issues that matter, it seems that the insidious polarization we’re experiencing makes this incredibly hard even in a seemingly ideal setting. That said, Kirk did commend Dean for his arguments at the end of their conversation: “That’s actually the best point somebody made.”

That must have been why Jubilee brought Dean back, this time for him to be the one in Kirk’s chair and single-handedly debate a group of people from the opposite side of the political spectrum. Indeed, it must be acknowledged that Dean did a magnificent job holding his own against these 20 conservatives, and that is precisely why he has become a bit of an internet celebrity. He also addressed the making of this second Jubilee video in another TikTok, calling the experience “insufferable” and that he “had never been tested more” in his life:

According to most comments, people believe Dean demonstrated an impressive degree of patience. Netizens on the Left had no shortage of compliments and praise for Dean’s performance in the most recent Jubilee video.

Even streamer Hasan Piker reacted to both Jubilee videos. At first, while watching the Charlie Kirk video, he poked fun at Dean by assuming (correctly) from his middle-part hair and his use of the expression “unalive” that he’s a TikToker. Dean humorously replied to this comment in his own stream wherein he reacted to Piker reacting to him: “Listen, bro, you can take the boy out of TikTok but you cannot take the TikTok out of the boy.”

But, like countless people online, eventually, Piker too seemed to have been won over by Dean’s debating skills and incisive rhetoric.

With great popularity come the haters. So, of course, Dean has also become the target of attacks by Right-wing personalities, some of whom he has replied to and challenged for a one-on-one debate:

Hopefully, these Jubilee videos are just the start of the next large step in Dean’s debating career. So far, his debates have greatly boosted his follower numbers, so his compelling words and logical arguments may soon acquire an even wider reach and impact.