Andrew Callaghan, the host of Channel 5 known for viral interviews with figures like Shia LaBeouf and an upcoming appearance with Hunter Biden and Nick Fuentes, has launched a new independent streaming platform called C5.NOW. The platform is intended to host documentaries that Callaghan believes are too controversial for traditional Hollywood or mainstream media outlets.
Callaghan described C5.NOW as a response to what he perceives as censorship in both Hollywood and major streaming services. He stated that large corporations are shaping online discourse through algorithms and that Hollywood focuses on narrow, sensationalized topics. C5.NOW aims to provide a home for independent filmmakers and outsider documentarians.
"Billionaires like Larry Ellison are moving to take over our entire online infrastructure and shape the algorithms that control public discourse," Callaghan said, according to Page Six. "Hollywood also only buys washed-up documentaries about serial killers, celebrities and pop stars. We’re putting our money where our mouth is and creating C5.NOW to combat this problem."
The launch of C5.NOW follows a successful crowdfunding campaign where Callaghan raised over $1.6 million on GoFundMe to help with a defamation lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by an individual featured in his documentary "Dear Kelly."
Callaghan's previous work includes the YouTube channel All Gas No Brakes, which garnered over 1.5 million subscribers, and his current Channel 5, which has 3.58 million subscribers. The upcoming interview with Hunter Biden and Nick Fuentes is scheduled to be released on July 23. Callaghan characterized Hollywood as "worse than the social media platforms themselves in terms of censorship" and "a sickening, nepotistic, gatekept world of godless narcissists."
Initial offerings on C5.NOW include "Starcash," a documentary about individuals using astrology for stock trading, and Theo Anthony's "Rat Film," which explores themes of segregation and inequality in Baltimore through the lens of its rodent population. Callaghan noted that these films, while potentially controversial, do not sound overtly extreme on the surface.