Sitting down for a recent interview on Semafor’s Mixed Signals podcast, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan stood by the platform’s controversial suppression of COVID-era content it labeled “health misinformation,” offering no apologies and sidestepping questions about whether those decisions were ultimately misguided. He also declined to say whether videos of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (now the Secretary of Health and Human Services) that had been taken down during the pandemic would be reinstated.
Despite repeatedly and laughably positioning YouTube as a platform for free expression, Mohan continued to defend the imposition of broad speech restrictions. “YouTube is a place where you can go and share [your ideas] without somebody telling you that you don’t sound the right way… or you’re saying the wrong thing,” he said, while also justifying the takedown of large volumes of content that contradicted official narratives.
At the height of the pandemic, YouTube aggressively enforced policies against what it classified as “misinformation.” Mohan cited the uncertainty of early 2020 as justification. “What was happening in the world in March of 2020 is very different than what’s happening in the world in March of 2025,” he said.
When asked whether YouTube would consider restoring RFK Jr. videos that were removed under those policies, Mohan gave no commitment. “I can’t speak to the specific videos,” he said, though he noted that YouTube has now “deprecated” most of its COVID-19 moderation rules—effectively admitting they are no longer deemed necessary.
Pressed further on whether the platform may have contributed to a backlash against public health efforts by suppressing open discussion, Mohan avoided a direct answer. “Context really mattered,” he said, attributing YouTube’s actions to the pace at which scientific knowledge was changing at the time. He stopped short of addressing the growing evidence that censorship may have damaged public trust or stifled legitimate dissent.
Later in the interview, Mohan responded to a separate controversy involving faith-based programming. Christian media company Great American Media recently filed a complaint with the FCC, accusing YouTube TV of discriminating against its content by refusing to carry its cable networks. Mohan denied any ideological bias and said the dispute was being handled as a business matter.
“We base those decisions… on business considerations in terms of audience and audience demand,” he said, describing ongoing talks with the network as “productive.”
Although the broadcaster’s main YouTube channel has amassed more than 100,000 subscribers and millions of views, it remains excluded from YouTube TV’s lineup—raising further questions about how the company balances corporate discretion with its public claims of neutrality.
Throughout the conversation, Mohan presented a version of YouTube that simultaneously promotes “freedom of expression” while justifying its long history of removing dissenting voices — an approach that continues to fuel skepticism among critics of online censorship.
