The guy who once wrestled for a living, then blew away the pundits by getting elected governor of Minnesota, has a new gig — on Russian state television.
"I am working for the enemy of mainstream media now," Jesse Ventura said of "The World According to Jesse," a commentary show airing Fridays beginning this month on RT America, the Washington, D.C., arm of the international network RT. Formerly known as Russia Today, RT is funded by the Russian government and says it brings "the Russian view on global news."
A promo for the show features Ventura on a motorcycle, ponytail flapping in the breeze as he cruises down a mountain-lined highway.
"It's called the feeling of freedom," Ventura's voice echoes. "Welcome to my world; come along for the ride."
Ventura was elected as an independent and remains so. He says he voted for the Green Party's Jill Stein last year. And he can be expected to use his program to skewer both major political parties, the news media, President Donald Trump and America's military industrial complex.
One thing Ventura is unlikely to do: criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ventura doesn't consider that to be the point of the show, although he said he has assurances from RT that he will not be censored.
"I have total artistic control and I can talk about anything I want," he said. "We're more interested in talking about our country. I didn't join RT to report on Russia."
A review of more than 50 recent headlines that mention Putin on the RT website did not include a single story that appeared to be critical of the Russian leader. Ventura shrugs it off. "Maybe nobody's interested in talking about Putin on RT America," he says.