Steven Bartlett, host of the popular The Diary of a CEO, is facing scrutiny after an episode featuring Harvard-trained psychiatrist Dr. Alok Kanojia sparked accusations of pandering to a disaffected male audience through calculated clip-baiting and provocative commentary. Critics have even drawn comparisons to the reproductive themes explored in the dystopian series The Handmaid’s Tale.
The episode centered on a serious and widely acknowledged issue: male mental health, loneliness, and the mounting social pressures facing young men. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Kanojia offered clinical insights based on his experience treating patients ranging from high-performing executives to socially isolated young men struggling to form relationships.
However, critics argue that the episode’s framing leaned heavily into themes designed to resonate with a frustrated online male demographic, sometimes referred to as incels.
During the conversation, Dr. Kanojia addressed the lack of support systems for this group directly, stating: “There’s absolutely a shortage of people helping 25-year-old incels who are on the internet, who everyone wants to throw in jail.”
The controversy intensified when the discussion in another episode shifted toward declining relationships, falling birth rates, and the growing role of technology as a substitute for human connection.
During the conversation, Dr. Kanojia suggested that modern social dynamics have fundamentally changed, noting that women are increasingly independent from men in terms of survival and reproduction.
He stated: “This is where the fundamental biological difference comes in because a woman doesn’t need a man to reproduce. I can go to a sperm bank.”
The conversation then moved into more speculative territory about whether society should intervene in response to these demographic and social shifts. At one point, Bartlett asked whether institutions should take steps to ensure that socially isolated men are able to form relationships.
“Should society intervene to course correct that? Should we put systems in place to make sure that those men meet partners?” Bartlett asked.
Dr. Kanojia responded by drawing a comparison to other large-scale societal crises: “I’m going to answer that question with a question. If let’s say a huge swath of people are dying out from cancer, should we intervene with that? If a huge swath of people are dying out from genocide, should we intervene with that?”
He continued by distinguishing between survival and reproduction in evolutionary terms: “So I think there are two important things. One is about de ath. If a human being is dying, we should step in. But natural selection isn’t necessarily about de ath. This is what’s really tricky about it. Natural selection is about passing on your genes. It’s about creating viable offspring.”
For some observers, the sequence of these ideas, particularly when presented in short-form clips, felt uncomfortably close to a narrative about state-managed relationships or regulated procreation.
