Former UFC star Jake Shields has revealed he was earning substantial income from his posts on X (formerly Twitter) before being demonetized for his controversial political commentary.
During a recent appearance on his podcast with fitness influencer Kenny Ko, Shields disclosed the financial impact of speaking out on contentious issues.
“They demonetized me on Twitter. I was making like at least 10K a month there,” Shields stated during the conversation. He explained that his monetization was removed after he began posting critical content about Israel following the October 7th events, which marked a turning point in his online presence.
Shields described how various entities attempted to suppress his income streams after he became more outspoken. “They went after all my finances extremely hard,” he said, though he noted that most of his business partners remained loyal despite coordinated pressure campaigns.
Shields explained that his partners would receive numerous emails and phone calls from organized groups claiming he was antis**itic, but these efforts ultimately failed when his associates refused to cave to the pressure.
The former Strikeforce champion has become increasingly vocal on political matters over the past two years, particularly regarding Middle Eastern conflicts and government accountability. His shift from sports commentary to political discourse has cost him significant platform reach and revenue, though he maintains his decision was driven by principle rather than profit.
He said, “I was being a lot more careful with my wording, but I felt obligated at that point to share the truth. I thought they were going to totally crush me but I felt like I had to do it. I haven’t been canceled yet. I’m still afraid I will get all my stuff censored. They haven’t debanked me. They have tried going after all my income, but it hasn’t worked.”
Despite the financial setbacks, Shields expressed no regrets about his choice to speak freely. He emphasized that integrity matters more than monetary gain, especially when discussing issues he considers morally significant.
The 46-year-old veteran noted that while he valued the income from X, his primary revenue still comes from other business ventures.
Both Shields and Ko discussed the tension between maintaining financial stability and expressing unpopular opinions, with Ko revealing he recently lost over one million followers across multiple platforms after posting historical content deemed objectionable.
