The Grift PART 2

Jon “Patel Patriot” Herold: Income Streams & Financial Footprint

Substack Subscription Revenue

Pricing & Subscribers: Jon Herold’s Patel Patriot’s Devolution Substack offers paid tiers at $10 per month or $75 per year. His free subscriber base is large (reported at 115,000+ total subscribers in 2023) – but only a fraction are paid supporters. In late 2021, a source close to Herold indicated he had “gained thousands of paid subscribers on Substack”.

Estimated Income: With pricing at $10/mo or $75/yr, even a few thousand paying members yields substantial revenue. The Daily Dot reported Herold was earning “five figures a month” from fan donations by late 2021 . This suggests a monthly range roughly in the $10,000+ bracket (e.g. 2,000 subscribers × $5–$10 average = $10K–$20K/mo). The table below outlines conservative vs. aggressive estimates:

Table: Estimated Substack revenue ranges. Actual figures likely fall in between. For example, 3,000 paid subs might bring in on the order of $250K/year (before Substack’s 10% fee and credit card fees). These estimates align with the “five-figures per month” claim in 2021 , implying annualized income in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars from Substack subscriptions. (Note: Substack revenue would have grown or declined with subscriber trends; as of early 2025, Herold’s Substack activity has slowed, but many subscribers remain on auto-renew.)

Video & Streaming Platforms (YouTube, Rumble, Locals)

YouTube: Herold’s content centers on election conspiracies, which face strict moderation on YouTube. There is no evidence of a monetized YouTube channel – he primarily shifted to alternative platforms. If he had a YouTube presence, it likely was not monetized or short-lived (to avoid bans).

Rumble: Rumble is a key platform for Herold. He co-founded Badlands Media, a network that streams shows on Rumble. The official Badlands Media Rumble channel has ~199,000 followers , indicating a large audience. Rumble view counts for Badlands shows often range in the tens of thousands (e.g. 39K–50K views on interviews ). While Rumble’s built-in ad revenue for creators is modest, Herold likely earns via:

• Rumble “Rants” (tips) during live streams. Viewers can donate in chat; Badlands streams often solicit support (e.g. directing to Badlands’ own Boost page ).

• Rumble/Locals Integration: Rumble acquired Locals, so paid Locals subscribers (“Badlands Media” community members) support his content with monthly fees (see below). Some content (like Devolution Power Hour episodes) is marked “Premium” on Rumble , accessible to paying supporters.

Locals Community: Herold’s Badlands Media uses Locals.com for its community hub. Joining is free, but full engagement and exclusive content require a $10/month subscription . As of early 2025 the Badlands Locals page shows 8,821 members in total. Even if only 10–20% are paid supporters, that’s on the order of 800–1,600 paying members.

At $10 each, Locals could bring in roughly $8K–$16K per month (i.e. ~$100K–$190K yearly) if those numbers hold. This “Badlands Boost” program (a term they use for donations/subscriptions ) funnels 100% of contributions to Badlands Media operations . Note: Some fans also give one-time donations via Locals (the platform allows “Give once” contributions ).

Herold’s Rumble/Locals presence is well-monetized through a combination of subscription support and viewer donations. The growth of Badlands Media since its launch in Oct 2022 has likely shifted a significant portion of Herold’s income to these channels (as he provides daily content there).

Merchandise, Donations & Sponsorships

Beyond subscription income, Herold capitalizes on merchandise sales, direct donations, and advertising sponsors:

Direct Donations: Early on, Herold solicited contributions via Patreon, PayPal, Venmo, and a Substack “tip jar.” In 2021 he shared links for Patreon (“patelpatriot”) and handles for PayPal/Venmo (@PatelPatriot). This was a significant revenue source – by late 2021 he had quit his day job largely due to donation income . (It was reported PayPal banned his account once inquiries were made, given the nature of his fundraising .) Still, for a time he was earning tens of thousands per month from fan donations outside of formal subscriptions.

Branded Merchandise: Herold sells “Patel Patriot”/Badlands-themed merch. The Badlands Media site has a dedicated store for Badlands Merch – everything from apparel to novelty items. For example, they even sell Badlands Media QR code business cards for fans to distribute . Merchandise revenue is harder to gauge, but with a large follower base, merch can provide a steady supplemental income (likely on the order of thousands per month if even a few percent of followers make purchases).

Affiliate Marketplace: Badlands Media runs an “America First” marketplace featuring patriot-friendly vendors and products . This suggests an affiliate/commission model: Badlands lists and promotes products (nutritional supplements, coffee, preparedness gear, etc.) from partner companies, and presumably earns a cut of sales. The site encourages supporters to “put your money where your morals are and support our vendors” . This Badlands Vendor Shop diversifies Herold’s income by acting as a sales conduit for like-minded businesses.

Sponsorships & Ads: Advertising has become a major revenue stream for Herold’s Badlands Media broadcasts. Live shows and podcasts are sponsored by pro-Trump and prepper-friendly brands. For instance, Badlands content is “partnered” with MyPillow and Goldco (precious metals) among others . Promo codes like “Badlands” or “JON” are given to viewers , linking purchases to Herold’s audience. Recent Devolution Power Hour episodes list sponsors such as:

• Goldco (BadlandsGold.com) – gold/silver investment

• MyPillow – bedding (promo code “Badlands”)

• CBDistillery – CBD products (code “JON” for discount)

• Angel Paste – a health cream

• Flying Gang Rum – a rum company (code “BADLANDS”)

• China….

These sponsors likely pay Herold/Badlands a mix of affiliate commissions and flat fees for ad spots. Given the size of his audience, sponsorship deals could be quite lucrative. (For example, if even 5% of his 100k+ followers buy a MyPillow with his code, that’s significant sales – sponsors may pay a few thousand dollars per month or more for such exposure.) Badlands Media actively solicits advertisers, listing an ad inquiry contact on their site . This indicates a structured ad sales effort, suggesting formal revenue contracts with advertisers rather than just informal affiliate links.

Merchandise and donations provided crucial early income, while sponsor advertising now represents a growing share of Herold’s monetization. All combined, these channels (tips, merch, and ads) could plausibly bring in several thousand dollars per month on top of subscription revenues.

Apparently, packaging unconstitutional fantasies as patriotic doctrine or “theory” has become a profitable American pastime.

Back in 2021, Herold publicly thanked those donating to his “Tip Jar” — or what many would call a GRIFT — claiming it was “deeply meaningful.” Fast forward to 2024, and the operation has become far more businesslike, complete with an online merch shop and regular ad reads. It’s clear he’s built a tidy little ecosystem of revenue streams under the “Devolution” brand.

Now let’s get to the brass taxes, shall we?