Mike Rowe

Mike Rowe

Credentials

Background

Mike G. Rowe is the creator, executive producer, and star of the Discovery Channel series “Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe.” The show’s initial run lasted from 2005 to 2013.7Mike Rowe. “A Turkey Without a Pardon: Bidding Farewell to Dirty Jobs,” HuffPost, January 21, 2012. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/JZYAY 8Mike Rowe Returns with More DIRTY JOBS,Discovery, March 18, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/lMY76

In 2014, Rowe created another series titled “Somebody’s Gotta Do It,” which aired on CNN.9(Press Release). “MIKE ROWE BRINGS ORIGINAL SERIES TO CNN,” CNN Press Room, April 10, 2014. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pNnT9

Rowe returned to the Discovery Channel in July 2020 with a four-part series also titled “Dirty Jobs: Rowe‘d Trip.”10Mike Rowe Returns with More DIRTY JOBS,” Discovery, March 18, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/lMY76 In 2021 Discovery announced a new season of “Dirty Jobs,” which it aired in early 2022 on the Discovery+ streaming service.11Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe Returns for a New Season,Discovery, November 15, 2021.

Another program hosted by Mike Rowe, “Six Degrees,” premiered on Discovery+ in January 2021. The program purports to “prove once and for all that everything in the world is connected.”

Heated’s Emily Atkin reported that “Six Degrees” was sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute (API), the largest trade association for the oil and gas industry in the United States.

Rowe “shouts out the oil and gas industry in some capacity in every episode,” journalist Dharna Noor wrote in an article for Earther.12SIX DEGREES WITH MIKE ROWE,” Discovery. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YuaSi 13Emily Atkin. “Mike Rowe, oilsplainer,” Heated, April 13, 2021. Archived April 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wEy8B 14Dharna Noor. “Mike Rowe’s New Discovery+ Show Is Big Oil-Funded Propaganda,” Earther at Gizmodo, April 2, 2021. Archived April 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/mGSLu

The show was also sponsored by the Distribution Contractors Association, a lobby group for fossil fuel pipeline contractors.15Dharna Noor. “Mike Rowe’s New Discovery+ Show Is Big Oil-Funded Propaganda,” Earther at Gizmodo, April 2, 2021. Archived April 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/mGSLu

While “Six Degrees” was airing, Rowe made multiple appearances on Fox News and spoke out against President Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, pointing to impacts on oil and gas industry workers.16Nikolas Lanum. “Mike Rowe: ‘It’s a heartbreaker’ to see oil and gas workers losing jobs after Biden orders,” Fox News, February 3, 2021. Archived April 26, 2021. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5wquj 17Mike Rowe: Americans ‘disconnected’ from impact of fossil fuels on daily life,Fox News, February 9, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL:https://archive.ph/AiWSw

Association with Charles Koch

Screenshot from Mike Rowe’s interview with Charles Koch via YouTube

Rowe has defended his association with the billionaire Koch brothers. Regarding the Koch brothers, Rowe has commented that “our foundations are aligned on a number of issues important to me.

“Over the last few years, the Charles Koch Foundation has supported mikeroweWORKS in a meaningful way, and together, we’ve made a positive impact on hundreds of people. I’m proud of that, and grateful for the support.”18Off The Wall: The Koch Industries Association,” Mike Rowe, September 2, 2016. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/AhUeX

Rowe has written that Charles Koch was in the audience at a speech he made in California:19Off The Wall: The Koch Industries Association,” Mike Rowe, September 2, 2016. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/AhUeX

“We met a few years ago in California. I had just given a speech about the disastrous consequences of removing vocational education from high schools, and Charles was in the audience. One of his people invited me to lunch, and I said sure. I was eager to see the horns and smell the sulphur for myself. Surprisingly, I found neither. What I found, was a 78-year-old man with more energy and enthusiasm than I could match. We spoke at length, and I learned a number of surprising things. […] I learned for instance, about his passion for criminal justice reform.

“But I was most surprised by his commitment to reinvigorate the skilled trades. I knew his foundation focused on many forms of higher education, but I had no idea we shared a common view regarding the skills gap. He pointed out that countless small businesses begin with a tradesperson who learned a skill that was in demand. I shared my belief that a chronic skills gap was more troubling than chronic unemployment, because the existence of opportunity that people don’t care about is more alarming than a lack of opportunity overall.

“In short, we found ourselves in violent agreement on a number of things important to us both, and after lunch, he told me to let him know if mikeroweWORKS could ever use his help. (In hindsight, it’s entirely possible he was just being polite, but he would soon learn just how literal I can be.)”

In 2016, Koch Industries helped support mikeroweWORKS, Rowe’s foundation, in the national SkillsUSA competition, and partnered with mikeroweWORKS on Project Jumpstart.20Jay Caruso. “Koch Industries Teams Up with Mike Rowe to Improve the Skills Gap,” OpportunityLives, August 8, 2016. Archived July 11, 2016. Archive URL:https://archive.ph/dZiq2

In his personal interview with Charles Koch, Rowe “explains in more detail why our foundations are aligned on the importance of work ethic.”21Mike Rowe’s Interview with Charles Koch,” YouTube video (unlisted) uploaded by user “Mike Rowe,” August 30, 2016. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

mikeroweWORKS Foundation

Mike Rowe created the mikeroweWORKS Foundation in 2008 “to launch a national PR campaign for skilled labor.” He is president of the foundation, which is incorporated as a a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.22About,” mikeroweWORKS Foundation. Archived April 26, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/jQI2L

“Our crumbling infrastructure, our widening skills gap, the disappearance of vocational education, and the stratospheric rise in college tuition—these are not problems,” Rowe said. “These are symptoms of what we value. And right now, we have to reconnect the average American with the value of a skilled workforce. Only then, will the next generation aspire to do the work at hand.”

In 2020, Rowe put Koch Industries at the top of a list of companies who had provided support for scholarships. Rowe described the purpose of scholarships as follows:23Could You Help Me Unload a Million Dollars?Mike Rowe, February 11, 2020. Archived April 26, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/T6Z6U

“I’m not looking for people who wish to earn a four-year degree, or individuals in pursuit of their ‘dream job.’ With respect, I don’t care about your dreams. Nor do I care about you IQ, your test scores, your athletic prowess, your artistic ability, or any of the other things most other scholarship programs concern themselves with. I care about your attitude, your work ethic, your commitment to personal responsibility, and your desire to master a trade.”

Earther reported in 2021 that in addition to Koch Industries, Rowe’s foundation funders include other anti-regulation groups such as the the Distribution Contractors Association – a group that is also funding his show “Six Degrees” – and Federal Mogul Motor Parts, a subsidiary of the British multinational energy firm Centrica.24Dharna Noor. “Mike Rowe’s New Discovery+ Show Is Big Oil-Funded Propaganda,” Earther at Gizmodo, April 2, 2021. Archived April 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/mGSLu

The Climate Investigations Center found that Koch Industries and the Charles Koch Foundation, both tied to the massive fortune amassed by the Koch brothers, have together donated more than $1 million dollars to Rowe’s foundation.25Dharna Noor. “Mike Rowe’s New Discovery+ Show Is Big Oil-Funded Propaganda,” Earther at Gizmodo, April 2, 2021. Archived April 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/mGSLu

Rowe has listed the following as sponsors of the foundation:

Sponsor202026Could You Help Me Unload a Million Dollars?Mike Rowe, February 11, 2020. Archived April 26, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/T6Z6U202127Off The Wall: Thanks for Your Generous Support,” Mike Rowe, April 21, 2021. Archived April 26, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/6irHM
Andre Agassi Foundation for EducationY
ATI (Automotive Training Institute)Y
Bruce Jacobs Fund at Donors Capital FundY
Charles Koch FoundationY
DCA (Distribution Contractors Association)YY
Engelstad FoundationY
FacebookY
Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting GalleryYY
Gray & Son, Inc.Y
HomeServe USAY
Koch IndustriesYY
MoenYY
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and IndustryYY
Ray H Marr FoundationY
Universal Technical InstituteY
Wolverine Boots & ApparelYY
Work for PiedmontY
Zest Social Media SolutionsY

Note that the following form, despite being labeled “Do Not File” and “Not Open to Public Inspection” was included as part of the foundation’s 2019 submission to Guidestar and is available publicly.

mikeroweWORKS Foundation 990 Forms

mikeroweWORKS Foundation as Recipient

The data below is taken from IRS Form 990 forms available at ProPublica. This does not include the totals listed above as “Excess Contributions” on IRS Schedule A.

Donor Name (Only those who donated $1,000 or more listed)2013201420152016201720182019Grand Total
Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation$50,000$225,000$225,000$125,000$625,000
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry Educational Foundation$25,000$77,151$57,875$160,026
Network for Good$10,797$26,537$115,767$153,101
Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust$40,000$40,000$80,000
California Community Foundation$50,000$50,000
Schwab Charitable Fund$5,250$23,900$29,150
Tapeats Fund$10,000$9,000$8,000$27,000
Techforce Foundation$25,000$25,000
Joe R Lee Family Foundation$25,000$25,000
Mercury One$25,000$25,000
National Philanthropic Trust$24,900$24,900
Roth-Armstrong-Hayes Foundation$5,000$7,500$10,000$22,500
Paypal Charitable Giving Fund$5,998$13,577$19,575
Keough Family Foundation$1,500$6,000$6,000$13,500
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund$13,125$13,125
Friedery Family Foundation$3,000$3,000$5,000$11,000
Rickard Family Foundation$5,000$5,000
Howell Fund$5,000$5,000
Collins Family Foundation$5,000$5,000
Shell Oil Company Foundation$3,000$3,000
TZP Cares Foundation$3,000$3,000
Achelis Foundation$1,000$500$1,500
Charitocracy Corporation$1,478$1,478
Armrod Charitable Foundation$1,000$1,000
Grand Total$50,000$36,500$20,250$361,900$420,946$271,467$167,792$1,328,855

Stance on Climate Change

October 31, 2016

Mike Rowe wrote on his blog:28The Worst Place in the Universe,” Mike Rowe, October 31, 2016. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/IL3pO

“This weekend, in a bar called Grumpy’s, I listened as two professors from Berkeley discussed with great passion the inevitable consequences of ignoring climate change. When I was invited to share my opinion, I shrugged and said, ‘Beats me, fellas. Last week the smartest people on the planet thought there were 100 billion galaxies in the universe. They were off by a couple trillion. I’m not really sure what’s in store for planet earth.’

“I was surprised by their response. One frowned real hard, and stared into his beer. The other asked if I was some kind of ‘Climate Denier.

“’Not at all,’ I said. ‘Any fool can see there’s a climate.’

“’You know what I mean,’ he said. ‘Are you skeptical of the fact than man is destroying the planet by heating it up to an unnatural degree?’

“’I’m skeptical of most things,’ I said. ‘But who cares what I think? I’m just a narrator. You guys are the actual scientists, right?’

“’We are,’ said the one staring at his beer.

“’Well then, tell me this. Isn’t skepticism at the very heart of scientific inquiry?’

“’It is.’

“’Then how come people who question the claims around global warming are called Deniers?’

“’Because Global Warming is real, and man is causing it. And our planet is in terrible trouble.’

“Then the other one chimed in with this. ‘Right now, this planet is one of the worst places to be in the universe.’

“I nodded. ‘I’m sure you’re right,’ I said. ‘But if it turns out you’re not, and you need someone to walk it back for you – give me a call. I’m in the booth all the time.'”

April 21, 2014

Mike Rowe posted on his Facebook page:29It now appears we have a new culprit that explains the cause of global warming – hard work. …” Facebook post by Mike Rowe, April 21, 2014. Archived April 26, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/NJZUb

“It now appears we have a new culprit that explains the cause of global warming – hard work.

“Early this morning, one of San Francisco’s free newspapers found it’s way to the sidewalk in front of my apartment, proving yet again that you don’t always get what you pay for. Because I abhor litter, I picked it up for deposit it in my mandatory recycling container. But not before glancing at the headline.

“Apparently, this is their annual Green Issue, and their contention is pretty straightforward – work is killing the planet. Below the headline it gets better – ‘Climate Change Threats Revive the Long Forgotten Goal of Taking it Easier.’

“Against my better judgment I took a peek inside, where a lengthy article spelled out a variety of examples about how the American work ethic is making the world hotter. Let me sum it for you. Hard work requires energy. Energy, as you surely know, is dirty, expensive, and bad. So, if we use less of it, we’ll not only save money, we’ll have more free time to follow our passion, and best of all, a more temperate planet for everyone. Ergo – work less and save the world!

“We did two specials on Dirty Jobs called “Brown Before Green.” I don’t have anything new to add. However – if you run a foundation that’s based on the belief that “Work is Not the Enemy,” you can’t ignore a headline like this one.

“I launched mikeroweWORKS on Labor Day of 2008. I did it because hard work and skilled labor need a PR Campaign. Too many Americans have become disconnected from the people who make our society function, and I believe that ‘disconnect’ has informed a great many challenges we currently face as a country – including a widening skills gap, a crumbling infrastructure, and decades of offshoring. In short, I think we have a rotten relationship with work, and I suspect a lot of our current problems are a symptom of that relationship.

“Occasionally, people say ‘Mike, what makes you believe such a thing? What makes you think that society is waging a war against hard work? I have a book full of examples. And if I had seen this headline before I wrote it, I would have included one more…”

May 2008

In a segment on Dirty Jobs, Rowe commented while trudging through snow, “Hi. Today I’ve come to Kensington, Minnesota, on the first day of spring with an important message about global warming.” Rowe then laughs hysterically for more than 10 seconds. This segment appeared in season 3, episode 29 of Dirty Jobs (timestamp [21:50]):30Mike Rowe on Global Warming,” YouTube video uploaded by user “JstKiddin,” January 23, 2011.

Key Quotes

February 25, 2021

In an “Off the Wall” blog post, Rowe listed a series of headlines that were mistaken about COVID-19, and compared them to reporting regarding potential impacts of climate change and other issues:31The Difference Between Sounding Certain & Being Correct,” Mike Rowe, February 25, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/dkhCj

“Is it unreasonable for a casual observer to read through this hot mess and conclude that every one of these journalists, politicians, and scientists seemed more interested in fighting xenophobia than they were in protecting Americans from a potentially deadly virus? Is it unreasonable to wonder how many more Americans would have died as a result of these comments, had the virus turned out to be even deadlier than it is?” Rowe said of a list of headlines about COVID.

“Some will argue, ‘But Mike, that isn’t fair. These people were just following the science. Science evolves, and when it does, reasonable people change their beliefs when new information is brought to light.’

“I couldn’t agree more. But ‘following the science’ wherever it may lead demands a measure of modesty. A willingness to be completely and totally wrong. So I would ask these defenders of the mistaken, “Where is their humility? Where are their apologies? Where is their embarrassment? Why do so many people in the public eye work so hard to sound so certain every time they hold forth?”

“Obviously, the problem is not limited to COVID. Consider the claims driving the climate debate, and the certainty of those making them. I just watched John Kerry tell CBS, ‘The scientists told us three years ago we had 12 years to avert the worst consequences of climate crisis. We are now three years gone, so we have nine years left.’ He said a great deal more as well, and he spoke as he always does, with absolute conviction and deep certainty.

[…]

“2008: Al Gore Predicts that Earth’s “Ice Caps” Will Melt away by 2014. https://bit.ly/3uAv11c

“2007: Ten Years Left to Avert Catastrophe! https://bit.ly/3aRcLZt

“2001: “Snows of Kilimanjaro to vanish by 2020!” https://bit.ly/3korPAQ

“2000: “Children Aren’t Going to Know What Snow Is in Five Years.” http://bit.ly/3aW8N1Q

“1987: “Within 15 years, the earth will be warmer than it has been in the past 100,000 years.” https://bit.ly/3kpZqdN

“1970: Earth Day Prof. Predicts A Super Ice Age Will Engulf The World. https://bit.ly/3aRdwSj

“1967: “Dire Famine by 1975.” https://bit.ly/3uv5FS5

“Again, these predictions are notable not because they were all so wrong, or delivered by experts. There notable because they were all so unapologetically certain. And yet, we still fall for it, over and over, year after year. I know a lot of reasonably intelligent people who now believe the world will end in nine years if we don’t abandon fossil fuels immediately. It’s not just that they believe it – they know it. They know it to the point where they’ll shout down all those who disagree, or dismiss them as deniers, or demand they be forbidden from speaking.”

February 1, 2021

Via Fox Business:32Catie Perry. “Mike Rowe: Biden administration can turn its back on fossil fuels, but America can’t,” Fox Business, February 1, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL:https://archive.ph/eHras

“’The conversation I think we ought to be having involves the degree to which 330 million Americans are truly reliant on petroleum products and fossil fuels,’” Rowe said on FOX Business’ ‘Varney and Co.’ “Not just at the pump. It’s not just oil and natural gas or clean versus dirty. It’s the yoga pants. It’s the plastic on the keyboard.’

“’Even if our government turns its back on fossil fuels, the country can’t,’ Rowe told host Stuart Varney. ‘No matter what we want, we can’t do it.’

“’Fossil fuels, as I understand it, is one of the leading investors in alternative fuels,’ Rowe said. ‘So we can’t just separate two sides of the same coin and expect to come out on the other side.’”

January 11, 2018

In a Facebook post later praised by Anthony Watts, Rowe responded to a comment from a viewer regarding climate change. Below is an excerpt from the full post:33Mike Rowe schools a woman who labels him an ‘anti-education, science doubting, ultra-right wing conservative’,” Watts Up With That? January 14, 2018. Archived April 27, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/MFkPP 34Off the Wall,” Facebook post by Mike Rowe, January 11, 2018. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zY9qM

“If I said I was skeptical that a supernatural being put us here on Earth, you’d be justified in calling me a ‘doubter of religion.’ But if I said I was skeptical that manmade global warming was going to melt the icecaps, that doesn’t make me a ‘doubter of science.’ Once upon a time, the best minds in science told us the Sun revolved around the Earth. They also told us the Earth was flat, and that a really bad fever could be cured by blood-letting. Happily, those beliefs were questioned by skeptical minds, and we moved forward.”

Key Actions

April 2021

At the end of the first episode of “Six Degrees,” Rowe commented that “’Six Degrees’ is sponsored by the oil and natural gas industry. Why? Because oil and natural gas connects everything.”35Dharna Noor. “Mike Rowe’s New Discovery+ Show Is Big Oil-Funded Propaganda,” Earther at Gizmodo, April 2, 2021. Archived April 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/mGSLu

Heated reporter Emily Atkin reported on the American Petroleum Institute (API)‘s sponsorship of Rowe’s show “Six Degrees.” API is the the largest oil and gas trade association in the United States, with more than 600 corporate members including BP, Conocophillips, ExxonMobil, and Shell.36Emily Atkin. “Mike Rowe, oilsplainer,” Heated, April 13, 2021. Archived April 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wEy8B

Following publication of an Earther piece about the show’s sponsors, Mike Rowe posted a 6,000-word Facebook post in response, claiming that Earther‘s headline – “Mike Rowe’s New Discovery+ Show Is Big Oil-Funded Propaganda” – was “demonstrably false.”37Facebook post by Mike Rowe, April 10, 2021 at 2:48 PM. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Heated countered, “It’s an accurate headline. The oil and gas industry is funding and sponsoring ‘Six Degrees’ because it wants to promote Rowe’s point of view, which is beneficial to the industry politically. Rowe’s point of view, specifically, is that oil and gas is necessary for human prosperity, and that without it we would all be very poor and very sad.”

Fox News commentator Brian Kilmeade opened up the floor for Rowe to promote his API-funded television series “Six Degrees.”38Dharna Noor. “Mike Rowe’s New Discovery+ Show Is Big Oil-Funded Propaganda,” Earther at Gizmodo, April 2, 2021. Archived April 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/mGSLu

February 2021

On February 3, Rowe appeared on Fox News to provide reaction to the Biden administration’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline.39Nikolas Lanum. “Mike Rowe: ‘It’s a heartbreaker’ to see oil and gas workers losing jobs after Biden orders,” Fox News, February 3, 2021. Archived April 26, 2021. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5wquj

“It’s a heartbreaker,” Rowe commented, “to hear them [oil and gas workers] treated in such a high-handed way.”

[…]

“When the workforce is fundamentally out of balance, then the rest of us become disconnected from everything that we rely upon. And if you don’t think we rely upon Keystone workers and pipelines and energy and petroleum based products and fossil fuels and gas and so forth, just wait until we truly make them the enemy and disconnect ourselves so completely from that part of our economy that we really start to see the impact.

Rowe also appeared in a February 9 Fox News segment discussing how Americans are “‘disconnected’ from impact of fossil fuels on daily life.”40Mike Rowe: Americans ‘disconnected’ from impact of fossil fuels on daily life,Fox News, February 9, 2021. Archived April 27, 2021. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL:https://archive.ph/AiWSw

April 29, 2014

Mike Rowe testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources during a hearing on “American Energy Jobs: Opportunities for Skilled Trade Workers.”41Mike Testified Before House Committee on Natural Resources,” Profoundly Disconnected, May 15, 2014. Archived July 1, 2014. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/LOJ2BMike Testified Before House Committee on Natural Resources,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Mike Rowe,” April 30, 2014. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Affiliations

  • mikeroweWORKS Foundation — Founder and president

Social Media

Publications

  • Profoundly Disconnected®, A True Confession From Mike Rowe
  • The Way I Heard It, Gallery Books, 2019

Other Resources

Resources

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