'I Missed Jonestown': Mystery Man Hijacks Fox News at Trump Rally With Brutal 'Cult' Dig

A man at a Donald Trump rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina, stunned a live Fox News broadcast by likening the former president's supporters to the Jonestown cult, leaving correspondent Lucas Tomlinson struggling to recover on air.

The man behind the exchange was 57-year-old Tom Hoyle, who made no secret of his reason for attending. 'Well, in the late '70s, I was a little too young to get involved and go to South America for the Jonestown Massacre. But this is as close as I'll ever get, so that's why I'm here,' he told Tomlinson.

Then came the punchline: 'There's nothing like seeing a cult right up front.' Tomlinson smiled and began moving him away, eventually acknowledging: 'Maybe this is not a Trump supporter.'

He Had Planned To Shout Something Much Worse

In an interview with journalist Marisa Kabas of The Handbasket, Hoyle revealed that he and a friend had originally planned to wait until Trump began speaking before shouting something vulgar.

But when Tomlinson approached him for a live interview, Hoyle changed tack. The Jonestown comparison was improvised.

Hoyle said he had been invited after organisers contacted MadPark Designs, the custom-printing business he co-owns with Brian Cetina in Charlotte, North Carolina. Irritated by the unsolicited call, he registered using his real details and decided to turn the invitation into an opportunity to make trouble.

He also had a chiropractor appointment near Rock Hill, making the journey from Charlotte convenient.

Why Hoyle Says His Opposition to Trump Goes Back Decades

Hoyle told Kabas that he had disliked Trump since 1989, when the future president bought full-page newspaper advertisements calling for the return of the death penalty following the Central Park jogger attack.

The five teenagers wrongfully convicted in the case, now known as the Exonerated Five, were later cleared after DNA evidence and another man's confession helped establish their innocence.

Hoyle said the advertisements cemented his opposition to Trump. He had been a registered Republican for decades, he added, before switching to Independent around 18 months earlier.

The Death Metal T-Shirt That Helped Him Past Security

Hoyle's bright yellow T-shirt, bearing the logo of pioneering death metal band Death, was another talking point.

He told Kabas that the shirt was inspired by a woman he had seen protesting Trump in a Primus T-shirt. He wanted other people who shared his views to recognise they were not alone.

Before entering the rally, Hoyle said a private security guard asked whether he supported Trump. He claimed he redirected the conversation towards the Constitution and heavy metal, discussing the late Death frontman Chuck Schuldiner.

Hoyle also suggested Tomlinson may have approached him because his beard and baseball cap fit a stereotype of a Trump supporter. He jokingly described himself as a 'daywalker'.

Hoyle's Account of the Security Encounter

The television appearance was not the end of the drama. Hoyle told Kabas that people he understood to be Secret Service personnel approached him afterwards and asked to speak elsewhere.

His account also describes a separate interaction with a private security guard who had screened him before entry. Hoyle said he was eventually escorted out of the venue. The details of the later encounter have not been independently confirmed.

'Who Is This Legend?': Social Media Reacts

The clip attracted enthusiastic reactions online. GOP consultant Mike Madrid wrote, 'This hero deserves a medal', while former Obama staffer and podcaster Tommy Vietor posted: 'Hahahaha who is this legend?'

Other accounts, including filmmaker E. Casey Leydon, noticed Hoyle's Death T-shirt, while Chef Joe Gera called him an 'Absolute legend'.

Hoyle also credited comedian Billy Crystal with teaching him about comedic timing, explaining that the secret was waiting for the right moment to deliver the punchline.

The Dark History Behind the Jonestown Reference

The comparison invoked one of the darkest episodes in modern history. On 18 November 1978, 918 people died in the Jonestown tragedy in Guyana, involving Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones. The vast majority died at the settlement, including hundreds of children.

Jones ordered followers to consume a cyanide-laced drink, while members of the group also killed US Congressman Leo Ryan and others at a nearby airstrip.

Hoyle pointed to the familiar expression 'drinking the Kool-Aid', noting that Flavor Aid was associated with the poison-laced drink. His comparison was a pointed political opinion, not an established description of Trump's supporters.