Ben McKenzie Exposes Crypto's Biggest Lies

Most people know Ben McKenzie from The O.C. Over the past several years, however, he has made an unlikely transformation into a serious crypto investigator—and, as Shane puts it, a hell of a journalist and filmmaker. McKenzie joins Shane to discuss his documentary, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, and the journey that took him from casual crypto skeptic to interviewing major industry figures, anticipating the collapse of companies like Celsius and FTX, and testifying before the Senate Banking Committee. Together, they examine the machinery behind the crypto boom: celebrity endorsements, insider control, market manipulation, Trump’s crypto ventures and the absence of meaningful enforcement. They also explore the human cost of an economy that increasingly encourages ordinary people to gamble their way toward financial security. The conversation eventually moves beyond crypto to prediction markets, legalized gambling, artificial intelligence and the opportunists who migrate from one technological gold rush to the next. It’s a sharp, funny and deeply human conversation about money, power—and who is left holding the bag when the hype collapses. For a limited time only, join audiences around the world for a special global streaming event celebrating Everyone Is Lying to You for Money followed by a live Q&A with director Ben McKenzie, actress Morena Baccarin, and special celebrity guests. Only available August 22nd through September 6th, 2026. watch at https://www.everyoneislying.com - Get 20% off your first order at ⁠⁠https://www.mood.com⁠⁠ with promo code SHANESMITH - Save 20% on your first online Lucy order at ⁠⁠https://www.lucy.co/ QUESTIONS⁠⁠ with promo code QUESTIONS! #BenMcKenzie #EveryoneIsLyingToYouForMoney #EasyMoney #ShaneSmith #ShaneSmithHasQuestions #Cryptocurrency #Crypto #Bitcoin #FTX #SBF #CryptoScams #TrumpCoin #CasinoCapitalism #Blockchain #ViceNews Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Check out VICE News for more: http://vicenews.com Follow VICE News here: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vicenews?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicenews Twitter: https://twitter.com/vicenews Instagram: http://instagram.com/vicenews =================================== Chapters: 00:00 Ben McKenzie's Crypto Documentary 07:10 The Friend Who Couldn't Explain Crypto 11:14 Alex Mashinsky and Celsius 12:40 20 People Control Crypto 90 Percent of Trading Is Fake 20:56 Crypto Is Corporate Money 26:05 Crypto Is Gambling 31:13 Sam Bankman-Fried The Boy Genius Who Wasn't a Genius 38:09 Interviewing SBF Twitching and Deflecting 39:36 Vindication and Heartbreak Watching Regular People Lose Everything 42:33 Testifying to the Senate and Kevin O'Leary's Egg on His Face 50:54 Trump Coin How a President Made 600 Million and Investors Lost a Billion 55:25 Greater Fool Theory 57:38 Crypto to Gambling Prediction Markets and Force Fed Risk 1:07:13 The Shame of Failure 1.8 Million Margin Calls and the Squid Games 1:09:10 Ben's Big Takeaway Tech Won't Save Us We Only Have Each Other Ben McKenzie Exposes Crypto's Biggest Lies | Shane Smith Has Questions https://www.youtube.com/@VICENews