Rick Leventhal and his wife Kelly are building something on Patreon, and their latest episode may be their biggest booking yet. The Rick & Kelly Show scored a full interview with Brandon Tatum. He’s the former Tempe, Arizona police officer turned conservative commentator, known online as Officer Tatum.
Leventhal posted the news on Instagram this week. The caption read: “Watch the full interview with Brandon plus another Cooking with Kelly & much more on The Rick & Kelly Show on Patreon.com!” The post pulled in 187 likes.
The hashtags told a story on their own. Alongside #theofficertatum, Leventhal also tagged #colinkaepernick and #virtuesignaling. That combination points to exactly where the conversation went. Tatum has been a vocal critic of Colin Kaepernick‘s kneeling protest for years. He built much of his public profile arguing that the movement did more harm than good. His YouTube channel has amassed millions of views on that topic alone.
Not familiar with Tatum? He spent years with the Tempe Police Department, then left law enforcement to pursue conservative commentary full time. He’s appeared on national television and has millions of followers across platforms. He’s also the author of “Beaten Black and Blue.” He wrote it to share his perspective as a Black law-enforcement officer on the policing debates gripping America.
Getting Tatum on the show is a real score for the Leventhals. He doesn’t do every interview. When he sits down somewhere, people in conservative media circles pay attention.
Of course, The Rick & Kelly Show isn’t your typical cable news setup. The whole thing lives on Patreon. That means you have to pay to watch. Leventhal spent years as a war correspondent and anchor at Fox News. He covered wars, disasters, and some of the biggest stories of the past two decades. He and Kelly eventually stepped away from television. The subscription model lets them speak directly to their audience, no network filters required.
Subscribers get longer, uncut conversations. No commercial breaks, no producers cutting to the anchor desk. An unfiltered Tatum interview rarely runs short. The hashtags hint this one probably went places cable news wouldn’t allow.
The episode also includes another installment of Cooking with Kelly, a recurring segment that’s become a fan favorite on the show. Kelly takes over the kitchen each episode, mixing recipes with some real personality. It’s a lighter touch compared to the political guests. But fans seem to love it as a break from the heavier conversations.
The Instagram post itself didn’t blow up by traditional metrics. 187 likes and no retweets is a modest engagement score. But Patreon audiences tend to be smaller and more loyal than casual social-media followers. One paying subscriber matters more to a show like this than a thousand people who scroll past and double-tap.
The real mystery is what Tatum actually said in that full interview. The Instagram post gave nothing away. No clip, no quote, no preview. Just names and a handful of hashtags loaded with meaning. Viewers who want answers will need to subscribe.
Leventhal knows what he’s doing. A little mystery moves people to subscribe.
And this week, that mystery has Officer Tatum’s name on it.
