Mike Rowe Instagram – @timballard89 has interested me from the moment I saw the movie based on his life’s work. “Sound of Freedom” as you may have heard has upset a lot of people for a lot of reasons. First off the subject matter is upsetting. According to Tim 85,000 undocumented children have crossed the Mexican border and are currently unaccounted for in the US. He believes many were purchased by pedophiles and currently enslaved. He has what appears to be a lot of proof. He also believes that millions of other people are enslaved around the world, caught up in an unimaginable nightmare of sexual exploitation. If a fraction of what he alleges is true, and the evidence certainly demands a verdict, we have an unspeakable problem on our hands that must be solved. I’m also interested in the way Hollywood has reacted to the remarkable success of this crowd-funded film, baffled by its appeal. Finally, I’m interested in the way Tim has become the target of so much controversy since the films release. Shortly after we recorded our conversation another very unflattering piece began to make the rounds, this one in Vice. The allegations against Tim are serious, but once again, leveled by anonymous sources. This episode dropped earlier today and I’ve already heard from people who believe the info put forth in Sound of Freedom are a “fever dream of Q-Anon paranoia,” and “wildly overstated.” Others say the allegations should have precluded me from talking with Tim entirely. I disagree obviously. Not because I know Tim personally or because I’m able to vouch for his character. I don’t, and I can’t. But I’m not persuaded by anonymous accusations, or by the assortment of detractors who seem determined to discredit a man who has spent his life trying to rescue kids who were undeniably taken from their parents and sold into slavery. I have no idea how many enslaved children there are today. I’m sure it’s millions but I can’t prove it. I can only tell you that one is one too many and Tim Ballard has put himself out there in a big way, dedicating his life to making sure that number is as small as possible. It’ll be fascinating, and important, to see what happens as a result. Link in bio