Jon Lovett, a podcaster and speechwriter who worked with former President Barack Obama, was the first person voted off during the season premiere of “Survivor 47.”
Lovett got the boot Wednesday after the Gata tribe lost the challenge and found itself in the first tribal council of the season. Jeff Probst, the show’s host and executive producer, told Parade magazine that he did not expect Lovett to leave so early.
“I thought Andy was done,” Probst said, referring to cast member Andy Rueda, who had a meltdown and told everyone his plan to betray Lovett.
“He seemed to be a massive liability. And I was actually kind of sad as Andy walked off, because I wanted him to get everything he wanted out of this experience, and it didn’t seem like it was going to happen,” Probst told the magazine.
Fans of the show, as well as newcomers who tuned in because they enjoy Lovett’s hit political podcast, “Pod Save America,” weren’t too happy about his exit.
“I was prepared to watch a season of Survivor for the first time in like 15+ years for @jonlovett… welp byeeeeee,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“Are you telling me I’ve been waiting for this season of survivor to watch Jon Lovett play for 3 months and he is gonna be voted out first?! #Survivor47,” another wrote.
“I am so angry. I have watched @survivorcbs for years & will not watch this season now after what happened to @jonlovett. He got absolutely screwed by a whack job,” one fan wrote. “Incredibly unfair/disappointing. Been looking forward to this for months.”
Another person posted: “Sad that @jonlovett has been voted off the island in episode one. But now we can enjoy him where he belongs, on #PodSaveAmerica and #LovettOrLeaveIt. Welcome home Jon.”
Lovett commented on his departure with a reference to former President Donald Trump’s controversial slogan that falsely alleged voter fraud during the 2020 election.
“Stop the steal,” Lovett wrote in a post on X.
Lovett, 42, co-hosts “Pod Save America” alongside fellow former Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor. The show is described as a “no-bulls— conversation about politics” that “cuts through the noise to break down the week’s news and helps people figure out what matters and how they can help.” He also worked with presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.
