QAnon Is Back On 8kun, But Many Believe It Is Just 8chan's Owner Jim Watkins Trying To Make A Buck

Frederick Brennan, the original and former founder of 8chan (now 8kun), has shared what he claims is “incontrovertible” proof that Jim Watkins is now posting as Q, the anonymous account at the center of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Jim Watkins is the administrator of 8kun, which was renamed from 8chan in 2019 after American internet hosting services refused to continue hosting it. The rebranded 8kun is now hosted via a Russian service and based in the Philippines where the Watkins live.

8kun has been associated with several mass shootings, blacklisted from Google Search because of child pornography in its forums and cited as a planning ground for the January 6th rioters. It first gained attention as a forum where GamerGate was discussed, and later became the home of Q and the movement associated with QAnon.

Within the conspiracy, Q claims to be a high-level government operative with ties to Donald Trump recruiting “patriots” online to help overthrow the United States government. Q first emerged in 2017, posting a series of cryptic catchphrases and leading questions in “Q Drops.”

QAnon has also become influential in the modern Republican party, with several elected officials like Marjorie Taylor Greene and former President Donald Trump echoing and amplifying claims made by QAnon believers. Prior to June 24th, Q had been on a lengthy hiatus, with no new posts since December 2020.

Brennan has claimed Jim’s son, Ron Watkins, was posting as Q for several years. In our 2020 interview with Brennan, he theorized that it was likely Jim or Ron posting the infamous Q Drops.

In the 2021 HBO documentary Q: Into The Storm, Brennan again laid out his claims and Ron Watkins himself seemed to inadvertently allude to being Q. Ron later resigned his role at 8kun to run for Congress in Arizona after establishing a reputation as a prominent 2020 election denier.

Brennan’s alleged evidence comes from an analysis of trip codes and server data, which proves that Jim Watkins accidentally used the same ID he posted under as Q to argue with a poster who criticized him, later going into the server to push an update changing that ID and concealing the evidence. Brennan describes the line of reasoning as fairly complex, but it seems like even a decent number of 8kun users are with him.

Jim Watkins has issued a statement denying the charges, and a few QAnon adherents seem to have confidence in the new Q Drops regardless of the recent claims.