Important Update

With heavy hearts, we share that Joe Phillips passed away on 01/09/2026.

Joe fought bravely, but his condition was just too severe for him to stay with us. Lee County lost a true advocate for liberty, a man who stood firmly in his convictions and never stopped speaking up for what he believed was right. Heaven gained a new warrior.

This fundraiser now exists to support Joe’s wife, Jesse, and their daughter, Addy, as they face life without him.

Joe did not have medical or life insurance. Funds raised will help cover:

Outstanding medical and hospital expenses

End-of-life and memorial costs

Immediate living expenses for Jesse and Addy during this transition

We are deeply grateful for every share, every prayer, and every act of support. Your generosity is helping carry Joe’s family through the hardest days they will ever face.

Joe Phillips, known to many as Smoking Joe from the Cracker Culture Podcast, suffered a catastrophic heart attack and is currently hospitalized at Gulf Coast Medical Center. Joe was found unresponsive in the school pickup line while waiting for his daughter, Addy. CPR was performed on site before he was rushed to the hospital. It is difficult to put into words how close this came to being a very different story. Joe survived the initial event, but the road ahead is uncertain. Doctors have determined Joe needs a cardiac stent, however his larynx must heal first before that procedure can safely be performed. To stabilize his heart in the meantime, Joe is scheduled to receive a pacemaker. There is also a very real and sobering truth: there is a chance Joe may not survive the procedure.

Adding to the weight of this situation, Joe does not have medical insurance. He also does not have life insurance. The financial impact of emergency care, hospitalization, life-saving cardiac intervention, and recovery is already overwhelming and continues to grow each day. This fundraiser exists to help ensure that Joe’s wife, Jesse, and their daughter, Addy, are not left facing impossible decisions on top of unimaginable fear.

Joe has spent years lending his voice to conversations about culture, freedom, and responsibility. He shows up. He speaks plainly. He fights for what he believes is right. As a fellow podcaster and friend, I know Joe personally. I came to know him through his work, and through his support of independent creators like myself. Joe has even used my music in the opening theme of his show. He believes deeply in standing for others, even when it costs him. While his heart is weak, it is strong for the ideas he believes in.

Funds raised will be used for emergency and ongoing hospital care, the pacemaker and upcoming cardiac procedures, medical bills related to recovery and rehabilitation, and living expenses for Jesse and Addy during this uncertain time. If you are able to give, please know that any amount matters. If you are unable to give, sharing this fundraiser helps more than you realize. This is not politics. This is not content. This is a family trying to hold itself together while a husband and father fights to survive. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for helping Joe get the chance to come home.

Organizer Statement:

This fundraiser was created by Wes Herndon, a fellow podcaster and friend of Joe Phillips. I came to know Joe through the podcasting community and through his support of independent creators, including the use of my music on the Cracker Culture Podcast and Smoking Joe Nation.

I am not the beneficiary of this fundraiser. All funds raised through this campaign are disbursed directly to Joe’s wife, Jesse, who is the designated beneficiary, and are intended to support outstanding medical expenses, memorial costs, and the immediate needs of their family.

I am organizing this fundraiser solely to help Joe’s family during this difficult time and do not receive or control the funds raised.

Thank you for your support, your trust, and for honoring Joe’s life.ary of the the funds raised.