Mike Rowe says US gov't revoked permits to film 'Dirty Jobs' episode at last minute — allegedly over Rowe's 'personal politics'

Mike Rowe, beloved host of TV show "Dirty Jobs," said the federal government revoked permits to film an episode of his show at the last minute — allegedly over Rowe's "personal politics."

Rowe on Monday outlined the issue in detail on Facebook, saying the Government Services Administration "suddenly revoked our permit" as the agency "oversees the location" where the episode on boilermakers was to be filmed.

The host said "Dirty Jobs" was required to apply for permits "months ago," and after receiving them, "we were assured several times over the last few months that everything was still good to go."

Rowe said that "just two days before I was scheduled to arrive, we received a phone call from a woman at the GSA who informed us that our permits were being revoked. When we asked for an explanation, she said, 'security concerns.' When we asked her what kind of security concerns, she said she didn’t know. She only told us that the decision had come down from 'the very highest levels within the GSA.'"

The host said the surprising permit revocation was a "first."

"Over the last twenty years, Dirty Jobs has filmed in many sensitive environments under government control. We’ve received permits from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Seabees, Coast Guard, NASA, and The Army Corps of Engineers," he noted. "We’ve gotten permission to film inside the Capitol and a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. We even got a permit to film inside the National Security Agency! In all cases, we worked closely and in good faith with the government and scrupulously avoided any areas that were deemed sensitive or secure. Never once in twenty years has the government revoked a permit — much less at the last minute, and with no plausible explanation."

Rowe also wondered why the boilermaker employees were still working at the location in question a week after the permits were revoked "if the building is under some sort of security threat."

The host added that his production team also received a phone call from someone at the highest levels of the GSA who claimed the decision had "nothing to do with security, and everything to do with politics." The caller — apparently also a GSA higher-up — said someone in the agency “doesn’t like Mike Rowe’s per... (Read more)

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