Kevin O’Leary, business entrepreneur and longtime star of the TV show “Shark Tank,” refers to himself as “Mr. Wonderful” and once stated that “I'm pre-programmed to only speak the truth. I can't lie to anybody.” Taylor Knuth disagrees with O’Leary’s self-assessment. His chosen method to deliver a counterpoint? A defamation lawsuit seeking damages for alleged reputational and financial harm, as well as severe emotional distress.
Knuth’s complaint, filed on October 14 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah (Northern Division), blames a knowingly false “smear campaign” that O’Leary conducted, aided by numerous Fox News Network shows, for destroying his reputation and eradicating his career prospects. It claims that O’Leary targeted Knuth for opposing his proposed Box Elder County data center project, claiming he had “irrefutable facts” that Knuth and his former coworkers at the Alliance for a Better Utah (ABU) were proxies for the Chinese government.
Despite making numerous accusations and stating that he had given the federal government proof that Knuth and the ABU, who had criticized his Utah data center proposal, were agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), O’Leary was unable to provide evidence to support his claims. He later admitted that “I don’t know who’s doing this,” and several Fox shows issued retractions and apologies. Knuth’s lawsuit comes three months after a July 15 complaint filed by Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, and their respective founders, Joshua Kanter and Gabrielle Finlayson. It argues that O’Leary’s and Fox News Media's mea culpas are too little and too late.
Open Mouth. Insert Foot. Close Gently.
O’Leary is a Canadian businessman who once attempted to be elected leader of that country’s Conservative Party. With over 12 million followers spread over social media platforms, he’s best known as one of the angel investors on the show “Shark Tank,” which debuted in 2009. As part of an investor panel, O’Leary and the others listen to abbreviated elevator pitches from inventors and start-up businesses seeking capital before deciding whether to back an entrepreneur. The onstage “handshake deals” aren’t legally binding, and either side can back out.
In April 2026, O’Leary Digital announced the Stratos Project, a deal with Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) to build a data center in Box Elder County, north of the Great Salt Lake. The original proposal called for roughly nine gigawatts of power, which is more than twice Utah’s existing continuous demand, according to the July complaint. The project drew opposition over water use, emissions, and other environmental concerns. The developers proposed on-site power generation rather than drawing that electricity from the existing grid.
ABU was among the organizations publicly criticizing the project and quickly became a target of O’Leary’s accusations. Starting May 11, 2026, O’Leary appeared on various Fox News Network shows over the next two weeks, accusing the ABU and Knuth (though he repeatedly mispronounced and misspelled his name) of not being angry Utahns, but instead paid agents of the CCP (which, if true, could be a federal crime). Despite the ABU denying the claims, O’Leary called his allegations “irrefutable” on Fox News shows with little or no pushback from the hosts and posted them on his social media accounts. He also claimed to have proof in the form of IRS Form 990 filings, which he allegedly shared with federal law enforcement.
According to Knuth’s complaint, the investigative report didn’t corroborate O’Leary’s accusations of a Chinese conspiracy. After the ABU demanded a retraction on June 5, O’Leary admitted that “I don’t know who’s doing this” on June 10 before admitting on June 25 that he “would like to clarify that I have no evidence that Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, Gabrielle Finlayson, Taylor Knuth or Josh Kanter are funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party.” Apologies and retractions “for the error” soon followed from the Fox Shows O’Leary had appeared on.
That wasn’t enough for the ABU or Elevate Strategies, which filed suit in July. Knuth’s October complaint made a key distinction: despite O’Leary repeatedly linking him to the ABU throughout May, Knuth had left the nonprofit on April 2, 2026.
How’s That Unringing of the Bell Going?
Knuth, who was interviewing for a new position, setting up a consulting firm, and in the final stages of completing his doctoral work at the University of Utah, had voiced his opposition to the Stratos Project as a private individual on his personal social media accounts. The suit claims that, because of O’Leary’s “defamation campaign” against him, Knuth’s employment prospects dried up, he could no longer get his Ph.D. (his advisor, who was on the ABU board, cut off communication), and his political aspirations were obliterated.
Knuth’s complaint accuses O’Leary and Fox News Network of defamation, including defamation per se, and false light invasion of privacy. He points to O’Leary’s acknowledgment that he had no evidence of Chinese funding and Fox’s subsequent corrections and apologies, while alleging that the damage continued. Knuth seeks damages to be determined at trial, alleging at least $300,000 in actual damages, along with punitive damages and injunctive relief. He also asks the court to require both defendants to remove or appropriately edit publications containing the challenged statements on websites and accounts they control.
