Alex O'Connor

Last updated

Alex O'Connor
Alex O'Connor, Level-Up Orlando.jpg
O'Connor in July 2025
Born
Alex J. O'Connor

(1999-03-27) 27 March 1999 (age 26)
Education St John's College, Oxford (BA)
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2013–present
Subscribers1.79 million
Views353 million
O'Connor's voice (2024)
O'Connor debates Cliffe Knechtle on the historicity of Matthew 27:52.
Last updated: 5 December 2025
Website alexoconnor.com

Alex J. O'Connor (born 27 March 1999), also known as CosmicSkeptic, is an English podcaster and influencer. He is known for his videos on philosophy on YouTube, most notably on the subjects of ethics, religion and atheism.

Contents

Early life and education

Alex O'Connor was born on 27 March 1999. [1] [2] He grew up in Blackbird Leys, a civil parish and ward in Oxford, with divorced parents. [3] He attended St John's College at the University of Oxford and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and theology in 2021. [4] [5] [6]

Career

O'Connor started his career by uploading videos on skateboarding to YouTube. [7] By age seventeen, he was making videos on his channel CosmicSkeptic commenting on philosophy, religion and political topics like the 2016 United States presidential election. [7] He started the Within Reason podcast (formerly called The Cosmic Skeptic Podcast) in 2019. His guests include Richard Dawkins, David Deutsch, Sam Harris, Carlo Rovelli, Alain de Botton and Slavoj Žižek. [2] [4]

In October 2023 he interviewed the conservative journalist and commentator Peter Hitchens about drug decriminalisation, secularism and the British monarchy. Hitchens abruptly ended the interview and expressed his "active dislike" of O'Connor before leaving. [4] [6] O'Connor has participated in debates at the Oxford Union. [4] In January 2025 he was featured in an episode of the American political debate series Surrounded by Jubilee Media, where he debated 25 Christians on the existence of God and the veracity of the resurrection of Jesus. [2]

Views

O'Connor identifies as an agnostic atheist; he is known for his critique of theistic belief systems and for his long-form conversations on the subject. [2] [4] [8] He is a republican, and has spoken publicly on the subject, including with Piers Morgan. [9] O’Connor is a former vegan. [10] [11]

References

  1. ↑ Alex, O'Connor [@CosmicSkeptic] (27 March 2024). "It's my birthday today, but I have a gift for you [...]" (Tweet). Retrieved 17 March 2025– via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kornhaber, Spencer (23 January 2025). "America Is Divided. It Makes for Tremendous Content". The Atlantic . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  3. ↑ Prosser, Eirian Jane (18 November 2020). "Student Alex O'Connor finds TikTok fame with video about Oxford's Blackbird Leys estate". Oxford Mail . Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 McKee, Samuel (30 September 2024). "The new faces of unbelief for Generation Z: the rise of the British social media atheists". The Freethinker . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  5. ↑ "Alex O'Connor | Speaker". Institute of Art and Ideas . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  6. 1 2 Norman, Matthew (10 October 2023). "Peter Hitchens storms out of Oxford Cosmic Skeptic podcast". Oxford Mail . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  7. 1 2 Khan, Harris (16 March 2025). "Alex O'Connor on the importance of saying 'I don't know'". Varsity . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  8. ↑ Is Alex O’Connor Spiritual? #atheist #agnostic #religion #spirituality #soulboom . Retrieved 16 June 2025– via www.youtube.com.
  9. ↑ O'Connor2023-05-04T15:19:00+01:00, Alex. "Why I'm an atheist anti-monarchist". Unbelievable. Retrieved 8 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Ellinas, Alex Fasseas, Marcus (5 December 2021). "The Case for Veganism: An Interview with Alex O'Connor (Part 1)". Brown Political Review. Retrieved 8 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ More Alex O'Connor (13 April 2025). I’m Not Convinced Veganism Will Work - Alex O’Connor . Retrieved 8 July 2025– via YouTube.
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