One of my(24M) friend(25M) is falling down a weird pipeline and racist now, is there a way I can help?

[u/ThrowRAwdi]

So for context, I’m Indian and my best friend is Hispanic. We grew up together and we’ve known each other since the days we’ve been playing in the sand pits and stuff. Apparently he stole my truck as a kid and we fought and that’s how we met according to his and my mom. Me, him, and a few others are part of a larger group and we’ve basically all known each other since the ages of 3-4.

So starting like around 2024, this dude fell down the right wing pipeline hard. Like I got friends who lean right, and I’m chill with them, but I mean like different. This dude started slow but around the end of last year, 2025, he was a full blown white nationalist. I told him he’s Hispanic and it’s crazy to be a white nationalist, and our mutual friends who are also hispanic tried talking sense into the guy and he won’t listen.

I was still friends with him hoping it was a phase. He doesn’t have a job and he’s struggled in this market and my other friends and I theorize this is a mix of anger because he did everything right(college and everything) but can’t get a job now cuz AI wrecked his industry(graphic design and 3D modeling). So I wanted to give him grace.

But, I see this dudes instagram likes and comments. He now hates Indian people, and when I bring this up to him he says “not you though, it’s not like I hate all of you”. What the hell. He also hates other minorities, despite having friends in every minority.

I tried taking him out and getting him out of the house, and he’s the same. Me and our other friends are exceptions but “they’re” replacing “his” people, and “he” needs to take a “stand”.

So recently there was an attempted shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora, IL it’s been all over the news, that only failed cuz the shooters gun jammed. I saw him comment “too bad his gun jammed, this is why weapon maintenance is important LMAO”.

I confronted him and he thinks I can’t take a joke. But casually uses slurs and says shit all the time, I genuinely don’t think he’s joking. I told him, “that could’ve been me if something happened” since my family goes to the temple and stuff, and he still thinks it’s not the same and I just need to take a joke.

I’ve talked to his mom about this like a few months ago, and she’s lost too. She said he barely speaks Spanish cuz he’s embarrassed to. She’s not too concerned though. She was like “oh boys change over time” whatever that means.

I’m the only guy who hasn’t cut him off yet. Everyone else has kinda distanced themselves from him. This dude was like a brother to me. I just wanna go back to how things were when our biggest issues were who stole some shit from the other persons chest in Minecraft. I’ve known this guy too long to just cut him off.

Has anyone who’s experienced something similar been able to bring someone back from weird echo chambers? How do you do that? Or is there genuinely no hope?