In the late 2010s, Benjamin began expressing more extreme political views. In 2019, he was banned from several mainstream social media platforms for violations of their policies, includingTwitter,Facebook,Instagram, andYouTube.[9][10][11] These included antisemitic, homophobic, and racist remarks.[8][10][12]
Benjamin starred in several web-only video series, including in the role of Owen onC-SPOT's 2008Gaytown[17] and the role of Chance Stevens onCBS Interactive's 2009Heckle U.[18] He also hostedOwen Benjamin Presents, a 2008 C-SPOT production.[17]
Towards the end of the decade, Benjamin had established himself as what conservative commentatorBethany Mandel described as an "up-and-coming conservative comedian", booking comedy shows at university campuses.[24] He hosted a podcast calledWhy Didn't They Laugh on Sideshow Network.[25] In October 2017, Benjamin tweeted his opposition to providing transgender children withhormone therapy, repeatedly referring to anNPR host as a "child molester" for raising a transgender child.[20][24] This led theUniversity of Connecticut to cancel an upcoming show, and Benjamin'stalent agency dropped him as a client. In February 2018, Benjamin used a racial slur onstage in a performance in his hometown ofSaranac Lake,New York, and more venues cancelled appearances. Mandel described these two events as the "beginning of the end of Benjamin's mainstream career".[24]
Political commentary (2018–present)
Beginning in 2018, Benjamin appeared in two videos for conservative media companyPragerU. During various points in his live streams, Benjamin repeated antisemitic conspiracy tropes, referred to gay sex as "degeneracy", and called Barack Obama a "nigger".[12][24][26] He also was a guest on several shows byThe Daily Wire, and podcasts including those ofJoe Rogan andSteven Crowder.[4][24] In September 2018, he appeared onInfoWars show, and in December was a guest on a show byVox Day.[24]
Benjamin has expressed support for variousantisemitic conspiracy theories.[3][24][6][30] In October 2018,The Atlantic reported that Benjamin had a history of posting antisemitic memes on Instagram.[7] In 2019,Right Wing Watch reported on Benjamin's statement thatAdolf Hitler was trying to "clean Germany, clean it of the parasites, of the fleas", and his claims thatJews control the media.[31]Right Wing Watch also reported on one of Benjamin'slivestreams, where he said, "gays and Jews were considered the worst of the worst. Why? Because if they get power, they will destroy your entire civilization."[10][31] Mandel has said that Benjamin has posted fabricated writing from theTalmud and spread antisemitic conspiracy theories, includingHolocaust denial.[24]
Twitter banned Benjamin in 2018 after he made inappropriate tweets about gun control advocateDavid Hogg.[11] His account was later reinstated under theX management.[6] In October 2019,Patreon suspended Benjamin's account, saying he violated their terms of service regarding hate speech.[36] His YouTube channel was banned on December 3, 2019, for violations of the site's terms of service.[9] On December 13, he was suspended from Facebook and Instagram for multiple policy violations.[10] He has also been banned byPayPal.[37][38]
In January 2020, Benjamin and one hundred of his fans announced their intent to sue Patreon for $3.5million for banning him from the platform. Patreon counter-sued 72 of the fans.[36] In July 2020, a judge on theSan Francisco County Superior Court denied Patreon's request for apreliminary injunction in the case.[38]
In March 2020,The Daily Dot reported that Benjamin had been attempting to circumvent his social media bans on several platforms to spreaddisinformation regarding COVID-19. Following the publication of the article, several of Benjamin's new accounts were terminated.[11][unreliable source?] After being banned from YouTube, Benjamin began streaming onDLive, a livestreaming service popular with extremists. In October 2020, Benjamin andNick Fuentes were the two highest earners on the site.[39] Following a November 2020 report by extremism researcherMegan Squire, DLive suspended several accounts including those belonging to Benjamin and Fuentes.[39]
Personal life
In March 2008, he andChristina Ricci announced they were engaged, but they ended their engagement two months later.[19][40] He later married and had children.[41]
In 2021, after Benjamin began working on a project to create a compound on property he owns inBoundary County,Idaho, county residents filed a complaint with the county commissioners over allegations that he had violated zoning provisions while also expressing concerns that he was forming a "Ruby Ridge style" compound on the property.[42][4][43]
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