Former Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) says she is stepping away from electoral politics after two failed statewide campaigns, announcing that she is &#8220;done for now&#8221; with campaigning — and instead plans to focus on becoming a book influencer on social media.
&#8220;I’m done for now with politics and campaigning,&#8221; Porter said in a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Da1Lp0dxPFs/">video</a> posted to Instagram last week. &#8220;Stay tuned for book recommendations, book ideas and author content.&#8221;
The former California congresswoman has rebranded one of her Instagram accounts as &#8220;Katie Porter Turns the Page,&#8221; complete with the hashtag &#8220;#Bookstagram,&#8221; saying she plans to devote the page to book recommendations, author interviews, and literary discussions.
Porter later told the <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article316551216.html">Sacramento Bee</a> that she is &#8220;closing the door&#8221; on running for office. &#8220;I am closing the door on being a candidate,&#8221; Porter said. &#8220;I cannot foresee that path back.&#8221;
Porter first rose to national prominence after flipping a Republican-held Orange County congressional district in 2018. A former student and protégé of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), she became known on Capitol Hill for using a whiteboard during congressional hearings to grill executives from major banks, pharmaceutical companies, and other corporations.
Rather than seek re-election to the House in 2024, Porter launched a bid for the Senate seat previously held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. She finished a distant third in California&#8217;s all-party primary behind eventual winner Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, failing to advance to the general election.
She then entered California&#8217;s gubernatorial race but fared even worse, finishing fifth in this year&#8217;s primary with less than 5% of the vote after initially polling as one of the leading Democratic contenders. Porter&#8217;s gubernatorial campaign was dogged by questions surrounding her temperament after reports highlighted allegations of abusive treatment toward staff members.
During the campaign, a video obtained by <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/08/katie-porter-tears-into-staffer-new-video-00598942">Politico</a> showed Porter screaming at an aide during a virtual event while serving in Congress. &#8220;Get out of my f*cking shot!&#8221; Porter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-spins-her-profane-rant-against-staffer-into-campaign-ad">shouted</a> after a staffer briefly appeared on camera before attempting to correct one of her statements.
The incident followed earlier allegations that Porter had berated staff members, including reports that she blamed one employee for contracting COVID-19 in 2022, while she was still in the House.
Porter later apologized for the outburst shown in the leaked video but argued that criticism of her demeanor reflected a double standard applied to female candidates.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what I could have said or done other than be a man,&#8221; Porter told the Sacramento Bee. &#8220;We&#8217;ve also seen it is not hard to come up with female candidates for whom the term temperament has been used.&#8221;
Despite stepping away from campaigning, Porter said she still plans to remain involved in public policy debates and civic education while focusing much of her public attention on books. &#8220;It’s partly a reference to a new chapter in my life, to change, but also to something I do a lot, which is turn the page when I’m reading,&#8221; Porter said of her new social media venture.

Senate Candidate Forum

Katie Porter Puts Politics On Hold To Focus On ‘Bookstagram’

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California

influencer

Katie Porter

Politics

Sexism

Influencer Hannah Neeleman, better known by the handle Ballerina Farm, has responded to the idea that she was the inspiration behind the hit novel “Yesteryear.” 
The 35-year-old mom of nine shared her thoughts on the topic during a recently published <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/ballerina-farm-interview-yesteryear-tradwife.html">interview</a> with Vulture. “I know what’s going on,” Neeleman told the outlet. “I’ve had an online presence for enough time to know that people like to be entertained. I’ve been the butt of jokes and Reels that I’ve seen. It didn’t really surprise me.”
She went on, “I think it just comes with the eyes. There’s so much discourse, like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s such a big family, and there’s no way she can be doing this.’ So it was like all these ideas are bubbling up into this fictional, entertaining book about tradwives. I’m surprised it didn’t come sooner, honestly.”
“Yesteryear” by Caro Claire Burke is pitched as being about, “A traditional American woman, a beautiful wife and mother who sells her pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of social media followers, suddenly awakens cold, filthy, and terrified in the brutal reality of 1805 — where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel.”
It was an instant hit and has already been picked up to be developed into a movie with Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway attached to it. The book’s unhinged protagonist was understood to be a thinly veiled parody of Neeleman and the thousands of copycats she’s inspired.
“Before tradwives, it was the mommy-blogger phase, right?” she told Vulture. “People have always been fascinated with mothers making money being at home with their children. With online discourse, women feed off that negative energy sometimes and that’s why things blow up. I honestly stay away from it as much as I can. So when the term tradwife comes up, or I’m seeing things about ‘Yesteryear,’ I don’t lean into them.”
The influencer went on, “I don’t think women who want to work are winning. I don’t think mothers are winning. In fact, I think it’s a step backward. If someone wants to be a mother, great. If someone wants to be a mother and sell sourdough-bread kits, great. We have to support and cheer each other on even if it doesn’t look like what our home life looks like.”
Neeleman added that “it wasn’t that long ago that women’s only role was the home.” 
“That was their extent. So for women who want to be more, seeing other women glamorize that aspect of womanhood is hard,” she said, insisting that “women love to compare.” 
“I think it is something about women, like, thinking that if we tear them down, we’ll feel better about ourselves. I think it is something that women do that’s kind of their nature, unfortunately,” she added.
“There’s no one saying that a man can’t do laundry and cook and have an amazing job on Wall Street and be a father. Why can’t women do that as well?” Neeleman said. “I understand where the debate is coming from, but I think women have the capability to lean into whatever talents or interests they have. Women are talented in the kitchen, they are talented mothers and nurturers, so they can lean into that, because they have the opportunity to do other things as well.”
“Yesteryear” is pitched as satire, but it’s also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-new-book-that-treats-traditional-wives-like-the-enemy">received criticism</a> for portraying conservative women as performative liars. One Goodreads reviewer called it “a mean-spirited revenge fantasy against a strawman the author made up.”
“In my experience, satire is supposed to say something, not just be an overt open mocking. I understand why this book will be popular, especially considering modern trends in literature, but all the positive reviews make me feel like someone’s trying to prank me a little bit,” the reviewer wrote.
Even mainstream media outlets admitted “Yesteryear” wasn’t that great. Harper’s Bazaar called it a “vaguely feminist fairy tale” that only works “when you don’t think too much about it.” Vox said it “offers a sadistic influencer comeuppance fantasy.”

Hannah Neeleman

Ballerina Farm Reacts To Being The Inspiration For Viral Novel ‘Yesteryear’

Tradwives

An Indian scammer is bragging about making money by conning “super dumb” conservative men with AI-generated social media accounts.
The 22-year-old med school student, identified in an <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/ai-generated-maga-girls/">interview</a> with Wired by the pseudonym “Sam,” said he created a fictional character named &#8220;Emily Hart&#8221; to help pay for school. The sexy blonde AI-generated persona was active on Facebook, Instagram, and the OnlyFans competitor site Fanvue, which allows AI-generated content (OnlyFans does not).
Sam said he used Google&#8217;s Gemini chatbot to help identify a target audience, claiming it suggested the “MAGA/conservative niche” could be particularly lucrative because “the conservative audience (especially older men in the US) often has higher disposable income and is more loyal.”
He then tailored the account&#8217;s content accordingly. Photos depicted “Emily” as a nurse taking part in activities like “ice fishing, drinking Coors Light, and shooting off a few rounds at the rifle range,” Wired reported.
One caption on the account said, “If you want a reason to unfollow: Christ is king, abortion is murder, and all illegals must be deported,” while another said, “POV: You were assigned intelligent at birth, but you identify as liberal.”
Sam told Wired he didn’t expect much from the account, but it kept growing in popularity. “Every Reel I posted was getting 3 million views, 5 million views, 10 million views. The algorithm loved it,” he said. 
Sam also claimed that an “AI hot girl Nazi influencer” would “blow up” and “break all the records.” Meta commented in the article, saying Nazi content was flagged and removed from the platform. 
“I was basically doing nothing,“ the con artist said of Emily’s Fanvue account featuring nude photos generated with AI. “And it was just flooded with money.” 
Both the Facebook and Instagram accounts associated with &#8220;Emily Hart&#8221; have been taken down. Sam told Wired he has no regrets about what he did. 
“I don’t feel like I was scamming people,” he said, adding that the fans probably would have followed along even if they knew Emily wasn’t real because they might “like the sentiment of it.”

AI woman

Don’t Fall For This Hot MAGA Influencer

Artificial Intelligence

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Social Media

About a year ago, I stumbled across this Theo Von character — a seemingly young podcaster, recovered addict, and chill comedian who blew up after interviewing <a href="https://www.theovon.com/tpw/episodes">regular people</a> and, eventually, not-so-regular people like JD Vance and President Donald Trump. My Theo phase lasted a few weeks until I discovered that the funny man in colorful sunglasses, who speaks like a surfer dude for a living, was 46 years old. 46 years old? Why the hell am I listening to an unmarried, silly, slightly stupid 46-year-old? That realization sent me straight to the unsubscribe button. I have nothing against unmarried, silly, slightly stupid podcasters — I just think that particular combination only flies in your 20s or early 30s.
I digress. 
The real problem with one Theodor Capitani von Kurnatowski III isn&#8217;t his age or his mental acumen. It&#8217;s that he is confidently broadcasting half-baked ideas to millions of listeners every single day — and our vice president <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2044182073477361828">just encouraged</a> young conservatives to tune in. I don&#8217;t buy it. Young people should not be taking Von at his word. It&#8217;s time we take stock of who we actually spend our attention on, weigh the pros and cons, and direct our energy toward voices that sharpen our thinking, inspire us to build something, and don&#8217;t leave us spiritually hollow.
First, the genocide thing. We shouldn’t take seriously those who casually misuse one of the most legally and morally weighted words in the English language. Von has repeatedly described Israel&#8217;s military campaign in Gaza as a &#8220;genocide&#8221; — a favorite progressive talking point deployed to muddy a complicated war. It is not a genocide, and the word has a definition. The 1948 UN Genocide Convention requires specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group as such — not high civilian casualties in wartime. The systematic slaughter of 800,000 to 1 million Tutsi men, women, and children by Hutu extremist forces in Rwanda is genocide. Targeting Hamas militants in direct response to the massacre of 1,200+ Israelis, while achieving one of the lowest civilian-to-combatant death ratios in modern warfare is <a href="https://www.ajc.org/news/5-reasons-why-the-events-in-gaza-are-not-genocide">not genocide</a>.
Von bought into Hamas’s debunked propaganda war faster than he could pop a Zyn.
Then there&#8217;s the money. Von emotionally lambasts Israel for stealing &#8220;all of our money.&#8221; Sigh. This is a crowd favorite among the perpetually aggrieved — and it has never made any sense. There is a 10-year, $38 billion agreement committing roughly $3.8 billion per year to Israel — signed by President Barack Obama, for the record. Total aid this year will come in just north of $4 billion, funding U.S. weapons purchases, joint missile defense development, military training, and shared programs that benefit us too. That sounds enormous in a vacuum — until you remember that the federal government spends $7.1 trillion annually. Israel&#8217;s aid represents roughly 0.05% of the federal budget. Foreign aid as a whole is about 1% of the budget. Israel is a slice of that slice.
Stop ignoring basic math, Voners. Read a book.
Then there&#8217;s the increasingly anti-Trump drift. Von has called bombing Iran a &#8220;horrible idea,&#8221; aligns himself with Senator Bernie Sanders regarding elites and class grievances, and regularly performs his working-class-versus-the-rich routine for an audience that eats it up. The truth is that bombing Iran was a last resort — they were months away from possessing 11 nuclear warheads and left us no other option. Bernie Sanders is a man who has never produced a single thing of value in his life, yet somehow owns three luxurious homes — the world&#8217;s most on-the-nose argument against his own ideology. And the class grievance act? If Von&#8217;s crowd truly despises a two-tiered society, they should stop cheering for policies that manufacture one. America has the most productive economy in human history, among the highest class mobility in the developed world, and every income bracket is doing better than it ever has. That&#8217;s not a system to resent — it&#8217;s one to defend.
It would also behoove Von to acknowledge what this administration has actually accomplished, rather than reflexively griping from the sidelines. Net migration is negative for the first time in 50 years. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act permanently extended the 2017 tax cuts. The federal workforce has been cut by hundreds of thousands. We&#8217;re seeing record energy production and the largest single-year decline in homicides in U.S. history. Von’s preferred alternative would have delivered DEI mandates, inflationary spending, a nuclear-armed Iran, an emboldened China, and more tax dollars funneled toward the surgical mutilation of children. The contrast isn&#8217;t subtle.
Theo Von isn’t just complain-maxxing to the void, his pessimism is doing measurable damage. Only 13% of Americans aged <a href="https://iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/51st-edition-fall-2025">18–29</a> say the country is &#8220;generally headed in the right direction,&#8221; with over half saying it&#8217;s on the wrong track. That is Theo&#8217;s primary audience. Young men — and increasingly young women — are feeling hopeless about their futures, and it makes sense that they&#8217;d seek out a sympathetic ear in the chaos. But solidarity in despair is still despair. Wallowing in the system&#8217;s failures has never once fixed a problem.
We deserve better. I want voices that level with us and hold us accountable. They should come from people who acknowledge the struggle and then tell us to stop whining and get to work. Ben Shapiro, Nick Freitas, Matt Fradd: in. Political Theo Von, Tucker Carlson, Andrew Tate: out. The latter group has left us weaker in our convictions, mush-brained, and spiritually absent. 
Sorry, Theo. Stick to comedy.

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No, Theo Von is Not The Voice Of Young Conservatives

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Theo Von

Clinton Adams, a prominent social media influencer and hip-hop artist known to his hundreds of thousands of followers as “Clintnlord,” has been <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/17/us-news/sick-influencer-learns-fate-after-raping-women-in-fire-damaged-palisades-mansion-he-pretended-to-own/">sentenced</a> to eight years in state prison. The sentencing follows a harrowing series of events in which Adams lured women to a smoke-damaged, evacuated mansion in Pacific Palisades and sexually assaulted them.
Adams, 32, pleaded no contest to the charges after a legal saga that began with his arrest in late 2025. The Northridge resident, who boasted over 400,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, leveraged his digital persona and a $5.3 million Mediterranean-style villa to deceive his victims. While Adams claimed to own the luxury four-bedroom residence, the ocean-view property had actually been abandoned by its rightful owners due to smoke damage from the devastating January 2025 wildfires.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Sick influencer learns fate after raping women in fire-damaged Palisades mansion he pretended to own <a href="https://t.co/Hv9fLCoO4W">https://t.co/Hv9fLCoO4W</a> <a href="https://t.co/K9HyvhP10e">pic.twitter.com/K9HyvhP10e</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/2045123186996453589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After Adams&#8217; arrest, District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman <a href="https://lacounty.gov/2025/12/09/influencer-facing-felony-rape-charges-in-sexual-assault-of-two-women-additional-victims-sought/#:~:text=His%20preliminary%20hearing%20setting%20is,to%20life%20in%20state%20prison.">stated</a>, “These allegations describe predatory attacks carried out in an area still affected by the aftermath of the January wildfires. Taking advantage of a historic disaster and causing severe harm to two women is despicable.&#8221;
Court records and graphic testimony paint a predatory picture of Adams’ actions during the summer of 2025. In one instance occurring in June, a victim testified that after a night of partying, Adams pinned her down in a room at the mansion. Despite her repeated pleas for him to stop, Adams allegedly placed a hand on her neck to prevent her from screaming before raping her. The victim eventually escaped the home barefoot and sought treatment at UCLA Medical Center.
A second assault allegedly took place in August 2025. A woman testified that Adams approached her on a Santa Monica street, claiming to be in the fashion industry. He invited her to the Palisades property under the guise of watching movies, only to violently assault her in a bedroom.
Adams was originally charged with three felony counts of forcible rape and one count of assault with intent to commit rape. Although he initially pleaded not guilty and faced a potential sentence of 90 years to life, the no-contest plea resulted in the eight-year term.

Wildfires tear through Los Angeles

Hip-Hop Influencer Who Committed Heinous Crimes In Abandoned Palisades Mansion Learns Fate

Crime

Rape

U.S.

Wildfires

We’ve come a long way since Ann Landers. The prim and proper lady doling out advice via her newspaper column couldn’t have foreseen the 21st century. After all, aren’t we in the Golden Age of technology that will give us the answers to all we seek, diagnose our every ill, and pair us with the perfect mate, thus completing life without the trappings of the search for answers?
Not quite.
Since Landers (the pen name of columnist Ruth Crowley starting in 1947 and later Esther Lederer starting in 1955) got her start, Americans have entered the nuclear age, hit a golf ball on the moon, invented meatless meat, and popularized cat memes. Clearly, we are advancing at a spectacular rate and using technology in ever more innovative ways to advance civilization.
Which brings us to our relationships with each other, specifically men and women.
After we acknowledge that young men and women aren’t exactly living their best lives in the relationship sphere — with only 31% of the rising generation actively dating, according to a comprehensive <a href="https://ifstudies.org/report-brief/state-of-our-unions-2026-the-dating-recession">report</a> from the Institute for Family Studies released in February — the next question is: why?
Ann Landers might say there isn’t enough good old-fashioned guidance out there: Who is helping these youngsters find their true love? Who is giving them confidence and fine-tuning the skills necessary to both present oneself to the opposite sex and to realize what qualities and character a young man, let’s say, is looking for in a girlfriend and, hopefully, someday, a wife?
Fear not! The answer is on any laptop or cellphone, in the very doomscrolling that is preventing people from going on actual dates in the first place. Wait, what?
Men are being catfished into dubious relationship advice by AI slop bots.
There is a burgeoning industry lurking in young men’s social media algorithms, promising relationship advice that will lead to the perfect woman. All that’s needed is a credit card and internet access. Instagram and Facebook (both Meta products) have pages devoted to “relationship coaches” geared toward young men stuck in singledom. The pitch from these relationship gurus is eerily similar, as is the aesthetic of these so-called “experts.” You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, with slight variations for the sake of the proprietary nature of the advice. Long, slightly tousled hair, a sculpted nose, pursed and plumped lips, unblinking eyes, and tops cut to be professional yet provocative, showing off and enhancing bronzed, uplifting orbital assets. Remember, these are pages designed to bait young and lonely men. They consist of talking points that sound more like a cross between a low-rent Kahlil Gibran, Rumi, and Stuart Smalley. The pages offer clips that draw men in by massaging their disaffection and assuring them that it’s not their fault they’re single; it’s that the women are no good!
One alluring young woman is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sterling_georgia?igsh=MTh6eWozdnY0eXY4ZQ==">Georgia Sterling</a>, who offers this golden nugget of truth: “The same woman who holds the power to elevate your life or completely destroy it is the one you are told you cannot evaluate. And the moment you do, the labels come back at you and suddenly you are called sexist just for thinking critically. This is not random; it is a strategy designed to weaken men’s ability to think clearly and make strong decisions. Because a man without critical thinking becomes easier to control and easier to manipulate and much easier to silence. So men, do not lose your masculinity and do not allow anyone to take away your voice or your right to choose wisely, you are the pillar of society … I offer private, personalized analysis. Link in bio.”
That’s a lot of weighty word salad offering little more than a nod to the Little Rascals’ He-Man Woman Haters Club. Make sure your Venmo information is available.
These relationship-advice experts, who all appear on various unnamed podcasts, have no online record of being podcast guests. They link back to Facebook or personal Linktree pages. When I sent an inquiry to the intriguing <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DW4TIBeE8pV/?igsh=NWFxb2ZoOWk3ZG03">Ivanka</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVtoLh4jmqc/?igsh=MWRjY2g3d2V4aDFxdw==">Hilton</a>, there was no response. Shortly after my Direct Message, Ivanka (who, unsurprisingly, sported long blonde hair and plenty of gaudy jewelry) <a href="https://www.instagram.com/itsivankahilton?igsh=MTk3bDdjMmJ6OGVlZA==">disappeared</a>. In a subsequent search, other Ivanka Hiltons popped up, but with no activity — yet.
All of this could be dismissed as the growing prevalence of benign AI slop if it weren’t for the disturbing trend of young people struggling to pair up and using these AI “experts” as crutches to nurse their grievances and find excuses to stay home and remain perpetually online. It can be hard to search for a mate when a loud segment of the culture looks down on healthy, monogamous relationships, marriage, and having kids. It’s hard to be vulnerable and risk being hurt or rejected. The easy thing is to stay home, stay online, and listen to the first “girl” who reassures young men that this is okay! You just have high standards! Besides, women either don’t understand your particular masculine needs or they’re going to deceive or cheat on you anyway! (That’ll be $29.99, please.)
Worse, these AI models are perpetuating isolating behaviors, rather than offering a way into a relationship for young men who already tend to avoid “real-life” relationships and are looking for reassurance that that lifestyle is perfectly acceptable.
A March <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec8352">study</a> published in Science examined the sycophantic behavior of AI models in response to people seeking advice on interpersonal and social dilemmas. Stanford University computer scientists showed that AI large language models (LLMs) are overly sycophantic when users solicit advice. <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/03/ai-advice-sycophantic-models-research">According</a> to the Stanford report, “By default, AI advice does not tell people that they’re wrong nor give them ‘tough love,’” said Myra Cheng, the study’s lead author and a computer science PhD candidate. “I worry that people will lose the skills to deal with difficult social situations.” Further, the reinforcing responses were deemed “more trustworthy and indicated they were more likely to return to the sycophant AI for similar questions, the researchers found. When discussing their conflicts with the sycophant, they also grew more convinced they were in the right.”
These young men are being drawn into a world where they can be comforted by a fake beauty who tells them what they want to hear, reinforces their antisocial tendencies, and alienates real women, who are actually the thing these men need most to find purpose, fulfillment, and a life outside the unblinking eye of the virtual world.
What would Ann Landers say about that? You can ask her. She’s now set up as an LLM, trained on her 47 years of advice and published columns. On second thought, go out for coffee and think about it. You might meet someone.

Young women recording podcast in studio

Young Men Are Getting Suckered By AI Relationship Advice

AI Slop

algorithm

Big Tech

Relationships

Leftists are losing their minds over social media influencer Jeffree Star having a compassionate, human response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. 
The makeup brand founder, who has more than 13 million followers on Instagram and close to 8 million on TikTok, clapped back at those who accused him of being a Republican because of his reaction. 
“Am I Republican? No, I’m a person,” Star said during his livestream, which included footage of him reacting to the news that Kirk had been shot at a college event in Utah. “Because I’m standing up for someone that passed away, I’m now being called names in the chat.”
“He encouraged everyone to speak about their beliefs, whether he believed them or not,” the pink-haired influencer and makeup enthusiast said in the TikTok clip, which has been widely circulated on X. 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Jeffree Star gets the news of Charlie Kirk’s passing while livestreaming #shorts" width="422" height="750" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Qwwd_PPpo0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
(Credit: @jeffreestar via TikTok)
“So a grown man that goes around the country, debating people, spitting facts, was just taken out. And I’m not over it… So no, I’m not a Republican. No, I’m not a Democrat. I’m Jeffree Star. Stop trying to label me.”
“Charlie Kirk fought … for the truth,” he added. “He debated everybody. And you guys cannot argue that.” Star mentioned Kirk’s young daughter and started tearing up, saying the tragedy makes him “so sick.” 
At another point, reacting to the comments being posted, Star said people who identify as transgender are in the wrong.
“This is what’s wrong with a lot of you people. You will never get far in life. You are sick in the head,” Star said as angry comments from viewers continued to come in. “Someone just said they’re unsubscribing from me … Thank God. Please! If you believe in they/thems, you are part of the problem. If you’re stupid enough to go against science, please unfollow me.”
The social media influencer said you can “be whoever you want to be,” but that doesn’t override physical reality. “The truth hurts a lot of you, I see,” he added.
“Yes, I am a grown ass man that wears makeup,” he said. “I will always be a male. My name is Jeffrey … I am a male that likes cosmetics.” 
“All these grown men going into women’s bathrooms and wearing wigs, you should all be in prison forever. You are the problem.”
“Politics aside, biology will never change,” Star said. “Why is that up for debate?”

Charlie Kirk

Pink-Haired Makeup Artist Jeffree Star Has Unlikely Reaction To Charlie Kirk’s Murder

Pink-Haired Makeup Artist Jeffree Star Has Unlikely Reaction To Charlie Kirk's Murder

assassination

Celebrities

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Fans of the popular YouTube content creator MrBeast (real name Jimmy Donaldson) who paid for an “immersive” experience in Las Vegas are demanding their money back, saying they didn’t get anything close to what was advertised.
The event at Resorts World Las Vegas was advertised as an &#8220;immersive&#8221; and &#8220;unforgettable.&#8221; It was supposed to include exclusive games, a MrBeast-themed menu, and mystery bags filled with limited-edition merchandise. There was also supposed to be at least one bag containing a $10,000 gift voucher.
All of these details were meant to justify the $1,000 per-ticket price tag for the three-day event, which took place from April 13 to April 15.
“It should have been like mini-games, meet and greets, photo ops, special drinks, and things,” participant Theresa Metta <a href="https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/mrbeast-fans-seek-refunds-after-las-vegas-event/">told</a> Vegas-based outlet 8NewsNow. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get any of that.”
&#8220;I was told to wait in my room for two days for a package to come, so I legit spent two days in my room for a package to come, and it was a box of chocolates,&#8221; she continued.
&#8220;They said there would be mystery bags or boxes, and that one person would win $10,000, and then there would be a limited edition merchandise inside the boxes,&#8221; another guest, Jamie Yacksyzn, told <a href="https://people.com/mrbeast-fans-seek-refunds-for-usd1k-per-ticket-las-vegas-event-after-disappointing-experience-11716907">People</a>. 
&#8220;They also said the contents of the boxes are secret and not to be found out until you get the box,” she added. “So it alluded to the fact that there was going to be more special surprises in the box, and that there would be immersive experiences throughout the hotel floor and restaurants and activations.&#8221;
Yacksyzn continued, &#8220;I had seen things about the experience reported on MrBeast pages. Knowing how MrBeast is, and he does secret surprises and things, the hotel had also mentioned that it would be aligned with MrBeast&#8217;s reputation for being generous and his generosity.&#8221;
One guest posted a complaint on X with similar gripes about the lack of “experience” and the special merchandise being nothing more than “leftover shirts that cost $9.”
This prompted Donaldson to <a href="https://x.com/MrBeast/status/1912299963838509240">reply</a> from the MrBeast X account, saying, &#8220;Hey! This definitely isn&#8217;t the experience we hoped they&#8217;d deliver. My team&#8217;s already on it–I&#8217;d love to personally make it up to you and anyone else by inviting everybody affected to tour my actual studio! Can&#8217;t wait to meet you all and my team is reaching out to everyone :D.&#8221;
Resorts World took responsibility for the ordeal, admitting that &#8220;expectations were not met during the MrBeast experience.&#8221; The hotel said in an email that customers would be refunded in the next three to five days.

MrBeast

MrBeast Fans Demand Refund After $1K Per Ticket Vegas Experience Disaster

General

Las Vegas

Nevada

YouTube

Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed a law on Tuesday that will increase protections for the children of online content creators. This move was inspired by the child abuse conviction of Ruby Franke, a popular YouTube personality who was found guilty of severely abusing her children.
The new law says that online creators who make more than $150,000 a year from content featuring children will be required to set aside 15% of those earnings into a trust fund that the kids can then access when they turn 18. This will also be the rule for parents of child actors appearing in TV or film projects, per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ruby-franke-child-influencer-protections-utah-d9702b22c9ea7adba6e15003971493ce#">Associated Press</a>.
“Children cannot give informed consent to be filmed on social media, period,” Ruby’s ex-husband Kevin Franke said. “Vlogging my family, putting my children into public social media, was wrong, and I regret it every day.”
The Frankes became famous after starting the “8 Passengers” YouTube channel in 2015. The series followed their day-to-day lives as a Mormon family in Springville, Utah. The Franke children were included in the videos Ruby posted up to five times a week, the outlet noted. Their content became popular, attracting 2.5 million subscribers by 2020. 
In 2012, Ruby changed track and started creating parenting content with therapist Jodi Hildebrandt. At Hildebrandt’s insistence, Ruby became estranged from her husband and moved into the therapist’s home with her two youngest children. Viewers became increasingly alarmed by Ruby’s disciplinary suggestions.
The women were taken into custody on child abuse charges after Ruby Franke’s severely underweight 12-year-old son, Russell, climbed out of a window and ran to a neighbor for help. The neighbor called 911 after noticing that the teen’s ankles were wrapped in bloody duct tape. Responding officers discovered the youngest Franke child, 9-year-old Eve, with her head shaved and sitting cross-legged in a dark closet.
A search of the home uncovered handwritten journals where Ruby claimed that her son was possessed by the devil. In the journals, she detailed abuse including starvation and making her children work outside in the heat without protection or nourishment. 
Both Ruby and Hildebrandt received prison sentences of up to 30 years. The Hulu documentary “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” led to national attention.
The youngest Franke daughter, Eve, wrote a statement regarding the new law. “I’m not saying YouTube is a bad thing. Sometimes it brings us together,” she said. “But kids deserve to be loved, not used by the ones that are supposed to love them the most.”
The content creation industry is largely unregulated, AP noted, but several states have started adding protections. Illinois, California, and Minnesota all have laws that protect the earnings of young creators.

Utah Law To Protect Child Influencers Passes After YouTuber Ruby Franke’s Child Abuse Conviction

New Utah Law Protects Child Influencers After YouTuber Ruby Franke's Child Abuse Conviction

Child Abuse

Children

Utah

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">Trans-identifying</a> TikTok influencer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dylan-mulvaney">Dylan Mulvaney</a> was named to Forbes’ list of “30 Under 30 Social Media,” the publication announced this week.
Forbes stated in the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2024/">article</a> that the list was compiled &#8220;with the help of nominations from the public – as well as expertise from Forbes tech journalists and judges from all corners of creatordom.” The outlet added that it includes “young founders, industry leaders and online stars transforming the creator economy and future of the internet.&#8221; Forbes described the “creator economy” as a &#8220;$250 billion industry estimated to roughly double over the next five years.&#8221;
Others on the list include comedians Alan Chikin Chow and Steven He, fashion influencer Alix Earle, and disabled content creator Molly Burke. 
Mulvaney, 26, became popular on TikTok for the creator’s “Days of Girlhood” series, which documented the process of Mulvaney&#8217;s so-called gender transition. The social media star made headlines after doing a promotional campaign with Bud Light, which led to massive brand boycotts costing parent company Anheuser-Busch millions in lost revenue.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/lady-ballers">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR &#8216;LADY BALLERS,&#8217; &#8216;THE MOST TRIGGERING COMEDY OF THE YEAR&#8217;</a>
Forbes’ description for Mulvaney mentioned the “Days of Girlhood” series, saying it attracted “more than 1 billion views.” 
The article also included a quote from Mulvaney which said, &#8220;Whether somebody&#8217;s trans or not, I just hope they can watch my videos and feel inspired to unlock a new part of themselves.&#8221;
Mulvaney shared the digital cover on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C0M-svlP5Pv/?img_index=1">Instagram</a>, writing in the caption, “Businesswoman special!!! This was my dream, I couldn&#8217;t be more grateful. And buckle up, we&#8217;re just getting started.”
“I now realize that when I work with a brand, they will forever be a part of my story, going forward,” Mulvaney told Forbes, referencing the Bud Light controversy. &#8220;And I want there to be a mutual respect &#8211; and not only for me, but also for my community.”
“I think I am becoming a bit of a businesswoman,” the influencer added. “As much as I love the creative side, I love getting smarter: I want to know everything, and how it all works. Of course being in front of the camera, but I love the idea of producing and I think, why not learn it all.”

Dylan Mulvaney

Dylan Mulvaney Named To Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ List For Social Media

Dylan Mulvaney Named To Forbes '30 Under 30' List For Social Media

Forbes

Transgender

It looks like spending a little time in the slammer has self-proclaimed Philadelphia-area influencer &#8220;Meatball&#8221; regretting her decision to livestream looting and other mayhem that occurred in the City of Brotherly Love earlier this week. That decision has left her grandmother &#8220;ashamed&#8221; of her granddaughter, whose real name is Dayjia Blackwell, but maintains that Meatball has a certain business acumen that can be used for good.
On Thursday, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/social-media-influencer-who-livestreamed-philadelphia-looting-arrested-charged-with-6-felonies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Meatball was arrested during her livestream of the looting as large groups of mostly teenagers damaged and robbed multiple stores in Philadelphia. The 21-year-old Blackwell was hit with six felony counts as well as two misdemeanors and was seen crying in her mugshot.
During the stream, Meatball boasted, &#8220;Tell the police they’re either gonna lock me up tonight, or it’s gonna get lit, it’s gonna be a movie.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Philadelphia continues to be in absolute chaos. <a href="https://t.co/hgMphlu8c9">pic.twitter.com/hgMphlu8c9</a>
— Catch Up (@CatchUpFeed) <a href="https://twitter.com/CatchUpFeed/status/1706866005308481589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Well, they did lock her up and it turned into a bit of a nightmare for the budding social media star.
Blackwell&#8217;s mother bailed her out of jail, and Meatball told <a href="https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/social-media-influencer-talks-livestreaming-looting-arrest/3656311/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC 10</a> that the experience scared her straight.
&#8220;I just prefer, you know, never loot again, stay out of trouble, never go to jail,&#8221; she told the outlet.
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She also said on social media she was &#8220;scared and traumatized,&#8221; adding, &#8220;never again in my life.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> | Influencer Dayjia Blackwell (&#39;Meatball&#39;), who was released after live-streaming her involvement in the looting that took place in Philadelphia, thanks her followers and says that she doesn&#39;t &quot;even know what happened&quot; and that she is &quot;scared&quot; and &quot;traumatized.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/JKqw7f6RV1">pic.twitter.com/JKqw7f6RV1</a>
&mdash; VOZ (@Voz_US) <a href="https://twitter.com/Voz_US/status/1707444575768293548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Indeed, the girl&#8217;s grandmother hopes that Meatball becomes a force for good in the world.
Vashti Fields, Meatball&#8217;s grandmother, told Fox 29, &#8220;What goes through my mind, as a grandmother, is I’m very ashamed. I’m very ashamed to see my child there, at that time. Number one, she could have gotten hurt.&#8221;
Fields has bigger dreams for Meatball.
&#8220;I want her to start a business and, most of all, I want her to be a positive influencer,&#8221; Fields said.
Indeed, she added, that Meatball is a &#8220;loving, kind, caring, business minded go-getter.&#8221;
Of course, part of Meatball&#8217;s business includes having an Only Fans account which is nothing but smut and akin to a virtual form of the oldest profession in the world.
It&#8217;s unclear what her family thinks of that career choice.
Meatball&#8217;s mother chose instead to honk her car horn repeatedly when approached by reporters and refused to speak to the press.
Perhaps the real lesson here is that jail can work in steering ne&#8217;er-do-wells on the straight and narrow — contrary to what justice reform advocates state.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Meatball on a Fork, ‘Meatball’ at a fork in the Road

Philly Looting Livestreamer ‘Meatball’ Regrets It All; Grandma ‘Ashamed,’ But Says Jailbird Kin A ‘Business Minded Go-Getter’

Philly Looting Livestreamer 'Meatball' Regrets It All; Grandma 'Ashamed,' But Says Jailbird Kin A 'Business Minded Go-Getter'

Looting

Philadelphia

Police

Transgender activist and influencer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dylan-mulvaney">Dylan Mulvaney</a> received an award over the weekend and appeared to reference the Bud Light controversy during the acceptance speech.
The TikTok star won Breakout Creator at the 2023 Streamy Awards, which are said to be “the foremost recognition within the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/influencer">creator</a> community.”
“My life has been changed for the better,” Mulvaney said during the Sunday night speech. “But also there’s been an extreme amount of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">transphobia</a> and hate, and I know that my community is feeling it, and I know that even our allies are feeling it.”
The 26-year-old influencer thanked “allies that have platforms” for their support and implored them to do more.
“You need to support trans people publicly and proudly,” Mulvaney insisted, per <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/28/dylan-mulvaney-wins-breakout-creator-at-streamy-awards-calls-out-transphobia-and-hate-during-speech/">The New York Post</a>.
“I think the trans community and the creator community actually have something in common. It’s that people often underestimate us,” Mulvaney went on before jokingly concluding with, “I’m gonna go have a beer and… I love ya.” 
The beer reference was likely about Mulvaney&#8217;s brand partnership with Bud Light, which inspired effective boycotts. 
It came from the company sending Mulvaney a custom Bud Light can, which inspired the influencer to create video ads touting the beer brand. Critics saw this move as Bud Light openly advocating for the trans agenda.
Anheuser-Busch InBev sales have plummeted since the partnership with Mulvaney first went public in April. Marketing executives for the company were placed on leave shortly after the Mulvaney partnership, and AB InBev and laid off 380 employees “across every corporate function” after Bud Light’s U.S. sales plummeted 26.5% in July, as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-mulvaney-effect-anheuser-busch-laying-off-hundreds-of-employees">reported</a>. 
Anheuser-Busch Chief Executive Brendan Whitworth addressed the reactions in June but did not outright say he regretted the partnership with Mulvaney.
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“There’s a big social conversation taking place right now and big brands are right in the middle of it,” he said when asked about the controversy and boycotts. “And it’s not just our industry or Bud Light. It’s happening in retail, it’s happening in fast food. And so, for us, what we need to understand is — deeply understand and appreciate — is the consumer, and what they want, what they care about, and what they expect from big brands.”
“Bud Light has supported LGBTQ since 1998, so that’s 25 years,” he said. “And as we’ve said from the beginning, we’ll continue to support the communities and organizations that we’ve supported for decades.”
He went on to indicate that the brand would stay out of charged social issues in the future. 
“As we move forward, we want to focus on what we do best, which is brewing great beer for everyone, listening to our consumers, being humble in listening to them, making sure we do right by our employees, take care and support our partners, and ultimately make an impact in the communities that we serve,” he noted.

‘Gonna Go Have A Beer’: Dylan Mulvaney References Bud Light Controversy During Award Acceptance Speech

Dylan Mulvaney References Bud Light Controversy During Award Acceptance Speech

Bud Light

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