Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro is an American conservative political commentator, author, media host, and co-founder of The Daily Wire. Encyclopaedia Britannica describes him as a conservative commentator and podcast host known for The Ben Shapiro Show, while The Daily Wire's own author biography identifies him as founding editor-in-chief, editor emeritus, and host of the show.

Shapiro's public role combines commentary, publishing, and conservative media entrepreneurship. In March 2025, Axios reported a Daily Wire executive transition in which Jeremy Boreing stepped down as co-CEO to focus on creative projects, Caleb Robinson became full-time CEO, and Shapiro remained editor emeritus and central on-air talent. In May 2026, Barrett Media reported that Robinson had resigned as CEO and that Mike Richards would become CEO of The Daily Wire.

Education

Shapiro entered the University of California, Los Angeles at age 16 and graduated in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in political science. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 2007.

Early column career

Shapiro began publishing political commentary while attending the University of California, Los Angeles. Creators Syndicate's author biography describes him as the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the United States, while The Daily Wire's biography states that the syndicate hired him at age 17. This print-syndication work preceded his later prominence in podcasting and digital conservative media.

Books and publishing

Shapiro became publicly associated with conservative books before his later podcast and Daily Wire prominence. Creators Syndicate's author biography describes him as the author of the national bestsellers Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth, Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future, and Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House. Publishers Weekly summarized those early books as respectively addressing campus politics, social liberalism and sexual culture, and the marketing of presidential candidates.

His later books include The Right Side of History, How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps, and The Authoritarian Moment, all published by HarperCollins imprints. HarperCollins describes The Right Side of History as a New York Times bestseller about reason, moral purpose, and Western civilization, while its listing for The Authoritarian Moment gives the subtitle How the Left Weaponized America's Institutions Against Dissent and an on-sale date of July 27, 2021.

Campus appearances

Shapiro became a recurring figure in late-2010s campus free-speech disputes. At the University of California, Berkeley, Young America's Foundation and the Berkeley College Republicans sponsored a September 14, 2017 speech by Shapiro. Before the event, university-linked coverage disputed claims that Berkeley was blocking the appearance and reported the administration's position that Shapiro would be able to speak on campus. The speech proceeded at Zellerbach Hall under extensive security; the San Francisco Chronicle reported an estimated $600,000 security cost and police participation from across the Bay Area. Voice of America reported that police made arrests outside the event and that Shapiro opened his remarks by denouncing white supremacy and urging discussion and debate with political opponents. A later UC Berkeley chancellor's commission report discussed the September 2017 appearances by Shapiro and Milo Yiannopoulos in its review of police presence, security planning, and campus free-speech policy after earlier violence and the Charlottesville attack.

Religious identity

Shapiro publicly identifies as an Orthodox Jew; The Daily Wire's author biography also describes him in those terms.

Donald Trump

Shapiro remained critical of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign despite pressure from executives at Salem Media, which then carried his radio program, for hosts to cover Trump more positively. In 2020, he said that he would vote for Trump while maintaining his earlier criticism of Trump's character; on election night, he also called Trump's premature declaration of victory "deeply irresponsible."

Israel and October 7 commentary

Shapiro has made support for Israel a recurring subject of his political commentary. After the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, he returned to The Ben Shapiro Show on October 9 with episode 1824, titled "The Face of Absolute Evil". The episode focused on the killing and abduction of Israeli civilians and argued that responsibility for the attack lay with Hamas. Contemporary Reuters reporting described Hamas gunmen crossing into Israel, killing civilians and taking hostages, while Israel began airstrikes in Gaza.