Ben Shapiro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ben Shapiro
|
|
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Shapiro in 2024
|
|
| Born |
Benjamin Aaron Shapiro
January 15, 1984 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
|
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Occupation |
|
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Mor Toledano
(m. 2008) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Mara Wilson (cousin) |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Benjamin Aaron Shapiro (born January 15, 1984) is an American conservative political commentator, media host, and lawyer. He writes articles for different news outlets like Newsweek. He also helps lead The Daily Wire, a media company he started in 2015. Ben Shapiro hosts The Ben Shapiro Show, which is a popular daily political podcast and radio show. He has also written many non-fiction books.
Contents
Early Life and School
Ben Shapiro was born on January 15, 1984, in Los Angeles, California. His family was Jewish. When he was 9, his family became Orthodox Jewish. He started playing the violin when he was young. He even performed at a special event when he was 12 years old.
His parents both worked in Hollywood. His mother was an executive at a TV company. His father, David Shapiro, was a music composer.
Ben Shapiro skipped two grades in school. He graduated from high school in 2000 when he was 16. He then went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He graduated in 2004 at age 20 with a degree in political science. He earned high honors. After UCLA, he went to Harvard Law School. He earned his law degree in 2007, also with honors.
Career Highlights
Working as a Lawyer
After finishing law school, Shapiro worked at a law firm. He later started his own legal consulting firm in Los Angeles.
Writing Books
Ben Shapiro became interested in politics when he was young. He started writing a column that was published in newspapers across the country when he was 17. This made him the youngest nationally published columnist in the U.S. He had already written two books by the time he was 21.
In his first book, Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth (2004), Shapiro said that universities often promote left-wing ideas. He argued that professors might not welcome different opinions.
In 2011, he wrote Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV. In this book, Shapiro said that Hollywood often promotes a left-wing viewpoint through TV shows.
In 2019, Shapiro published The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great. This book talks about the importance of "Judeo-Christian values" and how he believes they are declining in modern America.
His 2021 book, The Authoritarian Moment, argues that the main threat of authoritarianism in U.S. politics comes from the left. He says this is because of their influence in schools, Hollywood, news, and big companies.
Working at Breitbart News
In 2012, Shapiro became an editor at Breitbart News, a news website. He left Breitbart News in March 2016. He said he resigned because the website did not support a reporter after she was allegedly treated poorly by a political campaign manager. Shapiro stated that Breitbart had changed its mission to support a specific political figure.
Hosting Shows
In 2012, Ben Shapiro started hosting a morning radio show on KRLA-AM 870. By 2016, he was a host for The Morning Answer, a conservative radio show. He faced pressure to be more supportive of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. However, Shapiro continued to criticize Trump during the election.
Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing started The Daily Wire on September 21, 2015. He is an editor there and hosts his online political podcast, The Ben Shapiro Show, every weekday. By March 2019, his podcast was one of the most popular in the U.S. In April 2018, the show also began to be broadcast on radio stations. In January 2019, the radio show expanded to three hours of programming daily. As of March 2019, The Ben Shapiro Show is on over 200 radio stations. In June 2020, Shapiro changed his role from editor-in-chief to editor emeritus at The Daily Wire.
In September 2018, Shapiro hosted The Ben Shapiro Election Special on Fox News. This short TV series covered news about the 2018 midterm elections.
Shapiro has also appeared on PragerU, an educational website. He has given talks there about topics like Hollywood.
In 2021, Ben Shapiro's podcast was ranked among the top listened-to podcasts on Apple podcasts.
Public Speaking
.jpg)
Ben Shapiro often gives speeches at college campuses across the United States. In his speeches, he shares his conservative views on different topics. He spoke at 37 campuses between early 2016 and late 2017.
In February 2016, Shapiro was scheduled to speak at California State University, Los Angeles. Some students and teachers did not want him to speak. The university president first canceled the speech but then allowed it to happen. On the day of the speech, student protesters tried to block the doors. A protester even pulled the fire alarm. After the speech, campus police helped Shapiro leave. A conservative youth group later filed a lawsuit against the university, saying that students' rights to free speech were violated.
In August 2016, DePaul University canceled an invitation for Shapiro to speak. They also prevented him from entering the campus due to "security concerns."
On September 14, 2017, Shapiro gave a speech at the University of California, Berkeley. He criticized identity politics. The event had a large police presence. The university and the city of Berkeley spent a lot of money on security for the event.
Other Media Work
On October 7, 2013, Shapiro and his business partner Jeremy Boreing started a website called TruthRevolt. It focused on criticizing media. The website stopped operating in March 2018.
In January 2021, Shapiro was a guest writer for Politico's Playbook newsletter. He wrote in defense of some politicians. This caused a lot of discussion among Politico staff. The editor-in-chief defended the decision to publish Shapiro's article.
Shapiro also made a small appearance in The Daily Wire film, Lady Ballers, which came out in December 2023. He played a referee in the movie.
In January 2024, he appeared in a music video for the rap song "Facts" by artist Tom MacDonald. Shapiro is featured on the song. The song became very popular, reaching No. 1 on iTunes Music. It also debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Personal Life
In 2008, Ben Shapiro married Mor Toledano. She is an Israeli medical doctor. They have two daughters and two sons. They practice Orthodox Judaism.
In September 2020, Shapiro announced that he and his family were moving from California. He moved the main office of The Daily Wire to Nashville, Tennessee. His family moved to Florida.
Ben Shapiro's sister, Abigail Shapiro, is also a conservative media influencer. She posts videos on her YouTube channel. She has faced online harassment because of her brother's public role.
Shapiro is a cousin of actress Mara Wilson.
See also
In Spanish: Ben Shapiro para niños
- List of American conservatives
- List of Harvard Law School alumni
