Ben Shapiro Biography
Ben Shapiro is an American lawyer, author, host, conservative political commentator and columnist. He serves as editor emeritus for The Daily Wire, which he co-founded in 2015 and writes columns for Creators Syndicate, Newsweek, and Ami Magazine.
Ben Shapiro Career
Shapiro’s early life and education are marked by exceptional achievements. He began playing the violin at a young age, showcasing his musical talents early on. Notably, he performed at the Israel Bonds Banquet in 1996 when he was just 12 years old. Skipping two grades during his academic journey, he progressed from Walter Reed Middle School in The Valley to Yeshiva University High School of Los Angeles on the Westside. He graduated from high school in 2000 at the age of 16, demonstrating both academic and intellectual prowess. For his undergraduate studies, he pursued political science at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2004 at the age of 20. His academic achievements were distinguished, graduating summa cum laude and earning membership in the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa society.
Following his undergraduate studies, he continued his education at Harvard Law School, where he obtained a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in 2007, graduating cum laude. After completing law school, he entered private practice at the law firm Goodwin Procter. However, his tenure at the firm was relatively short, as he left after 10 months. By March 2012, he had established his independent legal consultancy firm, Benjamin Shapiro Legal Consulting, based in Los Angeles. These milestones in Shapiro’s early life and education showcase his exceptional academic achievements and his early entry into both the legal and consulting fields.
Author
Shapiro’s engagement with politics began at a remarkably young age, showcasing his early interest and influence in the field. At the age of 17, he started a nationally syndicated column, earning the distinction of becoming the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the United States. By the age of 21, he had already authored two books, highlighting his prolific and early contributions to political discourse. His first book, “Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America’s Youth” (2004), delves into his argument that the American Left holds ideological dominance in universities, asserting that non-left opinions are not tolerated by professors. In 2011, HarperCollins published his fourth book, “Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV.” In this work, he contends that Hollywood actively promotes a left-wing agenda through prime-time entertainment programming.
The book explores the influence of political perspectives on popular TV shows such as Happy Days and MAS*H. Following this, in 2013, Threshold Editions published Shapiro’s fifth book, “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences Americans,” examining what he perceives as a culture of fear and intimidation propagated by the political left. He expanded his literary repertoire in 2017 with the release of his first and, to date, only fiction novel, “True Allegiance.” In 2019, he published “The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great,” focusing on the importance of “Judeo-Christian values” and expressing concern about their decline in contemporary America. His 2021 publication, “The Authoritarian Moment,” argues against a perceived authoritarian threat from the right wing in U.S. politics. Instead, he asserts that the real threat comes from the left’s control of academia, Hollywood, journalism, and corporate America.
On October 7, 2013, Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing co-founded TruthRevolt, a U.S. media watchdog and activism website affiliated with the David Horowitz Freedom Center. Unfortunately, TruthRevolt ceased its operations in March 2018. Moving forward to January 14, 2021, he was a guest writer for Politico’s Playbook newsletter, where he defended House Republicans who opposed the second impeachment of Donald Trump. However, this move sparked a significant backlash from many Politico staffers, who argued against Shapiro’s inclusion as a guest writer. Despite the controversy, Matthew Kaminski, the editor-in-chief of Politico, refused to apologize, defending the decision to feature Shapiro’s article. More than 100 Politico staffers signed a letter criticizing both the decision to include Shapiro’s article and Kaminski’s response. He also made appearances in the entertainment industry, making a cameo in The Daily Wire film, “Lady Ballers,” released on December 1, 2023, where he played the role of a referee.
Further diversifying his ventures, on January 26, 2024, he appeared in the music video for Tom MacDonald’s rap song “Facts.” The song, featuring Shapiro, claimed the No. 1 spot on iTunes Music in late January and early February 2024. Subsequently, on February 5, 2024, “Facts” debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard Charts Hot 100. In 2012, he joined KRLA-AM 870 as a host on their morning radio program, sharing the airwaves with Heidi Harris and Brian Whitman. By 2016, he became one of the hosts of KRLA’s conservative radio show, The Morning Answer. Internal emails revealed that he faced pressure from Salem Media executives, the syndicate that owned the show, to express more support for Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. However, he remained staunchly critical of Trump throughout the election period. Alongside Jeremy Boreing, he co-founded The Daily Wire on September 21, 2015.
In addition to serving as editor emeritus, he hosts the highly popular online political podcast, The Ben Shapiro Show, airing every weekday. As of March 2019, the podcast was ranked by Podtrac as the second most popular podcast in the U.S. Westwood One began syndicating The Ben Shapiro Show podcast to radio in April 2018, and by 2018, Politico described it as “massively popular.” In January 2019, Westwood One expanded its one-hour podcast-to-radio program, introducing a nationally syndicated two-hour live radio show, resulting in three hours of daily Ben Shapiro programming. According to Westwood One, The Ben Shapiro Show is carried by over 200 stations, including in nine of the top ten markets, as of March 2019. In June 2020, he transitioned from his role as editor-in-chief, which he held since the site’s founding, to the role of editor emeritus.
In September 2018, he began hosting The Ben Shapiro Election Special on Fox News, a limited-run series covering news and issues related to the 2018 midterm elections. Furthermore, he has been a frequent contributor to PragerU, providing talks on topics such as intersectionality and Hollywood, with notable viewership ranging from 4.9 to 8.4 million as of December 2018. In 2021, his podcast secured the 9th spot among the most-listened-to podcasts on Apple Podcasts. He is known for speaking at college campuses across the United States, where he often presents a conservative perspective on contentious topics. Between early 2016 and late 2017, he delivered speeches at 37 campuses. One notable incident occurred at California State University, Los Angeles, on February 25, 2016, when Shapiro, then an editor at Breitbart News, was scheduled to speak on the topic of “When Diversity Becomes a Problem.”
Some students and faculty objected to the speech, leading university president William Covino to initially cancel it three days before. The decision was later reversed, and the speech proceeded as planned. During the event, student protesters formed human chains, staged sit-ins, and, at one point, pulled the fire alarm. he was escorted out by campus police after delivering his speech. Young America’s Foundation (YAF) filed a lawsuit against the university, including Shapiro as one of the plaintiffs, alleging violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights due to the attempted cancellation and physical barricading of students. In August 2016, DePaul University revoked an invitation for him to address students, citing “security concerns,” which resulted in his exclusion from the campus.
On September 14, 2017, he gave a speech at the University of California, Berkeley, at the invitation of the Berkeley College Republicans. The event, supported by YAF and BCR, featured a significant police presence, costing $600,000. Despite nine arrests, the event concluded without major incidents.
Ben Shapiro Salary
Shapiro earns an annual salary of about $3,000,000-$12,000,000.
Ben Shapiro Net Worth
Shapiro has an estimated net worth of about $50 Million – $60 Million which he has earned through his career as an author .
Ben Shapiro Age
Shapiro was born on January 15, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. He is 40 years old as of 2024, and he celebrates his birthday on the 15th of January every year.
Ben Shapiro Height and Weight
Shapiro stands at a height of 5 feet 11 inches tall however, information about his weight has not been disclosed.
Ben Shapiro Family
Shapiro has a sister called Abigail Shapiro who is YouTuber, stuntwoman, actor, and social media influencer. He was born into a Conservative Jewish family and belongs to the Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. Mara Wilson actress and writer is his cousin. However, information about his parents has not been disclosed.
Ben Shapiro Wife and Children
Shapiro is married to Mor Toledano who is an Israeli medical doctor. Together they have been blessed with four children, two sons and two daughters. He resides in Los Angeles together with his family.
Social Media Platform
Shapiro is very active on his Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages. He has 6.5M followers on Twitter 4.3M followers on Instagram and 9.2M followers on Facebook.