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Owen Benjamin

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Owen Benjamin
Owen Benjamin in November 2017.png
Birth nameOwen Smith
Born (1980-05-24) May 24, 1980 (age 41)
Fulton, New York, U.S.
MediumStand-up, television, film, internet
EducationState University of New York, Plattsburgh (BA)
Years active2006–present
GenresObservational comedy
Notable works and rolesSullivan & Son
The House Bunny
WebsiteOfficial website

Owen Benjamin Smith (born May 24, 1980) is an American alt-right internet personality and former stand-up comedian and actor. He began his career as a comedic actor, with roles in films including The House Bunny and All's Faire in Love, and in the television sitcom Sullivan & Son. Following his career in acting he became a stand-up comedian. Benjamin faced increasing difficulty in booking shows after several incidents, including describing an individual as a "child molester" for raising a transgender child and using a racial slur onstage. His political views became more extreme, and he began publishing more political content online. In 2019, he was banned from several mainstream social networks and platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for violations of their policies on hate speech, and moved to more lenient alt-tech platforms.

Early life

Benjamin was born to John Kares Smith and Jean Troy-Smith, both professors at Oswego State University.[1] He attended Plattsburgh State College, where he worked at the student-run TV station.[2]

Career

Acting and television (2006–2016)

Benjamin starred in several web-only video series, including in the role of Owen on C-SPOT's 2008 Gaytown[3] and the role of Chance Stevens on CBS Interactive's 2009 Heckle U.[4] He also hosted Owen Benjamin Presents, a 2008 C-SPOT production.[3]

In 2008, Benjamin had a supporting role in the comedy film The House Bunny.[2][5] In 2009, he played the lead role in the romantic comedy film All's Faire in Love, co-starring with Christina Ricci.[2][5] From 2012 to 2014, he portrayed Owen Walsh on the TBS original sitcom Sullivan & Son.[2] He also appeared on the MTV show Punk'd,[6] and twice as a correspondent on The Jay Leno Show.[2][7]

Benjamin hosted the annual ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards from 2014 to 2016.[8] He hosted Esquire Network's The Next Great Burger in 2015.[9]

Comedy (2017–2018)

Towards the end of the decade, Benjamin had established himself as what conservative commentator Bethany Mandel described as an "up-and-coming conservative comedian", booking comedy shows at university campuses. He hosted a podcast, Why Didn't They Laugh, on Sideshow Network.[10]

In October 2017, Benjamin tweeted his opposition to providing transgender children with hormone therapy, repeatedly referring to an NPR host as a "child molester" for raising a transgender child.[6][11] This led the University of Connecticut to cancel an upcoming show, and Benjamin's talent agency dropped him as a client. In February 2018, Benjamin used a racial slur onstage in a performance in his hometown of Saranac Lake, New York, and more venues cancelled appearances. Mandel described these two events as the "beginning of the end of Benjamin’s mainstream career".[11]

Political commentary (2018–present)

Beginning in 2018, Benjamin appeared in several videos for conservative media company PragerU.[12][11][13] He also was a guest on several shows by The Daily Wire, and podcasts including those of Joe Rogan and Steven Crowder.[14][11] In September 2018, he appeared on the far-right InfoWars show, and in December was a guest on a show by Vox Day.[11]

Views

Benjamin is a part of the alt-right,[17] and has espoused views that are racist[19] or antisemitic.[20] Bethany Mandel has said that Benjamin, who was once a mainstream conservative comedian, became increasingly radicalized towards the end of the 2010s.[11]

According to Insider, Benjamin supports antisemitic conspiracy theories.[21] In October 2018, The Atlantic reported that Benjamin had a history of posting antisemitic memes on Instagram.[22] In 2019, Right Wing Watch reported on Benjamin's statement that Adolf Hitler was trying to "clean Germany, clean it of the parasites, of the fleas", and his claims that Jews control the media.[23] Right Wing Watch also reported on one of Benjamin's livestreams, 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."[24][23] Mandel has said that Benjamin has posted fabricated verses from the Talmud and spread antisemitic conspiracy theories, including Holocaust denial.[11]

Right Wing Watch has reported that Benjamin believes in several other conspiracy theories, such as that the transgender rights movement is part of a eugenics program to reduce the world population, that the moon landing did not occur, and that the existence of dinosaurs was fabricated by the Smithsonian.[25][26][12] In November 2019, he spoke at the Flat Earth International Conference in Dallas, Texas.[25]

Social media bans

Twitter banned Benjamin in 2018 after he made disparaging tweets about gun control advocate David Hogg.[27] In October 2019, Patreon suspended Benjamin's account, saying he violated their terms of service regarding hate speech.[28] His YouTube channel was banned on December 3, 2019, for violations of the site's terms of service.[16] On December 13, he was suspended from Facebook and Instagram for multiple policy violations.[24] He has also been banned by PayPal.[29]

In January 2020, Benjamin and one hundred of his fans announced their intent to sue Patreon for $3.5 million for banning him from the platform. Patreon counter-sued 72 of the fans.[28] In July 2020, a judge on the San Francisco County Superior Court denied Patreon's request for a preliminary injunction in the case.[30]

In March 2020, The Daily Dot reported that Benjamin had been attempting to circumvent his social media bans on several platforms to spread disinformation regarding COVID-19. Following the publication of the article, several of Benjamin's new accounts were terminated.[27] After being banned from YouTube, Benjamin began streaming on DLive, a livestreaming service popular with extremists. In October 2020, Benjamin and Nick Fuentes were the two highest earners on the site. Following a November 2020 report by extremism researcher Megan Squire, DLive suspended several accounts including those belonging to Benjamin and Fuentes.[31]

Personal life

In March 2008, he and Christina Ricci announced they were engaged, but they ended their engagement two months later.[5][32] He later married and had children.[33]

Benjamin began working on a project to create a bear-themed compound on property he owns in Boundary County, Idaho, where he said he intended to bring his "internet friends" because he was "not allowed to have [them] over at my house". In 2021, county residents filed a complaint with the county commissioners over allegations that Benjamin had violated zoning provisions, and expressed concerns that he was forming a "Ruby Ridge style" compound on the property.[34][14]

References

  1. ^ Lioto, Dominick (November 29, 2018). "Look at OZ: Stand-up comic Owen Benjamin". The Oswegonian. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Oswego native Owen Benjamin to perform at Funny Bone in Syracuse". Oswego County News Now (Press release). August 31, 2016. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b McCarthy, Sean L. (June 19, 2008). "C-Spot Season 2 on Crackle". The Comic's Comic. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
  4. ^ Frommer, Dan (March 19, 2009). "Lindsay Campbell's New Show, 'Heckle U', Launching Today". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 19, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Schweitzer, Kate (March 17, 2009). "Christina Ricci is Engaged!". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on March 20, 2009.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c Joe, Berkowitz (December 3, 2018). "Why is Amazon promoting this anti-trans alt right troll's comedy special?". Fast Company. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  7. ^ Levine, Stuart (September 8, 2009). "Jay Leno adds to posse". Variety. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "Comedian Owen Benjamin Returns As Host Of The Art Directors Guild 20th Annual Excellence In Production Design Awards". Shoot (Press release). November 12, 2015. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018.
  9. ^ "The Next Great Burger on Apple TV". Apple TV. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  10. ^ "Owen Benjamin Uses Fan Suggestions for New Material at CA Improv This Weekend". Broadway World (Press release). November 12, 2015. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Mandel, Bethany (April 8, 2019). "How did conservative comedian Owen Benjamin became a darling of the 'alt-right'?". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Holt, Jared (February 12, 2019). "Owen Benjamin: Another 'Red Pill' Overdose Victim". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  13. ^ G, Cristina López (February 4, 2019). "PragerU YouTube video features bigoted conspiracy theorist Owen Benjamin". Media Matters for America. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c Sommer, Will (June 1, 2021). "Neighbors Fear Bear-Themed Compound Will Be Next Ruby Ridge". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference politics was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b Petrizzo, Zachary (December 4, 2019). "Owen Benjamin, alt-right comedian, banned from YouTube". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  17. ^ [6][15][11][16]
  18. ^ Petrizzo, Zachary (December 13, 2019). "Alt-right comedian Owen Benjamin banned from Instagram over anti-Semitic memes". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  19. ^ [14][18]
  20. ^ "antisemitic-views"
  21. ^ Einbinder, Nicole (April 11, 2019). "White nationalists continue to post on Instagram, despite a new Facebook policy banning such content". Insider. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  22. ^ Lorenz, Taylor (October 30, 2018). "Instagram Is Teeming With Anti-Semitism". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b Holt, Jared (March 18, 2019). "Owen Benjamin's Rhetoric is Growing More Extreme". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b Holt, Jared (December 13, 2019). "Instagram and Facebook Suspend Right-Wing 'Comedian' Owen Benjamin". Right Wing Watch. People For the American Way. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b Gallagher, Danny (December 10, 2019). "Discworld Is Real! Dive into Flat Earth Culture at their Global, Sorry, International Conference". Dallas Observer. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  26. ^ Holt, Jared (November 29, 2018). "Owen Benjamin: Transgender Rights Movement is a U.N.-Sponsored Eugenics Program". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b Goforth, Claire (March 24, 2020). "Banned 'alt-right' comedian returns to spread coronavirus misinformation". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b Goforth, Claire (July 6, 2020). "Alt-right comedian asked his fans to sue Patreon. It backfired". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  29. ^ Goforth, Claire (July 8, 2020). "Banned by PayPal and YouTube, this alt-right comedian is back on PayPal and YouTube". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  30. ^ "Court denies Patreon injunction against fans of 'canceled' comedian". i24NEWS. August 2, 2020. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  31. ^ Carless, Will (February 5, 2021). "Crowdfunding hate: How white supremacists and other extremists raise money from legions of online followers". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  32. ^ Everett, Cristina (September 7, 2012). "Christina Ricci calls off her engagement to 'All's Faire in Love' co-star Benjamin Owen". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  33. ^ Kelly, Griffin (April 7, 2018). "Twitter blocks Owen Benjamin". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  34. ^ Martinez, Victor Corral (May 25, 2021). "New compound forming, residents present zoning violations to commissioners". Bonners Ferry Herald. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.

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