Ben Shapiro

Benjamin Aaron Shapiro (born January 15, 1984 in Los Angeles, California) is an American conservative political commentator, media host, attorney, author and entrepreneur. Raised in a Conservative‑Jewish family that shifted to Orthodox practice when he was nine, Shapiro displayed early academic talent, skipping two grades and graduating high school at sixteen. He earned a summa cum laude B.A. in political science from UCLA at age twenty and a cum laude J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2007, after which he briefly worked at Goodwin Procter before launching his own consulting firm. Shapiro entered the public arena at seventeen as the youngest nationally syndicated columnist, and by his early twenties had authored several books, beginning with Brainwashed (2004) that attacked perceived left‑wing bias in academia. He served as editor‑at‑large of Breitbart News from 2012 until his 2016 resignation over the outlet’s handling of a sexual assault allegation involving a Trump campaign aide. In 2015 he co‑founded The Daily Wire, where he remains editor‑emeritus and hosts the award‑winning Ben Shapiro Show, a daily podcast and syndicated radio program reaching over two hundred stations. His speaking circuit includes frequent appearances at college campuses, where his debates on free speech and identity politics have sparked both large audiences and protests. Shapiro’s political positions include strong support for capital punishment, opposition to abortion even in cases of rape, advocacy for privatizing Social Security, and a staunch defense of Israel’s right to self‑defense. He has authored sixteen non‑fiction titles, appeared in media productions such as Lady Ballers, and collaborated on the chart‑topping rap single “Facts” with Tom MacDonald. Married to Dr. Mor Toledano since 2008, the couple raises four children and resides in Florida after relocating from California.