Ben Shapiro

Benjamin Aaron Shapiro (born January 15, 1984) is an American lawyer, columnist, author, and conservative political commentator. Shapiro writes columns for Creators Syndicate, Newsweek, and Ami Magazine, and serves as editor emeritus for The Daily Wire, which he co-founded in 2015. Shapiro is the host of The Ben Shapiro Show, a daily political podcast and live radio show. He was editor-at-large of Breitbart News from 2012 until his resignation in 2016. Shapiro has authored sixteen books. On social issues, Shapiro is a supporter of both private gun ownership and capital punishment, and believes that homosexuality should be classified as a mental illness. On women's health, he stated his belief that abortion should be outlawed even in cases of rape and incest, calling women who receive abortions "baby killers." Culturally Shapiro is supportive of what he identifies as "western culture" and a critic of what he sees as "identity politics" and leftism. On international politics, Shapiro is a defender of both the United States and Israel, often accusing those who criticise Israel of being antisemitic. Economically Shapiro has called for lowering taxes on wealthy people and privatising social security. On scientific issues, Shapiro opposes the introduction of COVID-19 mandates, and has been described by scientists as engaging in climate change denial. On racial issues, Shapiro has been critical of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and falsely claimed that George Floyd died of a drug overdose and that murderer Derek Chauvin was innocent. Early life and education Shapiro was born on January 15, 1984 in Los Angeles, California, to a Conservative Jewish family. He is Ashkenazi Jewish, of Russian-Jewish and Lithuanian-Jewish ancestry. When he was 9 years old, his family transitioned to Orthodox Judaism. He started playing violin at a young age and performed at the Israel Bonds Banquet in 1996 at 12 years of age. His parents both worked in Hollywood. His mother was a TV company executive, and his father, David Shapiro, worked as a composer. Skipping two grades (third and ninth), Shapiro went from Walter Reed Middle School in The Valley to Yeshiva University High School of Los Angeles in Westside, Los Angeles, where he graduated in 2000 at age 16. He then attended the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating in 2004 at age 20 with a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in political science and membership in Phi Beta Kappa.