# Jessica Reed Kraus

Jessica Reed Kraus is an American writer, Instagram influencer, and former mommyblogger who writes the newsletter House Inhabit. The newsletter covers celebrity gossip, conspiracy theories, and American politics. Kraus describes her writing as an "alternative approach to reporting" which with "the basic quest for truth, paired with a flexible narrative, I think speaks to people in a real way."

## Early life

Kraus grew up in Corona, California, as the third of four children. Her father had died by suicide when she was six, after he struggled with a drug addiction. As a teenager, Kraus aspired to be a gossip columnist, but then later wanted to become an English teacher. The plans to go to teaching college were derailed when she became pregnant with her then-boyfriend Mike, who was a touring musician.

## Career

Kraus grew her Instagram account as a home improvement and lifestyle influencer, using the username @houseinhabit. Her husband Mike got a construction job, and began remodeling their home in San Clemente, California, which she would write about. Her home had been featured on Martha Stewart's Instagram page, and Kraus and her husband sold items on Etsy like teepees for kids.
The Britney Spears conservatorship case interested Kraus, so she began posting about it to a receptive audience. Using Venmo, Kraus solicited donations to fund travel, often staying with friends. She attended the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell in 2021, and the Harvey Weinstein abuse case in 2022, posting about them on Instagram Stories and in her newsletter. After an expensive week of being at the Maxwell trial, she flew back home to California, where she says an owl's appearance convinced her to return, funded by audience donations. When Catherine, Princess of Wales, was not seen in public for an extended period of time, she published in her newsletter various conspiracies about the Princess.
When actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation, Kraus said that Depp was unfairly presumed to have abused Heard. Kraus says that, before the trial began, Depp's lawyer called her and had Depp speak to her for an hour and a half at the beginning of the trial after being connected to him through an "old friend of Johnny's" Kraus met on Instagram. During the Depp v. Heard defamation trial, Kraus posted daily updates on Instagram, often siding with Depp and criticizing Heard. Posting about the trial netted Kraus hundreds of thousands of followers. During the trial, Kraus called Heard a liar, accusing her of "making a mockery of the #MeToo movement", and posted stories about Heard's personal life. After the trial ended, Kraus wrote that she met Depp in person at a cocktail party, who thanked her for her writing.
The House Inhabit newsletter has 452,000 total subscribers, with The Times estimating it generates $1–2 million in annual revenue. Mike quit his job to look after their children.

## Political views

Kraus, previously considering herself "super liberal", became disillusioned with the Democratic party from COVID-19 lockdowns, a change in what Mother Jones describes as Kraus becoming "increasingly conspiratorial". She disliked the vaccination and masking policies enacted, and felt the media coverage of Donald Trump during this time was unfair. Kraus moved to Substack during the COVID-19 pandemic, because of the lack of moderation. She was later critical of the platform for removing five Nazi newsletters, which did so after pushback from users.
Kraus has posted in approval of both Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump, describing her own coverage of the two as less biased compared to mainstream media. She was initially not interested in Kennedy, but grew to like him. Eventually, she regularly posted in support of him on her Instagram account and encouraged people to attend his campaign events. She praised the MAGA movement for being "always a good time" saying, "They drink well, dress up, get loud, bedazzle the hell outta their accessories, love this country unapologetically, and believe that Donald Trump’s reign is a God-granted gift to save us from woke infestation and communism." She views Trump as a father figure, and thinks he's "brilliant".
She pitched to a Trump campaign aide to be a useful outlet, as her readership is primarily female and Trump's campaign had been seeking more influence in that demographic, which was accepted. The campaign, weeks later, invited Kraus to a Super Bowl party at Mar-a-Lago, where she posted dozens of times positively. According to Kraus, a Trump staffer commended her for her work in helping Trump win over women, compared to the mainstream media. She is a regular at the Trump resort.

## Personal life

Kraus is not religious. She has four children. She is based in San Clemente, California and is married to a man named Mike.