David Rubin

American political commentatorTemplate:SHORTDESC:American political commentator[[Category:**Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Pagetype/config' not found.**s with short description]]

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**David Joshua Rubin** (born June 26, 1976) is an American conservative political commentator, comedian, YouTube personality, and talk show host. He is the creator and host of *The Rubin Report*, a political talk show on BlazeTV and YouTube. His show was formerly part of The Young Turks Network and Ora TV. He previously hosted *The Ben and Dave Show* and *The Six Pack.*

Rubin describes himself as a classical liberal, but he is generally described as conservative and libertarian in his politics.

## Early life

David Joshua Rubin was born on June 26, 1976, in Brooklyn, New York, New York. He grew up in a "fairly secular Jewish household on Long Island". He spent his adolescence in Syosset, New York and then resided on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, New York for 13 years.

In 1994, Rubin graduated from Syosset High School. In 1998, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Binghamton University in Vestal, New York.

## Comedy

 File:Dave Rubin during a live Rubin Report taping at Politicon in Los Angeles, October 2015..png
In 1998, Rubin started his career in comedy doing stand-up and attending open-mics in New York City. In 1999, he became an intern at *The Daily Show* with Jon Stewart.Template:Better reference needed

In 2000, Rubin continued his career at the New York-based Comedy Cellar. Later that year he joined with other Comedy Cellar comedians to create a public-access television series, a news program parody called *The Anti-Show* which was secretly filmed at NBC Studios in 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

In 2002, he co-founded several New York City-based comedy clubs including Joe Franklin's Comedy Club and The Comedy Company in Times Square where he continued to do stand-up until 2007.

He was the host of the podcasts, *Hot Gay Comics* and *The Ben and Dave Show*, which were turned into a television series on the here! television network. In May 2009, Rubin co-created and co-hosted the podcast *The Six Pack.* From October 2011 to December 2012, *The Six Pack* was on Sirius XM Radio as a live talk show. While a part of Sirius XM, Rubin created his own account on YouTube called *Rubin Report* in early September 2012.

## Political commentary

Rubin describes himself as a classical liberal, which he has said basically amounts to conservatism or libertarianism. He characterizes himself as a liberal because he favors same-sex marriage, criminal justice reform, marijuana legalization, a social safety net and public schooling, as well as conditionally supports abortion. In 2017, he starred in a video by the conservative YouTube channel PragerU where he explained "Why I Left the Left". He has characterized progressivism as a "mental disorder". He has been described as part of the "intellectual dark web".

Rubin frequently appears as a speaker at events hosted by Turning Point USA, a conservative student organization. When asked in July 2017 about Trump policies he disagreed with, he criticized Trump's use of executive orders but did not offer criticism of any other Trump policies. Asked in January 2018 about what he disagreed with the right on, he offered mild criticism of "a bit of a religious tone with the right" but did not mention other ideological differences.

Critics have accused Rubin of providing a prominent platform to controversial alt-right and far right figures such as Paul Joseph Watson, far-right personalities Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux, and nationalist Tommy Robinson. A 2018 report from *Data & Society* described Rubin as part of a network on YouTube that amplified far-right politics. The report cited as an example an interview that Rubin conducted with Stefan Molyneux where Rubin asked Molyneux to elaborate on his views that races have different average IQ test results, and that these differences are genetic. Rubin did not challenge Molyneux in any substantial way, leading the report to conclude, "By letting him speak without providing a legitimate and robust counterargument, Rubin provides a free platform for white supremacist ideology on his channel." According to Anthony Fisher, a journalist at *The Daily Beast*, Rubin has implied or stated that alt-lite figures Paul Joseph Watson, Stefan Molyneux and Mike Cernovich are part of "a new political center", and, in a 2016 livestream, said "the alt-right as a shitposting, fun, call out the bullshit, mock-the-power thing is amazing", adding "there’s nothing funny coming out on the left now... [.]"

### *The Rubin Report*

*Main article: The Rubin Report*
In January 2013, Rubin joined *The Young Turks*, where he hosted the show *The Rubin Report.* He moved from New York City to Los Angeles, California. On March 1, 2015, *The Young Turks* YouTube channel announced that Rubin would be moving to the media company *RYOT*. Shortly after, Larry King's Ora TV picked up the show which debuted on September 9, 2015. He left Ora TV in 2016, opting to run *The Rubin Report* independently. By May 2019, *The Rubin Report* YouTube channel had 200 million views.Template:Dead link In 2019, The Rubin Report became available on BlazeTV, a conservative subscription video service run by Glenn Beck.

*The Rubin Report* has an affiliation with the libertarian Institute for Humane Studies, a Koch family foundations-funded organization which sponsors an episode of his show per month. Until late 2018, Rubin received much of his funding through Patreon, a crowdfunding site on which Rubin said he received over $10,000 per month prior to deletion. Rubin and Jordan Peterson announced their intent to leave the platform following Sargon of Akkad's ban, which they described as an assault on free speech. In a video shortly thereafter, the two announced their interest in developing an independent, free speech oriented crowdfunding site. Peterson started Thinkspot, on which Rubin was an early contributor.

## Personal life

Rubin publicly came out as gay in 2006, which he has referred to as his "defining moment". In December 2014, he became engaged to producer David Janet. The couple married on August 27, 2015. He once described himself as an agnostic or an atheist, but has recently said that he's no longer an atheist.

## Bibliography

* 2020: *Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in the Age of Unreason*

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "YouTube tested, Trump approved: How Candace Owens suddenly became the loudest voice on the far right" (in en-US), *NBC News*.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Roettgers, Janko (September 18, 2018). "How YouTube's Far Right Is Using Classic Influencer Tactics to Promote Its Views" (in en-US), *Variety*.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Why the 'Classical Liberal' is Making a Comeback". Politico. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/06/16/why-the-classical-liberal-is-making-a-comeback-218667.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bowles, Nellie (December 24, 2018). "Patreon Bars Anti-Feminist for Racist Speech, Inciting Revolt" (in en-US), *The New York Times*.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The forever war of PewDiePie, YouTube's biggest creator", *The Washington Post*.
6. ↑ "bio\_inc". Blogspot. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071021045802/http://rubinville.com/inc/bio\_inc.htm. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
7. ↑ Rosen, Armin (June 20, 2016). "Dave Rubin, the Voice of Liberals Who Were Mugged by Progressives". *Tablet*. Retrieved: May 12, 2018.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Josh Abraham. "Dave Rubin, Comedian". Gothamist. Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080118220934/http://gothamist.com/2005/07/12/dave\_rubin\_comedian.php. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
9. ↑ "Binghamton university listed as "David J. Rubin"". Harpur.binghamton.edu. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130813202514/http://harpur.binghamton.edu/hotline/121003hotline/names.htm. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
10. ↑ "Check out @NightlyShow Tonight.", *Twitter*. Retrieved on June 4, 2015.
11. ↑ Awl Sponsors. "Funny Guy Dave Rubin Answers Our Questions". The Awl. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130310063933/http://www.theawl.com/2012/12/funny-guy-david-rubin-answers-our-questions. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
12. ↑ Jason Gay (November 25, 2002). "NBC's Top-Secret Show". New York Observer. http://observer.com/2002/11/nbcs-topsecret-show/. Retrieved November 25, 2002.
13. ↑ Wheat, Alynda (March 14, 2008). "What to Watch", *Entertainment Weekly*.
14. ↑ Paul Hagen. "The Six Pack". Metrosource. http://metrosource.com.s123317.gridserver.com/2011/08/01/the-six-pack/. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
15. ↑ Brent Hartinger. "Interview: The Six Pack". The Backlot. http://www.thebacklot.com/interview-the-six-packs-ben-and-dave-are-like-a-married-couple-with-no-sex/06/2011/. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
16. ↑ "The Six Pack". The Huffington Post. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-six-pack/. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Klein, Ezra (September 24, 2018). "The rise of YouTube's reactionary right". https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/9/24/17883330/dave-rubin-ben-shapiro-youtube-reactionary-right-peterson. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 Fisher, Anthony L. (May 18, 2018). "Free-Speech True Believer Dave Rubin, the Top Talker of the 'Intellectual Dark Web,' Doesn't Want to Talk About His Own Ideas" (in en).
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Template:Cite book
20. ↑ Uyehara, Mari. "How Free Speech Warriors Mainstreamed White Supremacists". https://www.gq.com/story/how-free-speech-warriors-mainstreamed-white-supremacists. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Template:Cite report
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Solon, Olivia (September 18, 2018). "YouTube's 'alternative influence network' breeds rightwing radicalisation, report finds" (in en-GB), *The Guardian*.
23. ↑ Jeff Klima. "The Young Turks Add Dave Rubin & Cara Santa Maria To Their Network". New Media Rockstars. http://newmediarockstars.com/2013/05/the-young-turks-add-dave-rubin-cara-santa-maria-to-their-network/. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
24. ↑ Paul Hagen. "Post-Six". Metrosource. http://metrosource.com.s123317.gridserver.com/2013/05/13/post-six/. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
25. ↑ Beatrice Verhoeven (July 24, 2015). "Dave Rubin's 'Rubin Report' Joins Larry King's Ora TV (Exclusive)". The Wrap. https://www.thewrap.com/dave-rubins-rubin-report-joins-larry-kings-ora-tv-exclusive/. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
26. ↑ "How Dave Rubin 'Left the Left' And Built a Huge YouTube Channel" (in en-US). May 23, 2019. https://www.thewrap.com/members/2019/05/23/dave-rubin-report-youtube-million-subscribers-cernovich-buttigieg/.
27. ↑ Ellefson, Lindsey (2019-09-04). "Conservative YouTuber Dave Rubin Signs Deal With BlazeTV" (in en-US). https://www.thewrap.com/conservative-youtuber-dave-rubin-signs-deal-with-blazetv/.
28. ↑ "Can Dave Rubin Save the Political Talk Show?" (in en). https://www.playboy.com/read/dave-rubin-wants-to-have-a-conversation-with-you-1.
29. ↑ Template:Cite report
30. ↑ "Jordan B. Peterson, Dave Rubin ditch crowdfunding site Patreon to stand up for free speech", *Fox News* (4 January 2019). Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
31. ↑ "Dave Rubin fails to delete Patreon on livestream to delete Patreon", *The Daily Dot* (16 January 2019). Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
32. ↑ "Jordan Peterson, Sir, Mr. Surrogate Dad Sir: Please Return My Ten Dollars" (in en-us), *Gizmodo* (26 November 2019). Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
33. ↑ "Jordan Peterson claims he's building an alternative to Patreon". 19 December 2018. https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/jordan-peterson-patreon/. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
34. ↑ "Jordan B. Peterson, Dave Rubin ditch crowdfunding site Patreon to stand up for free speech", *Fox News* (4 January 2019). Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
35. ↑ "Funny Guy Dave Rubin Answers Our Questions". The Awl. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130310063933/http://www.theawl.com/2012/12/funny-guy-david-rubin-answers-our-questions. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
36. ↑ "Dave Rubin: Coming Out As Gay Was My 'Defining Moment'" (December 29, 2013). Retrieved on September 8, 2017.
37. ↑ "'Rubin Report' Host Reveals Some Very Big News", *Huffington Post* (December 23, 2014).
38. ↑ "Oh, we got married the other day. No Biggie.", *Twitter*. Retrieved on December 23, 2014.
39. ↑ LIVE: Dave is Back from 30 Days with No News, Internet, or Phone! Time stamp; 52:12 – 55:57, 58:18 -59:25
40. ↑ Critical Thinking, Atheism, and Faith Time stamp; 12:38 – 13:05
41. ↑ Template:Citation

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