The worst right-wing influencers of 2023

As right-wing influencers gain traction online and amass millions of followers for promoting extreme views, human rights groups and policy experts warn about their ideologies fueling an increase in deadly violence. The Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center have documented a clear connection between hateful and extremist content and broader channels of hate. 

But despite this, influencers continue to profit off of promoting toxic masculinity and violence against women, creating content associated with the "manosphere" community, which includes incels—the most aggressive faction, according to the ADL. Incels believe that women wield excessive power and ruin their lives by rejecting them. These incel manosphere influencers leverage their platforms to connect with viewers as young as 13 years old, providing them with a sense of community, only to indoctrinate them with their extremist ideologies.

While several influencers have been banned from mainstream platforms, their ideas have already taken root in the minds of their followers, who promote their ideas offline. Many of these personalities have also returned to X, previously known as Twitter, shortly following Elon Musk's acquisition of the platform.

Salon has compiled a list of some of the worst right-wing influencers from 2023, amassing millions of followers and views by disseminating outlandish conspiracy theories. These individuals have relied on their platforms to propagate hate speech and incite violence.

How Andrew Tate cultivated a following promoting abuse and violence against women

Controversial influencer and “alpha-male” podcaster, Andrew Tate, who was charged in Romania with rape and human trafficking this year, tops the list. He was previously removed from the TV show "Big Brother" for violent behavior and was also banned from different social media platforms for promoting misogynistic views and violence against women. When the media personality was arrested, several right-wing media figures came to his defense suggesting he was targeted for "going against the system."

The self-help guru quickly gained traction online and built a predominantly male following by offering advice on how to earn money, get with women and break free from what he refers to as "the Matrix." His videos have a history of embracing misogynistic and violent messaging racking up billions of views. Tate has expressed overtly sexist or misogynistic beliefs, including his claim that the "easiest way to judge the value of a female" is based on how many sexual partners she has had and asserting that heterosexual relationships work only when the woman "obeys like she's supposed to."

In one video, Tate went as far as explaining how he would use a machete to attack a woman in his bed if she cheated on him. In another, he argued that rape victims should “bear responsibility” for their attacks. While discussing a hypothetical romantic relationship with reality TV star Kylie Jenner, Tate asserted that he would assume ownership of all her physical property.

But what’s concerning is that Tate isn’t some fringe personality who only uses platforms like Rumble or Telegram to push his extreme views against women. Instead, this controversial figure has employed mainstream platforms to disseminate some of his most extreme ideas.

Last year, Meta banned Tate across its platforms citing its "dangerous individuals and organizations" policy. TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter also barred Tate from their platforms. However, X reinstated his account shortly after Elon Musk assumed ownership of the platform.

Despite the bans, Tate has built a brand that capitalizes on promoting violence and harassment against women. But he is not alone in pushing these views. As male supremacist views have gained prominence on TikTok and podcasting platforms, different personalities have emerged dedicating entire videos to discussing the rights of "high value" or "hypermasculine" men. Not all influencers advocating for such ideas and fostering anti-feminist views are male. Some of these influencers promoting ideas that men should be entitled to subservient women also happened to be women. 

“Anti-feminist” influencer Pearl Davis is dubbed the “female Andrew Tate”

Hannah Pearl Davis, professionally known as "Pearl," has garnered millions of followers online following her viral anti-feminist rants and attacks against women. Davis quickly rose to fame pushing views similar to Tate’s and even earned the nickname of the "female Andrew Tate.” The controversial influencer has defended white nationalist Nick Fuentes and promoted anti-semitic content.

She has told her audience that women should submit to men and made claims arguing that it's a woman's fault if her male partner cheats on her. Davis has also suggested that rape victims should “bear some responsibility” for their attacks and that men should be able to hit women back, according to Business Insider. 

One of her extreme opinions has included claiming that women should not vote. In a video posted to X, Davis said: “The courts, the legal system, all of society is basically pandering and simping for women.” The self-proclaimed “anti-feminist” has made comments like women don't deserve a man "who makes 6 figures" if they are obese and suggested that “women cry abuse for everything and we’ve actually lost the meaning of abuse." Some of her comments have also sparked backlash. 

"16 year old chicks are hotter than 26 year old chicks," Davis said in one tweet. She has since deleted the tweet after receiving pushback. She told Insider she did so because "people were putting words in my mouth."

Despite pushing misogynistic content, Davis herself has said she doesn’t “hate women” and blamed the criticism she has received online due to advocating for men. While Davis has encountered her fair share of pushback, some of her online critics view her comments as nothing more than opportunities for her to capitalize on her controversial views. But regardless of whether her beliefs are true or not, what’s more concerning is that the influencer has developed a significant following despite her extremist views. 

Neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes

Another influencer who has a long history of promoting antisemitic and misogynistic comments is Fuentes, who is the founder of the far-right "groyper" movement – a group of white nationalist and far-right activists, predominantly young and male, who are attempting to introduce far-right politics into mainstream conservatism. 

Most recently, the white nationalist youth activist said on his podcast that it was “so over” after Kanye West issued an apology for making a series of antisemitic statements over the years. Fuentes, an admirer of Adolf Hitler, has called for a “holy war” against Jews in the past, according to The Texas Tribune. Fuentes has also openly advocated for a government under authoritarian, “Catholic Taliban rule,” and expressed his contempt toward women, Muslims and the LGBTQ+ community.

Fuentes gained a notable following and became more prominent in mainstream media during the 2020 presidential election. He played a significant role in the "Stop the Steal" movement, frequently combining unfounded allegations of a rigged election with white supremacist conspiracy theories. His theories claimed that there was an intentional, Jewish-driven agenda to replace white people through immigration, interracial marriage, and the LGBTQ+ community. A few days before the January 6, 2021, insurrection, Fuentes implied the need to harm legislators who refused to overturn the election results. On the day of the riot, he urged his followers to be ready to "take this country back by force."

On his show “America First” show and his America First Foundation, the self-described “proud incel,” has discussed his plans to remake the Republican Party into “a truly reactionary party.” Fuentes has described his aim of  operating within the political framework to become the "right-wing flank of the Republican Party." He said he views America’s “white demographic core” as central to its identity.

Fuentes has also made comments insisting women are too emotional to make political decisions and that rape is “so not a big deal,” as SPLC points out. He was previously suspended from Twitter in July 2021 "for repeated violations of the Twitter Rules," but returned after Musk’s ownership of the platform. 

Alex Jones and his long history of conspiracy theories

Alex Jones, a prominent far-right online influencer, is one of the few figures facing consequences for spreading conspiracy theories. Jones filed for personal bankruptcy last year after being ordered to pay more than $1 billion to the families of Sandy Hook school shooting victims for defamation. His company Free Speech Systems, which operates his Infowars website, also filed for bankruptcy last July.

Jones baselessly repeated that the 2012 mass shooting that took place in Sandy Hook Elementary School killing 20 first-graders and six adults was staged. He pushed falsehoods about the families and first responders being “crisis actors.” After he consistently perpetuated false claims about Sandy Hook, the victims’ families said they were threatened and harassed by his followers. A jury last year determined that Jones should pay nearly $1 billion in damages to the victims’ families affected by his lies about the shooting.

In the past, Jones has also actively encouraged people to participate in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He even played a role in elevating Stewart Rhodes, the founder of Oath Keepers, to prominence. Rhodes was later sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy related to the riot. On January 6, the right-wing conspiracy theorist led a march down Pennsylvania Avenue and up the Capitol steps. While Jones himself has not faced charges in connection with the attack, several individuals associated with his platform, referred to as "Infowarriors," including staff members and apparent fans, were among those charged.

He has made other outlandish claims in the past suggesting in a 2013 broadcast, that “of course there’s weather weapon stuff going on” and that “We had floods in Texas like fifteen years ago, killed thirty-something people in one night. Turned out it was the Air Force.” One of Jones' infamous conspiracy theories suggests that the government is employing chemicals to turn people gay allegedly through a mysterious "gay bomb" developed by the Pentagon.

“The reason there’s so many gay people now is because it’s a chemical warfare operation, and I have the government documents where they said they’re going to encourage homosexuality with chemicals so that people don’t have children,” NBC News reported

Through his platforms, Jones has propagated numerous conspiracy theories targeting the LGBTQ+ community and spreading falsehoods. His return to X, under Musk, has prompted conversations around brand safety and hate speech. The platform is also actively promoting Jones’ account to other users with Musk himself elevating Jones’ newly restored profile by engaging with him in a live-streamed interview on X. 

Despite receiving backlash for reinstating previously banned users’ accounts on X,  Musk has accused major advertisers of attempting to "blackmail" him during their boycott over concerns about antisemitic content circulating on the platform.

During his tenure at X, Musk has increasingly embraced a bullish approach to the concept of free speech on the internet welcoming users who were previously booted from the platform for violating its guidelines on hate speech and harassment. In the face of backlash for allowing their return to the platform, the billionaire has adopted a stance akin to when he reinstated Jones, stating that while the move would be "bad for X financially" but "principles matter more than money.”