Ben Shapiro To Host Limited Election Series On Fox News
Ben Shapiro, conservative commentator and The Daily Wire editor-in-chief, is set to host a four-episode series leading into the midterm elections on Fox News.
While Shapiro often appears on the network as a guest, this is his first official affiliation with Fox News.
The series, called The Ben Shapiro Election Special, will air on Sundays between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. starting September 23.
Shapiro “will be joined by a panel of experts along with influential guests to discuss the major headlines of the week and their impact on the upcoming 2018 midterm elections,” according to a release from the network. “The one hour program will also feature Shapiro’s unique political commentary and analysis on the major issues affecting the younger voting demographic this election season.”
“Ben is a rising star in conservative political commentary and we are excited to add his signature style and well thought out viewpoint to our pre-election weekend lineup,” John Finley, senior vice president of development and production, said in a statement.
In a statement to The Wrap, Shapiro said he was excited to bring his own personal brand of liberal-baiting commentary to the conservative news network.
“This election is critical for the country, and it will be hotly-debated and contested from every angle,” Shapiro told The Wrap said via email. “I’m incredibly excited to bring facts, not feelings to the airwaves, and I’m excited that Fox News is partnering with us to do that!”
“I am honored to partner with FOX News where we can provide in-depth analysis on the voting trends that will be leading the polls this November,” Shapiro added.
Fox News Hires Daily Wire's @BenShapiro to Host Series on 2018 Midterms @FoxNews https://t.co/xAA9EXgqRe pic.twitter.com/4fbcb54GWu
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) September 17, 2018
Shapiro rose to prominence after being hired by Creators Syndicate at 17-years-old to become the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the country.
He is the author of seven nonfiction books, including Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America. Shapiro earned a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 2004 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2007.
After leaving Breitbart News, where he worked as an editor, in 2016 Shapiro climbed quickly through the ranks of GOP media figures, founding his own conservative website, Real Daily Wire.
Shapiro is a popular figure on Twitter, often seeing his tweets go viral, along with hosting and producing a chart-topping podcast.
Shapiro’s popularity and success online don’t come without some controversy, however.
According to the Washington Post, progressives on Twitter were quick to link Shapiro to Alexandre Bissonnette, who pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder in an attack on a Canadian mosque, after it was revealed the 28-year-old spent time on Twitter looking at accounts of right-wing commentators, alt-right figures, conspiracy theorists, and President Trump.
Shapiro quickly denied the claim, insisting in an interview with Fox News he and the shooter aren’t linked.
“This evil piece of human crap happened to be somebody who had seen some of my tweets,” Shapiro said of Bissonnette.
“Now I have 1.4 million Twitter followers so I guess the idea from the left is that if somebody sees enough of my tweets they’re inevitably going to become a terrorist. Weird that I don’t have a spate of enormous terrorism across the country thanks to my Twitter followers.”
