The Daily Wire
U.S. right
Background
The Daily Wire was launched in September 2015 by political commentator Ben Shapiro, filmmaker Jeremy Boreing, and Caleb Robinson, with initial seed funding of $4.7 million from Farris Wilks, a Texas billionaire from the petroleum industry. It grew rapidly through social media, YouTube, and Shapiro's daily podcast, becoming one of the most-shared conservative news sites in the United States. The company expanded its brand with DailyWire+, a subscription streaming platform offering original video and podcast content. Fact-checkers and academic researchers have repeatedly found that The Daily Wire publishes unverified claims, misrepresents facts to advance a partisan viewpoint, and has promoted climate change denial and what researchers called 'junk health news' during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2024, the outlet parted ways with host Candace Owens following months of internal conflict over the Israel-Gaza war and Owens' posts that were widely condemned as antisemitic. Co-CEO Jeremy Boreing stepped down in March 2025 to focus on creative projects; CEO Caleb Robinson resigned in May 2025 and was replaced by Mike Richards. In May 2026 the company laid off roughly 13% of its staff, and by June 2026 it was in talks to raise at least $100 million from outside investors, with bankers floating a potential $2 billion IPO valuation—a sign of significant financial pressure after subscriber counts and ad revenue both declined sharply.
Sources
- The Daily Wire – Wikipedia
- Exclusive: Daily Wire, under pressure, seeks strategic investors, targets IPO – Semafor
- Ben Shapiro solicits backers — or buyers — for a built-out Daily Wire – Semafor
- How right-wing podcaster Ben Shapiro is disagreeing with Trump – Media Matters for America
- The Daily Wire eyes growth investment in 2025 – Axios
- Candace Owens parts ways with The Daily Wire – NBC News
- Jeremy Boreing Gives First Interview Since The Daily Wire Exit – Deadline
Profile compiled 2026-07-01; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.