Visually, he doesn’t belong.
The Daily Wire audience veers young, and most of its top commentators — Ben Shapiro, Jeremy Boreing, Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles, Brett Cooper — predate him by as much as 40+ years. Within a close-knit conservative community of Millennials and Zoomers, the 70-year-old Klavan seems like a man out of time.
He's the Steve Rogers of conservatism.
If the Daily Wire was run similarly to “Saturday Night Live,” Klavan would’ve been their go-to Joe Biden impersonator. Nobody else there could’ve pulled it off. With minimal makeup, he truly could be Biden’s doppelganger. (Although Shapiro has an underrated Old Man Biden impression, where he rambles aimlessly and mutters incoherently.)
But there’s a youthfulness to Klavan that belies his age — a reservoir of energy and mischievousness — that dissipates the many decades when he speaks, making him a welcome addition to the Daily Wire’s cast of commentators and/or troublemakers. He shouldn’t fit in so well over there.
But he does. For whatever reason, the pieces just… fit.
He’s a podcaster, an author, a screenwriter, and a former PJ Media contributor, having produced “Klavan on the Culture,” a video series, for our channel. And he’s still producing content at an astounding rate. Visually, he looks overaged, malnourished, and reed-thin, but the clarity of his thoughts and his rapid-fire delivery will quickly disabuse you of age-related concerns. With Klavan, not only is there no hint of cognitive decline, but his brain’s still racing a million miles an hour.
It moves almost as fast as Shapiro’s mouth.
One note: Daily Wire missed a wonderful opportunity with Jeremy’s Razors. Instead of naming it after Jeremy Boreing — a dude with a beard(!) and a full head of “hair” (well, kind of: I don’t want to be mean, but… lol, c’mon now) — why not name it after the clean-shaved, chrome-domed Klavan? Frankly, “Shaven with Klavan” would’ve been a much catchier slogan.
Unfortunately, there’s probably a hard limit on how much bigger Klavan can get. He looks older than he actually is — and he’s already 70 — which will limit his opportunities to elevate his profile on platforms concerned with aesthetics, a la most of cable TV. Networks like the FOX News Channel are constantly striving to appear younger and more relevant, and that tends to foster an unwelcoming climate for talent like Klavan. Even if he wrote a best-selling book and went on a national media tour, he’d probably receive fewer invites than a man with his profile and background deserves. It’s unfair, but that’s how the media functions.
By the way, it’s not at all improbable that Klavan still has a few best-sellers within him: His prior books have been adapted by such Hollywood heavyweights as Clint Eastwood, Michael Douglas, Ed Burns, and Michael Caine. His Tinsel Town bona fides are uncommonly strong, especially in the conservative community. Be happy he’s on our side.
If Klavan were 30 years younger, he’d be one of the most influential conservatives in nontraditional media. His skill set is perfect for podcasts, quick-hit commentary, and the Daily Wire’s backstage cigar fests. Alas, his age is what it is. Enjoy him while we still have him, because it’s unlikely he’ll be able to maintain this pace indefinitely. Father Time is undefeated; the next 10 years will probably be Klavan’s performative finale. I’m guessing he has something special planned for the rest of us.
GRADE: B+
