If Ann Coulter and Norm Macdonald had a baby, it would be Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire.
As the clown prince of modern conservatism, Matt Walsh has supplanted James O’Keefe as the rightwinger whom liberals fear the most when the camera lights go on. Walsh’s interviews with oblivious leftists, ideological whackjobs, and looney-tune activists has turned into a cottage industry. His documentary film, “What Is a Woman,” had more social impact than any other documentary in recent memory, and his long-awaited follow-up, “Am I Racist?” premiers on Sept. 13, 2024. Buy your tickets now.
It's difficult to classify Walsh within the conservative moment: Is he a troll? A pundit? A satirist? A provocateur? Are we supposed to take him seriously? Does he even take himself seriously?
This, of course, is the best-selling author of “Johnny the Walrus” — a book about a sweet little boy who liked to pretend he was a walrus, but then “Internet people” forced him to adopt the walrus identity for real. With obvious parallels to gender identity, the book shot to the top of Amazon’s LGBTQ+ category until the red-faced Amazon execs reclassified it under their Political & Social Commentary category. (Target removed it completely.) Still, Walsh successfully made his point.
If anything, banning and/or reclassifying him only amplified his message.
His podcasts are a bit of an acquired taste. The pacing is slower and more deliberate, and he expects you to pay attention while he skewers the sacred cow du jour piece by piece. The message itself is secondary to the presentation; more often than not, the point Walsh is making is transparent within the first few minutes. The rest of the podcast is Walsh belaboring this point with humor, satire, and snark. It's not for everyone, but if it tickles your funny bone, you’re in luck: Walsh generates vast quantities of conservative content. From podcasts to films to books to toys, he’s opportunistic in the best sense of the word.
His offbeat personality and unique vantage point has won him scores of dedicated, diehard fans — his “Sweet Baby Gang.” I don’t know how well-known Walsh is to older conservatives, but for the under-40 crowd, he’s firmly established himself as one of the movement’s most influential voices. Even if you don’t know who he is, chances are your kids and grandkids do.
And his star is still on the rise.
Anecdotally, I’ve encountered — by far — more Matt Walsh superfans in traditionally liberal circles than any other conservative commentator. Just last week, a green-haired bartender at a kratom/kava tea bar (a tea-tender?) proudly told me that she purchased a Matt Walsh Sweet Baby Gang decal for her car.
His other superfans include such luminaries as Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling.
Over the course of his long and illustrious career as America’s truth-teller, the great Rush Limbaugh coined a slew of catchphrases that took on a life of their own. Among his most famous: “I’m illustrating absurdity by being absurd!” It usually involved Rush dissecting a far-left proposal and taking it to the silliest extreme. Matt Walsh has assumed the Limbaugh mantle as the top absurdist in the conservative movement. He’s not trolling in the sense that trolls are simply trying to stir up trouble.
So don’t call him a troll. It’s absurdism.
That’s probably the most accurate way to describe him: Matt Walsh is the premier absurdist in modern conservatism. This means that his career is likely just getting started ‘cause Lord knows he’s never, ever going to run out of material.
GRADE: A-
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