History of Benny Johnson (columnist) in Timeline

Benny Johnson is an American conservative political commentator and YouTuber. He is known for his contributions to various conservative media outlets, including Breitbart News, TheBlaze, National Review, and The Daily Caller, where he shares his perspectives on political and cultural issues. Johnson's work often involves commentary and analysis from a conservative viewpoint.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

May 27, 1987: Benny Johnson Born

On May 27, 1987, Benny Johnson, who would become an American conservative political commentator and YouTuber, was born.

2010: Started Contributing to Breitbart

In 2010, after attending the University of Iowa, Benny Johnson started contributing opinion pieces to the website Breitbart.

2011: Full-time worker for TheBlaze

From 2011 to 2012, Benny Johnson worked full-time for the conservative website TheBlaze, which was founded by Glenn Beck.

2012: Staff Writer at BuzzFeed

From 2012 to 2014, Benny Johnson worked as a staff writer at BuzzFeed.

July 2014: Suspended from BuzzFeed for Plagiarism

In July 2014, Benny Johnson was suspended from BuzzFeed after an online investigation revealed plagiarism in his posts, where text was lifted from various sources, including Yahoo Answers, Wikipedia, and U.S. News & World Report, without proper credit. He was later fired.

September 2014: Digital Director at National Review

In September 2014, Benny Johnson became the digital director at National Review (NR).

2014: Fired from Buzzfeed for Plagiarism

In 2014, Benny Johnson was fired from BuzzFeed due to multiple instances of plagiarism involving text from sources like Yahoo Answers and Wikipedia without proper attribution. He had also worked for Turning Point USA and Newsmax TV.

2015: Joined Independent Journal Review

In 2015, Benny Johnson left National Review to join the Independent Journal Review (IJR) as a creative content contributor.

March 2017: Plagiarism Accusation and Suspension from IJR

In March 2017, Benny Johnson was accused by IJR staffers of plagiarizing an article about Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Later in the same month, he was suspended by the IJR after his involvement in an article that asserted a connection between judge Derrick Watson's partial blocking of Executive Order 13780 and Barack Obama's visit to Hawaii.

March 2017: Demoted at IJR for Abusive Behavior

In March 2017, Benny Johnson was reported to have been verbally abusive and driven numerous staffers away from the Independent Journal Review (IJR) due to his management style, leading to his demotion.

August 2017: Published Article Based on Fake Antifa Account

In August 2017, Benny Johnson wrote an article containing the most controversial tweets from what he believed was the Boston antifa Twitter account, which turned out to be a fake account intended to lampoon antifa. The article was later removed after an editorial note was added initially.

October 2017: Joined The Daily Caller

In October 2017, Benny Johnson joined The Daily Caller, one month after his relationship with the Independent Journal Review (IJR) was terminated.

2019: Chief Creative Officer at Turning Point USA

In 2019, Benny Johnson became the chief creative officer at Turning Point USA.

2020: Host on Newsmax TV

In 2020, Benny Johnson was a host on Newsmax TV.

April 2022: Investigation on Arsenal Media Published

In April 2022, The Verge published an investigation on Arsenal Media, a conservative boutique co-founded by Benny Johnson. The investigation detailed dubious corporate practices and described Johnson's abusive and toxic behavior towards employees.

August 2024: Involvement in Russian Funding Controversy

In August 2024, two Russian state media employees were charged with secretly funding a Tennessee company for political video production to influence the United States. Benny Johnson, who had been employed by a company matching the description of Tenet Media, stated that he and other influencers were victims in the alleged scheme and had a standard deal that was later terminated.

August 2025: False Claim About Attack on His Home

In August 2025, Benny Johnson posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) falsely claiming that a mass shooting and arson attack had occurred at his home with his family inside. The claim was later debunked by official reports which confirmed the incident happened at a neighbor's residence. He had sensationalized details of the episode.

September 2025: YouTube Channel Subscriber Count

As of September 2025, Benny Johnson's main YouTube channel, titled "Benny Johnson", had amassed 6.01 million subscribers and 4 billion views.

October 10, 2025: Press Conference on Threat to Life

On October 10, 2025, US Attorney General Pam Bondi held a press conference featuring Benny Johnson and his wife Katelyn, highlighting the arrest of an individual who sent a threatening letter to Johnson's home. Johnson used the press conference to claim that the Democratic Party had mainstreamed violence.