'It's become a business model': Joel Pollak describes growing antisemitism among online influencers
Opinion editor of the California Post Joel Pollak discusses how influential figures on the so-called 'online right' are attempting to capitalize on conservatives' distrust of the establishment by targeting America's relationship with Israel.
On Friday's episode of The Ezra Levant Show, opinion editor of the California Post Joel Pollak discussed how big-name online commentators like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson are fuelling antisemitism by taking advantage of conservatives' growing distrust of establishment institutions.
Pollak noted that well-known commentators like Carlson have been focusing significant attention on highlighting and condemning Israel's influence on American politics and opposing the Trump administration's policies involving Israel.
This became evident as Carlson called for the Trump administration to refrain from striking Iran's nuclear facilities and condemned the president's decision to move forward with the operation.
Pollak pointed out that the business model for online podcasters or social media influencers requires sponsors, advertisements, and significant engagement.
In order to achieve success in this realm, he noted figures like Carlson and Owens need to separate themselves from the rest of the pack, at times saying "outrageous" things to maintain relevancy and reinforce their contrarianism.
"You've also got this business environment where you have to say outrageous things to draw eyes, to draw ears, to draw clicks," he said.
Owens has accused Israel of being involved in Charlie Kirk's assassination, and has also accused Israel of being involved in a plot to kill her.
Online influencers “don't have to disclose the sources of their funding to the public,” Pollak added.
"And where there are investors, some of who are named, some of whom are unknown, who are able to push the coverage in a particular direction — I've been hearing stories for example of a lot of Qatari money floating around the influencer world," he continued.
Carlson recently sat down for an extensive interview with Nick Fuentes — who has been widely accused of being an antisemite — and offered no pushback when Fuentes expressed his support for former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The interview was one of Carlson's most-watched in recent memory, currently having 6.5 million views on YouTube.
Ultimately, what Pollak describes is less about genuine ideological evolution than a cold calculation: in the attention economy, questioning Israel — or crossing into outright antisemitism — has simply become one of the most reliable ways for “contrarian” influencers to differentiate themselves, rack up millions of views, and keep the revenue flowing.
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COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-12-01 19:40:31 -0500Let’s hope this “business model” crashes. Israel is a miracle and the only democracy in the Middle East. On that basis alone, it must be supported.
