| Human Profile | |
| Name: | Benny Johnson |
| Birthday: | May 27, 1987 (age 38 years), Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| Education: | Prairie High School (Diploma) University of Iowa (BA), Developmental Psychology and Organic Chemistry |
| Subscribers: | 6.1M |
| Views: | 4,674,326,460 |
| YouTube Revenue: | $4.7M - $32.7M |
| Videos: | 12342 |
| Channel Created: | February 2007 |
Overview
Benny Johnson is an American conservative media personality, writer, and host, known for his work with organizations such as Breitbart, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, and Turning Point USA, and whose past roles at BuzzFeed and Independent Journal Review concluded amidst multiple plagiarism controversies; he currently hosts “The Benny Show” podcast and YouTube channels.
Latest News (Mar 20, 2026): Benny Johnson faced public criticism this week after posting a video from a White House visit in which he showcased the new, tucked-away placement of the official portrait of former President Barack Obama. During the same visit for St. Patrick's Day festivities, Benny Johnson shared content on social media featuring his wife and experiences at the event.
Early Life and Education
Benny Johnson was born on May 27, 1987, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He graduated from the University of Iowa.
Beginnings in Conservative Media
Johnson began his career in political media by contributing opinion pieces to the website Breitbart in 2010. From 2011 to 2012, he was a full-time employee for TheBlaze, a conservative media website founded by Glenn Beck.
Prominence and Controversies
In 2012, Johnson became a staff writer at BuzzFeed. His tenure at the publication ended in July 2014 when he was fired for multiple instances of plagiarism. BuzzFeed’s internal review found 41 cases where he had lifted text from sources like Wikipedia and Yahoo Answers without credit. Johnson later apologized for the plagiarism.
Following his departure from BuzzFeed, Johnson became the digital director at National Review in September 2014. He moved to the Independent Journal Review (IJR) in 2015 as a creative content contributor. At IJR, he faced further accusations of plagiarism. In March 2017, Johnson was suspended for his involvement in an article about a judge’s ruling related to an executive order. His relationship with IJR was terminated in October 2017.
Digital Shows and Current Ventures
Johnson has held several positions at various conservative organizations. In October 2017, he joined The Daily Caller. In 2019, he became the chief creative officer at Turning Point USA. Johnson also hosted “The Benny Report,” a program on Newsmax TV.
He remains active on social media and hosts “The Benny Show” podcast. Johnson also runs multiple YouTube channels, including his primary channel, “Benny Johnson.”
Personal Life
Benny Johnson is married to Katelyn Rieley, and they have children. The family resides in Tampa, Florida.