From razors to children’s entertainment, the conservative media company The Daily Wire has expanded beyond podcasting. But its biggest gamble so far, at least financially, is with the release of a new motion picture. Podcast host Matt Walsh fronts the satire “Am I Racist?” that takes on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in America.
“This is our exploration of the DEI, so-called anti-racist hustle, the scam,” said in an interview with NewsNation. “And so we want to expose these con artists for what they are, the people that are pushing this stuff. But we want to do it comedically with humor.”
In a style similar to “Borat,” the movie features Walsh donning a wig and going on what he calls a “racial awakening” journey. “I let them guide me down the rabbit hole so that the viewer can see, by the end of the film, where it leads,” he said.
Walsh makes no secret that he is an opponent of DEI programs. “The idea that white people are inherently racist, inherently bad, and that nobody who is not white can be racist, and that white people are the author of all the oppression and suffering in the world,” he said in the interview.
In its opening weekend, “Am I Racist?” was the No. 4 domestic film at the box office with $4.75 million in sales with release on 1,517 screens. Deadline says its biggest cities were Los Angeles, New York, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Phoenix, Chicago, Seattle-Tacoma, Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Washington, and Denver. Among those who bought tickets, two-thirds (64%) were white, 56% were men, and 40% were under the age of 40.
“Am I Racist?” is the first feature film release for The Daily Wire. It was reportedly made on a less than $1 million budget. Walsh says they saw an opening in a divided country where Hollywood is largely ignoring conservative audiences. “They’re leaving plenty of money on the table,” he told Variety. “And we’re happy to come in and take some of it. Because, at a minimum, you are explicitly refusing to serve 50% of the audience.”
In addition to his podcast, Walsh show has been syndicated to talk radio by Westwood One since 2022, airing in the 4-5pm ET timeslot in most markets.
Watch the trailer HERE.
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