Dave Rubin
Born 1976 · Age 49
American political commentator, comedian, and host/creator of The Rubin Report (YouTube/BlazeTV). Formerly associated with The Young Turks, now identifies as conservative/libertarian; author of multiple books.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Brooklyn, New York
David Joshua Rubin born in Brooklyn, New York to a fairly secular Jewish family.
High school graduation (Syosset)
Completed high school in Syosset, Long Island (simple-wikipedia gives 1994 as HS finish).
Semester abroad at Ben-Gurion University
Spent a semester at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba, Israel while enrolled at Binghamton.
Graduated Binghamton University (BA Political Science)
Earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Binghamton University.
Began stand-up comedy career
Started performing stand-up and attending open-mic nights in New York City.
Intern at The Daily Show
Worked as an intern at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (reported in biography entries).
Joined Comedy Cellar; co-created 'The Anti-Show'
Performed at the Comedy Cellar and with colleagues created a public-access parody 'The Anti-Show' secretly filmed at NBC Studios.
Co-founded NYC comedy clubs
Co-founded multiple New York City comedy clubs, including Joe Franklin's Comedy Club and The Comedy Company in Times Square.
Publicly came out as gay
Rubin publicly announced he is gay; he later described this as a defining moment.
Began hosting The Ben and Dave Show (podcast/TV)
Co-hosted LGBT-themed talk show 'The Ben and Dave Show' with Ben Harvey (2007–2008); podcast/TV project.
Stopped regular stand-up performances
Continued to perform stand-up until 2007, after which he moved focus toward hosting/podcasts.
Co-created 'The Six Pack' podcast
Co-created and began co-hosting the podcast 'The Six Pack' with Ben Harvey in May 2009.
The Six Pack moved to Sirius XM
From October 2011 the Six Pack was carried as a live talk show on Sirius XM Radio.
Created 'Rubin Report' YouTube channel
While part of Sirius XM, Rubin launched his own YouTube account 'Rubin Report' in early September 2012.
Joined The Young Turks and launched The Rubin Report (TYT)
In January 2013 Rubin joined The Young Turks and hosted The Rubin Report on TYT; relocated from NYC to Los Angeles.
Engaged to David Janet
Announced engagement to producer David Janet in December 2014.
Announced move from TYT to RYOT
On March 1, 2015 TYT announced Rubin would be moving to RYOT; his show left TYT in 2015 amid ideological differences.
Married David Janet
Rubin married producer David Janet on August 27, 2015.
The Rubin Report debuts on Ora TV
Larry King's Ora TV picked up The Rubin Report and the show debuted on September 9, 2015.
Left Ora TV; began running The Rubin Report independently
Rubin left Ora TV in 2016 and opted to operate The Rubin Report independently.
Partnership with Institute for Humane Studies / Learn Liberty
Established a partnership with Learn Liberty (an initiative of the Institute for Humane Studies) that sponsored episodes.
Appeared in PragerU video 'Why I Left the Left'
Starred in a PragerU video articulating his shift away from the progressive left.
Spoke at Federalist Society event: 'Is Free Speech Under Attack?'
Panel/speaking engagement alongside figures like Flemming Rose and Steve Simpson (event Feb 1, 2017).
Spoke at Claremont McKenna 'An Evening of Free Speech'
Hosted a Rubin Report event on free speech at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum (Sep 12, 2017).
Subject of Data & Society report criticizing YouTube network ties
2018 research from Data & Society described Rubin as part of a YouTube network that amplified far‑right politics; cited specific interviews (e.g., Stefan Molyneux).
Patreon funding and platform dispute
Until late 2018 much funding came via Patreon; Rubin stated he received over $10,000 per month before his Patreon presence changed and he announced intent to leave following Sargon of Akkad's ban.
YouTube channel growth milestone
By mid/late 2019 The Rubin Report had grown to hundreds of millions of views and hundreds of thousands to millions of subscribers (200M views reported May 2019).
Joined BlazeTV distribution
In 2019 The Rubin Report became available on BlazeTV, expanding distribution to conservative SVOD audiences.
Frequent speaker/guest at conservative events and podcasts
Regular appearances at Turning Point USA events (e.g., Student Action Summit 2019), and guest appearances on The Joe Rogan Experience, The Ben Shapiro Show, and others.
Co-founded locals.com (independent crowdfunding alternative)
Following disputes with Patreon, Rubin co-created locals.com as part of the movement toward independent free-speech-oriented crowdfunding (Jordan Peterson pursued Thinkspot separately).
Criticism and coverage (Jacobin and others)
Faced critical profiles and coverage describing his work as intellectually thin or amplifying controversial voices (notably 2019 Jacobin article and continuing criticism).
Rubin Report ongoing guest roster (notable guests)
Hosted high-profile and controversial guests including Sam Harris, Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Douglas Murray and others, solidifying his profile in the 'intellectual dark web'.
Reported Patreon income: >$10k/mo (prior to departure)
Rubin has stated his Patreon earnings were over $10,000 per month prior to his Patreon presence being reduced/changed.
Appeared on major podcasts
Appeared as a guest on high-profile podcasts such as The Joe Rogan Experience (dates across 2010s), expanding audience reach.
Joined/associated with the 'Intellectual Dark Web'
Identified as part of the intellectual dark web — an informal group opposing cancel culture and political correctness.
NYT Best Seller recognition (Don't Burn This Book)
Don't Burn This Book made The New York Times Best Seller list in May 2020 following its April 2020 publication.
Rubin describes ideological shift publicly
Publicly described moving from progressive roots toward classical liberalism, later saying he had become a conservative and embracing libertarian positions.
Continued controversies over platforming
Faced ongoing criticism for platforming controversial figures and being insufficiently critical during interviews (cited in Data & Society report).
Rubin Report gains expanded distribution
Expanded distribution and commercial relationships, including BlazeTV distribution (2019) and independent operations post-Ora TV.
Prominent appearances at conservative conferences (Turning Point USA)
Frequent speaker at Turning Point USA events, addressing college audiences and conservative activists.
Rubin publicly rejects atheism (reported Dec 2019)
Reported that by December 2019 Rubin said he was 'no longer an atheist', marking a shift in personal beliefs.
Rubin Report YouTube reached ~200 million views
By May 2019 The Rubin Report channel had accumulated about 200 million views.
Sold previous LA property (2016 purchase sold 2020)
Sold an earlier Los Angeles property that he had purchased in 2016 for $1.5M; sold in 2020 for ~$1.8M (reported in real estate coverage).
COVID-era public commentary and controversy
Continued high-profile interviews and commentary during pandemic; faced criticism and praise across ideological lines (ongoing 2020–21).
Published 'Don't Burn This Book'
Published Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason (Sentinel); the book made The New York Times Best Seller list but was widely criticized.
Purchased Encino mansion (~$5M)
In August 2020 Rubin and his husband bought a modern Encino mansion for slightly over $5 million (reported by real estate sources).
Announced intention to vote Republican and related commentary
In a December 2021 Newsweek piece and other comments, urged classical liberals/libertarians to consider voting Republican; signaled changing partisan alignment.
Sold Los Angeles house; announced move to Miami
Sold his LA residence and announced relocation to Miami/Florida citing political and policy reasons; criticized California leadership in announcement.
Twitter account suspended after retweet (misgendering controversy)
Twitter suspended Rubin's account in 2022 after he retweeted a tweet from Jordan Peterson that misgendered actor Elliot Page; conservatives defended him.
Two sons born via surrogacy (Aug & Oct 2022)
First son Justin Jordan born in August 2022; second son born in October 2022. Announcement and births provoked some backlash from segments of his audience.
Registered as Republican in Florida
In 2022 Rubin registered as a Republican in Florida (reported in multiple sources).
Published 'Don't Burn This Country'
Published Don't Burn This Country: Surviving and Thriving in Our Woke Dystopia (2022, Sentinel).
Announced expecting two children via surrogacy
Rubin and husband David Janet announced they were expecting twins via surrogacy on March 16, 2022.
Endorsed Ron DeSantis in 2024 Republican primary
In 2023 Rubin publicly endorsed Ron DeSantis' bid in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries.
Public response to Tenet Media indictment
Rubin publicly stated on Twitter he was unaware of the alleged Russian funding; U.S. officials said influencers were not told about ties to RT/Russian government.
Net worth estimates reported (~$12M)
Third‑party biographical and financial sites reported Rubin's net worth in the ballpark of $12M by late 2024 (estimates vary between $12M–$14M).
Indictment alleges Tenet Media received ~$10M from Russian state media
September 2024 charges alleged nearly $10M was secretly funneled to a Tennessee company (Tenet Media) to produce political videos benefitting Russia; company had employed Rubin among influencers.
Rubin identified as 'Commentator-1' in Tenet Media indictment allegations
Indictment description matched Rubin as 'Commentator-1', alleging an agreement to produce four weekly videos for Tenet Media for $400,000/month plus a $100,000 signing bonus; Rubin denied knowledge of Russian ties and called himself a victim.
YouTube channel statistics updated (Aug 3, 2025)
Wikipedia infobox snapshot (last updated Aug 3, 2025) lists The Rubin Report with about 3 million subscribers and 2.12 billion total views.
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