Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro and his media outlet, The Daily Wire, announced that they will be moving the entire operation from Los Angeles, California, to Nashville, Tennessee, Deadline reported.
Shapiro is the editor emeritus of The Daily Wire, which he co-founded in 2015 with co-CEOs Jeremy Boreing and Caleb Robinson and has been headquartered in Sherman Oaks since its inception.
The primary reason cited for the move was the declining quality of life in L.A. and California — specifically high taxes, high housing costs and cost of living, and increased crime and homelessness.
“California will only get worse”
In a post to Twitter on Tuesday, Shapiro shared that article from Deadline as part of his own announcement of the impending move.
Shapiro wrote, “We’ve been asked over and over and over again when we would leave California. The answer: now. See you in Nashville, gang!”
In a statement on Wednesday to Fox News, the popular conservative author, commentator, and radio host confirmed the move and acknowledged, “I’ve spent my entire life in Los Angeles. I love California, I love Los Angeles.”
“But between the extraordinary tax burden, the refusal to maintain law and order, and the deliberate willingness to degrade quality of life for citizens, the governance of this state and my home city have driven us away,” he said.
Shapiro added, “I suspect California will only get worse in the near future, and that many more businesses and taxpayers will find other places to call home. Bad governance has consequences.”
Likely not the last to move out
About 75 employees of The Daily Wire are also based in L.A. They have reportedly been given until the end of the month to decide whether they want to make the move to Nashville as well. Thus far, according to Boreing, roughly 80 percent of those employees have chosen to do so.
Boreing also noted that Texas had been considered as a possible destination for the outlet’s new headquarters, but Nashville ultimately was picked because it was believed that the city offered greater “creative talent” that would be necessary to continue growing the business.
This is pretty big news and should be viewed as a win for Tennessee at the expense of California.
Anecdotal evidence has shown a recent trend of businesses, individuals, and families fleeing the high taxes and mismanagement of Democrat-run cities and states. Odds are, Shapiro and The Daily Wire won’t be the last Californians to flee the increasingly dystopian state in search of greener, or perhaps redder, pastures.
The post Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire leaving Los Angeles for Nashville first appeared on Conservative Institute.
No comments: