Controversial right-wing commentator, Matt Walsh, has been making headlines lately, for all the wrong reasons. Earlier this week, his Twitter account was hacked by someone using the pseudonym ‘Doomed’ (WIRED). While Walsh claimed that the hacker intended to harm him, Doomed insisted that he was simply ‘bored’ (WIRED).
The hack gained a lot of attention due to Walsh’s reputation as an anti-LGBTQ+ activist (VICE), who has made threats to doctors providing healthcare to trans people and executed racist and homophobic rhetoric in the past (VICE). This led to a torrent of online ridicule, and Walsh was forced to confront the hackers.
But Twitter couldn’t decide how to deal with the issue. When a journalist from Wired magazine, Dell Cameron, reported on the issue, he was quickly banned from the platform (Forbes). Despite attempts to reach out to Twitter’s press office, Cameron received no explanation for his ban (Yahoo). This comes as Musk’s free speech platform, which has been seen as a haven for those who have been banned from other platforms, kicked him out for reporting on the hack (Rolling Stone).
As if that wasn’t enough, Walsh has caused further controversy by appearing at the University of Iowa, prompting students to protest his appearance (KCRG, KWWL). It seems that Walsh’s reputation continues to follow him wherever he goes, and despite his efforts to support conservative values, he remains a divisive figure.
