Robby Starbuck

American conservative activist and music video director
Robby Starbuck
Born
Robby Starbuck Newsom
NationalityAmerican
OccupationMusic video director
Years active2008-present
Known forConservative political activism
Notable workThe War on Children (2024)
Children3[1]

Robby Starbuck Newsom is an American conservative activist and former music video director.[2] He ran in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee as a write-in candidate[3] and was unsuccessful. As an activist, he has campaigned against companies popular with conservatives because of their DEI initiatives.[4]

Career

Starbuck directed music videos and commercials in California before moving to Williamson County, Tennessee in 2019.[1] He transitioned to investing in real estate and the stock market.[1]

Starbuck said he had received pushback from being a Republican in Hollywood and began posting about his beliefs on social media in 2015.[1] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he campaigned against mask and vaccine mandates.[5][6] In 2021, Starbuck declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination to represent Tennessee's 5th congressional district.[7] The state Republican party removed him from the 2022 primary ballot, and this decision was ultimately upheld by the Tennessee Supreme Court.[7] Starbuck instead ran as a write-in candidate, but did not get the nomination.[1]

In June 2023, a photo agency issued a legal threat to Starbuck after he used a copyrighted paparazzi photo of Megan Fox and her family in a social media post accusing the actress of "child abuse" for having "forced" her children to "wear girls clothes".[8] Fox responded to Starbuck's post, saying "Exploiting my child's gender identity to gain attention in your political campaign has put you on the wrong side of the universe."[8]

In June 2024, Starbuck began campaigning on social media against companies popular with conservatives because of their DEI initiatives, support for LGBTQ+ events, climate change strategies, and other social policies.[5] Starbuck chose brands that implemented these programs in recent years and may be less likely to resist pressure.[5] His employees helped him research the companies’ policies and their executives’ backgrounds.[5] He focused on one company at a time, posting dozens of times over the course of weeks urging his followers to protest with their voices and wallets.[4] Tractor Supply was the first company to roll back their initiatives within that same month.[4][5] John Deere announced that it would no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events and would audit all its training materials in July.[4][5] In August, Harley-Davidson, Brown-Forman, Lowe's, and Ford Motor Company rolled back several of their DEI initiatives and ended their respective relationships with Human Rights Campaign.[4][5][9] In September 2024, Molson Coors did the same.[10]

Starbuck's 2024 documentary The War on Children opposes gender-affirming care.[6] The film promotes the conspiracy theory that toxic chemicals were responsible for causing children to identify as LGBTQ+.[11] Several news outlets have described the film as "anti-trans"[12][13] or "anti-LGBTQ+".[14] During production of the film, a number of people that were approached for interview alleged that the producers had been deceptive about the nature and subject of the film.[12][14] In Ottawa County, Michigan, a commissioner was questioned for promoting the film during a public meeting.[15]

Personal life

Starbuck was raised by his mother and grandparents, who had fled Cuba in the 1960s.[1][4] He is married to Landon Newsom, a musician who performed under the name of Matriarch. They have three children.[1]

Filmography

DVD music

  • 2010 - Silverstein - Decade (Live at the El Mocambo)

Music videos

Documentaries

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Allison, Natalie (18 June 2021). "Robby Starbuck, a Franklin Republican, runs for Congress in Nashville with Rand Paul's endorsement". The Tennessean. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  2. ^ Ramirez, Nikki McCann (16 June 2023). "A New Documentary Is Courting Trans Voices. It Has a Big Right-Wing Secret". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  3. ^ Bartlett, Kerri (June 21, 2022). "Starbuck files as write-in candidate in 5th Congressional District primary". The Daily Herald.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Guynn, Jessica. "Inside Robby Starbuck's anti-DEI war on Tractor Supply, John Deere and Harley-Davidson". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Meyersohn, Nathaniel (28 August 2024). "The right-wing activist riding a wave of opposition to DEI in corporate America". CNN. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b Rogers, Taylor Nicole (September 4, 2024). "Robby Starbuck: the activist pushing US companies to ditch their DEI vows". Financial Times. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  7. ^ a b McCall, J. Holly; June 10, Tennessee Lookout. "Tennessee Supreme Court ends Starbuck's congressional bid • Tennessee Lookout". Tennessee Lookout.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b Clark, Meredith (14 June 2023). "Republican politician Robby Starbuck given legal warning over 'desperate' attack on Megan Fox's kids". The Independent. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  9. ^ Guynn, Jessica (29 August 2024). "Ford becomes latest high-profile American company to pump brakes on DEI". USA TODAY. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  10. ^ Styf, Jon (5 September 2024). "Molson Coors announces DEI changes in response to conservative activist". The Center Square. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  11. ^ Adamczeski, Ryan (August 1, 2024). "Who is Robby Starbuck? This is the anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theorist convincing companies to drop DEI". Advocate. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  12. ^ a b McCann Ramirez, Nikki (10 February 2024). "Emails Reveal How Anti-Trans Doc Tried To Dupe LGBTQ Allies Into Participating". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  13. ^ Crimmins, Tricia (8 February 2024). "Failed pro-Trump congressional candidate, wife team up for anti-trans doc starring Libs of TikTok". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  14. ^ a b Mitchell, Hillary (11 February 2024). "Drag queen accuses anti-LGBTQ+ documentary of 'tricking' her into taking part". Pink News. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  15. ^ Witkos, Matt (14 February 2024). "Local leader displays film ad which director claims 'there's a war on our children right now'". Fox 17 West Michigan. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  • Official website
  • Robby Starbuck discography at Discogs
  • Robby Starbuck at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
International
  • VIAF
National
  • United States
Artists
  • MusicBrainz