Alpha Males, Podcasts, and the 2024 Election

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TAYLOR MOSES: From TikTok jokes to real-life convictions, “Alpha Male” podcasts have recently come to dominate the pop culture scene. Beginning with the rise of Andrew Tate, there has been a surge of hyper-masculine, often hyper-conservative men with microphones. Their podcasts, filled with dangerous, toxic masculinity, are not simply the spewing of angered men but also reflect the conservatism of the new generation. 

Tate found his fame in 2016 by appearing on a British season of Big Brother, during which he branded himself as a misogynist. Shortly after his work on the reality show, a video emerged of him beating a woman. Tate continually preaches a lifestyle and mindset rooted in sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and ableism. For example, in an interview with a fellow YouTuber, Tate stated in response to people calling him a misogynist, “I'm a realist and when you're a realist, you're sexist. There's no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist.” 

Despite the wave of backlash over his statements and the Romanian allegations, Tate has retained a large following. Currently, the influencer has over 9 million followers on X and an active website, Cobratate. This site connects visitors to a variety of resources, “training” programs, and a podcast Tate shares with his brother entitled “Tate Speech.” With over 200 episodes, the podcast has 2.02 million followers, with each episode garnering at least half a million views. On this podcast, Tate and his brother continue to espouse the same rhetoric that initiated Tate’s virality in early 2016. 

Although Tate’s fame is an extreme case among podcast creators, the same beliefs are being promoted on a variety of popular podcasts today. This group, often referred to as the Manosphere is a wave of male activist movements in opposition to feminism that target an audience of young men. Another Manosphere podcast recently found virality on TikTok is Fresh & Fit. In their YouTube account’s description, they claim to be “the #1 men's self-improvement” podcast that provides advice “to men on females, finances, and fitness.” Various clips from these podcasts have gone viral, often of the hosts arguing with women about sexuality, the LGBTQ+ community, and relationships. 

These podcasts and influencers also have garnered female audiences and creators, most notably in the case of the influencer Hannah Pearl Davis, known online as JustPearlyThings. The creator claims she is an “antifeminist” and creates content in the same vein as the Fresh & Fit podcast. 

This rise in misogynistic, traditional podcasts emphasizes the presence of conservatism in the new generation. Similar statements have been made regarding women and a return to traditionalism by members of the Republican Party. Former President Donald Trump has on numerous occasions echoed the language used on these podcasts. In 2018, commenting on the MeToo movement in an interview, Trump stated, “It is a very scary time for young men in America, where you can be guilty of something you may not be guilty of. … Women are doing great.” In response to feminist movements or progress for women, there is a direct reaction by men encouraging a return to traditionalism. 

Former presidential candidate Ron DeSantis also holds similar beliefs rooted in his advocacy of traditional values. The Florida governor, when elected, claimed to favor a return to tradition in a fight against “woke” ideology. Since his election, DeSantis has enacted legislation limiting women’s autonomy during abortions, including a six-week abortion ban that took effect recently on May 1. The motive of DeSantis and other conservative politicians’ culture war against “wokeness” closely aligns with the goal of many of these male-led podcasts: a return to traditional, misogynistic values. 

The rise in Manosphere podcasts and aligned politics may have influenced the beliefs and values of young men within Generation Z. In a poll conducted by King’s College London, researchers found that specifically Generation Z men are more likely than Baby Boomers as a whole to believe that “feminism has done more harm than good.” 

These attitudes are reflected in analyses of Generation Z’s changing voting patterns. Although polls are difficult to draw certain conclusions from, especially regarding the beliefs of young voters, there are signs of massive electoral realignment in favor of the Republican party. A Marist College national poll, published on April 3, 2024, showed Trump two points ahead of Joe Biden among Generation Z and Millennial voters. Following a similar trend, a poll conducted by Fox News in March 2024 showed Trump 18 points ahead among voters under 30. 

With these statistics and trends in mind, one cannot help but wonder: are these creators and politicians preaching this rhetoric for its shock value and virality or are they making legitimately desperate attempts to cling to outdated traditional values in a rapidly evolving world? In any case, not only are these attitudes inspiring angry rants into microphones, but they are changing the political scene. 

Taylor Moses is a columnist for On the Record. She is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying Government and English.