Conservative media organization DailyWire has announced plans to invest $100 million in children’s programming to counter “awakening media companies.”
The move comes on the heels of Disney’s opposition to the Florida Parental Rights to Education Act – which critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law – which was signed into Florida law this week. The bill would restrict discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom. A group of more than a dozen students, parents, teachers and advocates filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the state Board of Education.
The Daily Wire said Wednesday that it plans to roll out live entertainment and animation for children. It will also spend another $100 million on similar adult content. Programming is scheduled to launch on The Daily Wire’s streaming subscription service in the spring of 2023.
“Americans are tired of donating their money to wake up media companies that hate them,” said Jeremy Boring, CEO of Daily Wire. statment.
“They are tired of donating their money to wake up media companies that want to indoctrinate their children with an extremist ideology about race and gender theory. They want to do more than just cancel them. They want alternatives.”
The Daily Wire said it originally planned to announce in November 2022. The company moved it after a report revealed that Disney employees had discussed increasing “weirdness” in upcoming content and the use of gender-neutral language at its theme parks.
On Monday, The Walt Disney Company denounce the legislation They vowed to campaign for its abolition. Disney’s public statement came after pressure within the company to take a decisive stand, culminating in the firing of an employee last week.
“Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the Don’t Say Jay Bill, should never have passed, and should never have been signed into law,” Disney said in a statement. “Our goal as a company is to have this law repealed by the legislature or invalidated in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to make this happen.”
The Daily Wire described Disney as a “trusted source of healthy and innocent entertainment for children”, but its support for LGBT rights is “brainwashing” children “at best” and “endangering them at worst”.
This isn’t the first time the company has launched its own alternative to a product related to LGBTQ issues.
Last year, Harry’s Razors brand ditched The Daily Wire as an advertising partner due to the transphobic and homophobic sentiment it shared on its shows. The Daily Wire first launched “Jeremy’s Razors” as a “direct competitor” to Harry’s Razors last week, and claims to have sold 45,000 subscriptions in its first seven days.
