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Yashar Ali

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Yashar Ali
Born
Yashar Ali Hedayat

(1979-11-23) November 23, 1979 (age 45)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationJournalist

Yashar Ali (born Yashar Ali Hedayat; November 23, 1979) is an American journalist who has contributed to HuffPost, NBC News, and New York magazine. In 2019, Ali was included in Time magazine's list of the most influential people on the internet, in part due to his large Twitter presence.[1]

Early life and education

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Ali was born into an Iranian family in Chicago. He grew up in Oak Park, Illinois,[2] and attended Holy Cross High School in River Grove. Ali later moved to Los Angeles, working as a television production assistant on shows like E.R. and Chicago Hope.[3]

Career

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Politics

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Following his stint working in TV, Ali worked as a volunteer on Kevin Feldman's unsuccessful campaign to unseat United States Representative Henry Waxman, and then on Steve Westly’s campaign for Governor of California.[4] Through Hassan Nemazee, Ali was introduced to Terry McAuliffe, who secured him a job on Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.[4] After Clinton was defeated by Barack Obama in the Democratic primary, Ali relocated from Los Angeles to San Francisco, securing a position on Gavin Newsom's 2010 gubernatorial campaign. Newsom dropped out of the race early, after which Ali was appointed Newsom's deputy chief of staff.[4]

Through his work in Newsom's office, Ali befriended oil heiress Ariadne Getty, and began borrowing large sums of money from her. She later sued Ali to recover the $179,000 she had loaned him.[4][5] Ali subsequently agreed to begin repaying the loan in monthly installments of $500, but eventually defaulted.[4]

Kathy Griffin

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After departing his employment with Newsom, Ali returned to Los Angeles and worked as a cook and personal assistant for Kathy Griffin in exchange for boarding and use of a car.[4] In 2019, Griffin asked Ali to leave her home.[4] According to Joan Walsh, Griffin was "too intimidated" by Ali to ask him to leave earlier, though she had desired he do so.[4] Speaking of his time with Griffin, Ali has said that he has "grappled a lot with entering into codependent relationships of all sorts".[4]

Twitter and journalism

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While working with Griffin, Ali began building a Twitter following.[4] He has variously been described as a "quasi-journalist",[6] "gossip columnist",[4] "journalist" and "social media influencer".[7]

According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Ali also worked as a federal lobbyist and has given thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates.[8] After working in California Democratic Party politics, Ali moved to New York City and contributed to multiple media publications.

On August 4, 2017, Ali reported allegations that Fox News commentator Eric Bolling had sent unsolicited lewd text messages and photos to three female colleagues at Fox News or Fox Business Network.[9] In response to the report, Bolling filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit in New York against Ali.[10] Ali said he stood behind the accuracy of his story and would protect his sources.[11]

In October 2020, Ali reported allegations that the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, witnessed sexual misconduct by his top aide, Rick Jacobs, but took no action. Within this piece, Ali disclosed that he had been forcibly kissed by Jacobs multiple times.[12] Garcetti's nomination for United States Ambassador to India was stalled in regards to these allegations, but was later confirmed by the U.S. Senate.[13]

On February 12, 2021, Ali reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had been actively investigating allegations against Lincoln Project co-founder John Weaver. Weaver had been accused of sexual misconduct and workplace abuse by numerous men.[14]

On March 16, 2021, Ali reported that television personality Sharon Osbourne had allegedly used racist and homophobic slurs against several of her co-workers for years. This included allegations that she called Julie Chen a "wonton" and "slanty-eyes".[15] Osbourne later left The Talk due to these allegations.

On June 9, 2021, Los Angeles magazine published an in-depth profile on Ali's background and rise to fame written by journalist Peter Kiefer, who interviewed Ali as part of the story. The piece explored the extent of Ali's vast connections in politics and the entertainment industry, and reported several allegations against Ali, documenting several personal relationships with wealthy individuals which ended in furor over financial manipulation or misconduct by Ali, as well as raising suspicions about Ali's journalistic sources, charitable fundraising techniques, and personal bias towards targets of his investigations.[16] On June 7, 2022, writer Parker Molloy published an article in which Ali rejected many of the allegations put forth by Kiefer. Additionally, Ali criticized the journalistic process of the Kiefer article, specifically claiming that he was not informed of the claims against him, and that there were many factual errors within the piece itself.[17]

Personal life

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Ali describes himself as a Catholic, having converted from Shia Islam.[4]

Ali self-identifies as a strong opponent of Scientology, describing it as a “dangerous, criminal cult”; he has been a guest on the podcast Scientology: Fair Game hosted by Leah Remini and Mike Rinder in the past.[18] He is openly gay.[19] He is well known for his love of elephants, and often posts content related to them.[20] According to Ali, he has ADHD and depression, and has a strained relationship with his family.[4]

During the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing financial crisis, Ali offered direct financial support through services such as Venmo to assist people in need.[21]

In April 2023, The LA Times reported that Ali had been sued for $230,000 by a debt collector after defaulting on a series of loans from Ariadne Getty.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Time 25 Most Influential People on the Internet: President Donald Trump and World Record Egg Included in List". Evening Standard. July 17, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  2. ^ Perlberg, Steven (October 25, 2017). "Who Is Yashar?". Buzzfeed News.
  3. ^ "Backed by Hillary and Bill Clinton, might Stanford University start 'Stephanie Tubbs Jones Voting Rights Center? ' (video)". Cleveland.com. August 29, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Kiefer, Peter (June 9, 2021). "The Curious Rise of Twitter Power Broker Yashar Ali". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  5. ^ Tani, Maxwell (June 9, 2021). "Twitter Superstar Yashar Ali Got Evicted by Kathy Griffin". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  6. ^ Shroff, Kaivan (June 28, 2021). "Why Who Gets Twitter's Little Blue Check Matters". WBUR-FM. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  7. ^ "Freelance Journalist and Social-Media Influencer". National Journal. 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  8. ^ "Campaign loyalists now in Newsom's inner circle". The San Francisco Chronicle. December 22, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  9. ^ Ali, Yashar (August 4, 2017). "Fox News Host Sent Unsolicited Lewd Text Messages To Colleagues, Sources Say". HuffPost. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  10. ^ "Fox News host Eric Bolling is suing a reporter for $50 million over story about sexual harassment allegations". Business Insider. August 9, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  11. ^ "Eric Bolling Plans to Sue HuffPost Contributor Yashar Ali Over Harassment Story (UPDATE)". www.mediaite.com. August 9, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  12. ^ "Mayor of Los Angeles Repeatedly Witnessed Top Adviser's Sexual Misconduct". Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  13. ^ "Garcetti's nomination remains stalled in the senate". Los Angeles Times. May 16, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  14. ^ "FBI Investigating Allegations Against John Weaver, Sources Say". Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  15. ^ "Sharon Osbourne Frequently Referred to Julie Chen as 'Wonton' and 'Slanty Eyes,' Sources Say". Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  16. ^ Kiefer, Peter (June 9, 2021). "The Curious Rise of Twitter Power Broker Yashar Ali". Los Angeles. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  17. ^ "Yashar Ali is ready to talk about that magazine profile". Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  18. ^ "Episode 33: Journalist Yashar Ali". Scientology: Fair Game. March 23, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  19. ^ "A conservative writer attacked a gay journalist on Twitter. This outlet just dropped her". The Washington Post. March 31, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  20. ^ Stuart, Gwynedd (June 9, 2021). "The Curious Rise of Twitter Power Broker Yashar Ali". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  21. ^ Graham, Jennifer (April 9, 2020). "Can Venmo Samaritans get struggling Americans through the pandemic?". Deseret News. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  22. ^ Hamilton, Matt (April 24, 2023). "Twitter star Yashar Ali still owes $230,000 to Getty heir. A debt collector now wants his income".
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