| Robby Starbuck | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Music video director, activist |
| Years Active: | 2008–present |
| Notable Works: | The War on Children (2024) |
| Children: | 3 |
Robby Starbuck is an American conservative activist and former music video director. As an activist, he has campaigned against corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.[1]
Starbuck directed music videos and commercials in California before moving to Williamson County, Tennessee in 2019.[2] He transitioned to investing in real estate and the stock market.
Starbuck said he had received pushback from being a Republican in Hollywood and began posting about his beliefs on social media in 2015. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he campaigned against mask and vaccine mandates.[3] In 2021, Starbuck declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination to represent Tennessee's 5th congressional district.[4] The state Republican party removed him from the 2022 primary ballot, and this decision was ultimately upheld by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Starbuck instead ran as a write-in candidate, but did not get the nomination.
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".[5] 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."
In June 2024, Starbuck began campaigning on social media against companies unpopular with conservatives because of their DEI initiatives, support for LGBTQ+ events, climate change strategies, and other social policies.[6] Starbuck chose brands that implemented these programs in recent years and may be less likely to resist pressure. His employees helped him research the companies' policies and their executives' backgrounds. 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. Tractor Supply was the first company to roll back their initiatives within that same month. John Deere announced that it would no longer sponsor "social or cultural awareness" events and would audit all its training materials in July. 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.[7] In September 2024, Molson Coors[8] and Caterpillar Inc.[9] did the same. In October 2024, Toyota did the same.[10] In November 2024, Boeing Co. and Walmart rolled back their DEI initiatives after being targeted by Starbuck.[11] [12] The New York Times commented that "Robby Starbuck may have scored his biggest win" to date with his successful pressure campaign against Walmart.[13]
Starbuck's documentary The War on Children, which streamed on X (formerly Twitter) in February 2024,[14] opposes gender-affirming care. The documentary contains interviews with Riley Gaines, Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok, and US Senator Rand Paul, among others. The film's website states that it "exposes the WAR that's being waged on children today through gender ideology, ESG, CRT, sexualization of entertainment, sex trafficking, online exploitation, TikTok, Big Pharma and more".[15] The film opposes gender-affirming care and promotes the conspiracy theory that toxic chemicals were responsible for causing children to identify as LGBTQ+.[16] News outlets have described the film as "anti-trans"[17] and "anti-LGBTQ+".[18]
Elon Musk recommended the film.[19] Musk also previously promoted the trailer, which then received over 30 million views. A group planned to screen the film at a movie theater in Vernon, British Columbia, but another local group lobbied the theater to cancel the screening due to concerns about the film harming marginalized people and potentially violating the Human Rights Code of British Columbia.[20] [21] In Ottawa County, Michigan, a commissioner promoted the film during a public meeting,[22] which may have been against county policy.[23]
Starbuck was raised by his mother and grandparents, who had fled Cuba in the 1960s. He is married to Landon Starbuck, a musician who performed under the name of Matriarch. They have four children.[24]