Andy Warhol once said that “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Coming from a man whose life experience predates the internet, social media and cameras in every phone, these words ring especially true today. Some of us have more than only fifteen minutes to work with, but fame today is often as intensely scrutinized as it is short-lived. When you’re famous, you are constantly on trial in the court of public opinion. Free speech, in reality, is far from free. Everything you do and say (especially say) can and will be used against you. After you enter the public domain, become part of the collective conversation, or discover virality on the internet, your words will ultimately be your downfall.
Enter Tomi Lahren.
Since 2015, the conservative commentator and Chucky-esque mannequin who came to life and learned to speak by reading Mein Kampf millennial firebrand made a name for herself on Glenn Beck’s alternative media network, The Blaze. There she broke view counters and ratings records with her controversial stances on minorities, protest groups, and President Obama’s policies. For a while, it seemed as if you couldn’t check Facebook or Twitter without seeing at least five or six of her videos in rotation for the day. It's important to note that she was only 22 at the time; that’s seriously impressive, and I can hardly imagine reaching that level of fame as early as she did. But fame comes at a price — especially for those in journalism.
On November 30, 2016, Tomi Lahren appeared on "The Daily Show" for an interview with Trevor Noah. For her fans, this was her chance to grill the “left-leaning mainstream media” and stand up for conservative Americans everywhere. Millions of people watched the show with baited breath, waiting for her to drop bombs on the mainstream’s home field. Instead of her usual fiery monolog, however, they saw her true self when having her stances subjected to logic and reason: defensive, unprepared, and struggling to make coherent arguments. Instead of fireworks, her fans saw a flickering candle nearly blown out by her own incompetence.
Tomi Lahren instantly became Tomi Lahren with a capital L.
After that tire-fire of an interview, she bounced back and continued carrying out her business as usual. Colin Kaepernick wasn’t just gonna protest injustice in the United States peacefully, and obviously, she had to put a stop to that. That’s when she started getting a little too confident. On January 4, 2017, Tomi Lahren made Twitter history. She tried to clap back at rapper Wale for calling her out in his song “Smile.” This was the result:
So if you're gonna put someone in a song...diss 'em.. perhaps get their fricken name right next time @Wale
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) January 4, 2017
Ok Tammy https://t.co/TmO2ztMKNe
— Wale (@Wale) January 4, 2017
I said she made Twitter history that night. Not that she didn’t take yet another L for doing so.
Looking back now, this marked the beginning of the end for Tammy Larynx… I mean Toyota Larson… I mean Tomi Lahren. Her legitimacy as a reporter and media personality looked shaky at best as her reputation publicly shifted from a hot-headed conservative to the epitome of the ‘whiny snowflake’ she so often condemned. Videos coming out in the first months of 2017 seemed even less coherent (if you can believe that) and ratings started to drop as her relationship with her network strained. Simply put, nobody but her most loyal fans took her seriously. And in terms of fame, that’s never a good sign.
Last week she appeared on “The View,” which will more than likely be the last major appearance she makes for a while. To be honest, I never would’ve imagined what she said there would be what took her down, but the world is a strange place and works in mysterious ways. Glenn Beck, her employer and founder of TheBlaze, fired her from the network because of the pro-choice comments she made on “The View.”
Yes, you read that right – Tomi Lahren argued in favor of pro-choice AND GOT FIRED FOR IT.
Keep in mind that my surprise comes from the fact that she’s the same person who believes Black Lives Matter is the new KKK and that Syrian refugees are just cowards. Oh, and that rapid polar destruction is just “weather” among other things. While I agree with the stance she took on “The View,” it does not match up with her position in the past nor does it exempt her from the consequences of her actions. Tomi Lahren postured herself time and time again as a guardian of free speech, a defender of the First Amendment as she spewed venomous rhetoric towards anyone with whom she disagreed.
Intuition tells me that Fox News or someone similar will swoop her up soon – her career is far from over. Her lack of social awareness, weak grasp of basic research, and the viral power of the Internet, however, will continue to punish her. I want to think she looked at her position critically and made an informed decision to change. I believe that she is smart enough to see that facts still have a role in journalism and that her personal convictions are worth more than any network agenda. But when you heat up your arguments long enough to melt all the snowflakes, you only turn them into water and burn out completely.
