PragerU’s Shocking Plan To Indoctrinate Your Kids REVEALED!

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Whenever I step into the compact conference room at Dennis Prager’s LA radio station, it feels like he single-handedly fills the entire area.

He stands at 6 feet 4 inches tall, possessing a powerful, resonant voice that has amassed him millions of listeners, while maintaining a subtle, vintage Brooklyn accent. As autumn leaves begin to fall, he dons a blue-striped shirt, a matching tie, and dark trousers. He selects a seat at the head of the table, positioned in front of a glass showcase filled with accolades. This encounter would turn out to be one of his final interviews before an injury would land him in the hospital for several months, coinciding with a time when his media empire was reaching unprecedented levels of influence, poised to mold the thoughts of a new wave of potential Republican voters.

Today, I, a gamer and talk radio host, wrapped up recording an episode of my show, the nationally distributed “Dennis Prager Show.” With over 2 million listeners tuning in daily, it’s an honor to be part of such a wide-reaching audience. Today’s discussion covered two hot topics – the killing of Hassan Nasrallah from Hezbollah and the ethnic studies standard under Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz.

I’ve been part of Salem Media Group since around 2000, joining them after a successful run on KABC in Los Angeles during the 1980s. My show is known for its Christian and conservative viewpoints, and the tagline that follows me – “When Dennis Prager speaks, America listens.

Prager appears to be filled with contrasts. He’s a Jewish individual working at Christian radio, a conservative residing in liberal California, an Easterner living on the West Coast, and a person who manages to remain surprisingly cheerful despite his fiery on-air demeanor. In a typical broadcast, he criticizes subjects such as mainstream media, campus activists, and undoubtedly Democrats. However, when off-air, he’s open to discussing classical music and his collection of fountain pens. “I don’t collect vintage ones,” he notes enthusiastically, “I only buy new ones.” He takes out two from his pocket and places them on the conference table. “This one is crafted in Japan, and this one is made in Germany. Interestingly, countries that were adversaries during World War II produce some of the finest items.

While Prager may be recognized by many for his radio work, younger conservatives or those curious about conservative views might recognize him as a co-founder of PragerU instead. Originally named Prager University, this tax-exempt media company focuses on creating five-minute videos that advocate for “Judeo-Christian values,” as per their fundraising materials. These videos have garnered almost 10 billion views, according to the organization itself. Their popularity can be attributed to well-known video hosts, aggressive marketing strategies, and hiring talent from Hollywood who allegedly are disillusioned with the industry’s progressive ideologies.

As a passionate gamer, I’ve always kept an eye on educational platforms like PragerU. Over the years, it’s drawn criticism from various organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, GLAAD, CAIR, and the Human Rights Campaign. Critics, including researcher Adrienne McCarthy at Kansas State University, claim that the organization’s values could lead young minds towards far-right extremism. Despite these concerns, PragerU has continued to expand, even making its kids content available in more and more red states for public schoolers.

According to PragerU, the content designed for kids promotes patriotism and values that have been overlooked by the left, as they’ve focused excessively on diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and gender identity. The organization also echoes parents’ concerns about the current state of America’s classrooms. As Marissa Streit, PragerU’s CEO, puts it, “There’s a growing desire for what we offer. There is a rising awareness among parents and grandparents that their children are being deprived of quality education.

Critics find the videos produced by PragerU offensive due to their portrayal of various sensitive topics such as slavery, climate change, Black Lives Matter, among others. Beth Lewis from Save Our Schools Arizona contends that collaborating with states lends PragerU a “sheen of accreditation and credibility,” when in reality it’s a “financially backed plan by billionaires, aimed at disseminating harmful misinformation to our students who may lack the means to distinguish fact from fiction.” (It’s worth noting that some of PragerU’s donors are associated with groups tied to the Wilks brothers, notable fracking billionaires.) Lewis specifically points out a video about Christopher Columbus that appears to trivialize slavery. In response to such criticisms, PragerU maintains on its website that it never trivializes slavery and that critics either overlook or falsely claim that PragerU fails to condemn slavery as a terrible aspect of American history in these videos and other content.

With Republicans now holding power in the White House, Congress, and many state legislatures, PragerU is poised to broaden its impact. It aligns well with the current conservative wave that aims to shape education policies through legislation, parental groups, and even the proposed dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education. PragerU remains undeterred. As Streit puts it, “They label us in all sorts of ways, and I find it hard to comprehend.

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The content produced by PragerU often focuses on dire situations such as the perceived threats to Western civilization from events like drag queen story hours and illegal immigration. However, a visit to their headquarters in Los Angeles reveals a more upbeat atmosphere. The CEO, for instance, was seen wearing a pink blazer, white top, and blue jeans. Her office is well-lit and spacious, featuring hardwood floors, plush chairs, a conference table, a large closet, full-length mirror, and a desk with a camera setup nearby. A critic once labeled the CEO as a “white Christian nationalist Barbie,” a characterization that she refuted on Instagram by pointing out her Jewish heritage and her mother’s Moroccan background. Now, she boasts over 100,000 followers, while PragerU has amassed more than 2 million.

PragerU originated from Hollywood, with its concept initially conceived by Allen Estrin, who was both Dennis Prager’s radio producer and a screenwriter teaching at the American Film Institute. The two men were on a cruise in the Indian Ocean around 2009 with listeners of Prager’s show when they were approached by two friends about establishing a Prager University. In a 2019 video, Estrin recounted that they suggested making something similar to Hillsdale College, adding that it should be like what they “do along the lines of Hillsdale.” Hillsdale is a Christian college in Michigan that chooses not to accept federal funding to avoid discrimination regulations.

After carefully analyzing the figures, Estrin determined that the task would require excessive time and energy. However, he was fascinated by the concept of an educational project, so during their cruise, he suggested it to Prager: “Let’s establish something online.” Estrin and Prager quickly began producing short internet videos, a medium that was still in its infancy at the time (YouTube would not be launched until 2005).

Back in 1993, I found myself venturing into the world of video creation for the very first time, partnering up with another individual. Together, we crafted a 29-minute comedy short titled “For Goodness Sake“, a collection of skits centered around morality. The esteemed David Zucker, known for his work on Airplane!, took the director’s chair, while the cast featured familiar faces such as Jason Alexander, Bonnie Hunt, Florence Henderson, Bob Saget, Cindy Williams, and Eugene Levy. This project was initially conceived as a pilot episode for a potential series, but found its home on Los Angeles public television instead. It was also distributed as a corporate and educational training video. In 1996, we invited Trey Parker to direct the sequel, with Matt Stone serving as first assistant director – a move that would prove prophetic, as they were about to debut their iconic series, South Park, the following year.

Despite primarily offering videos, the name “Prager University” persisted. At first, the website displayed video titles similar to a course catalog: Economics, History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Religion. It provided an “enroll” option and a “faculty” section. In some states, an entity must be officially recognized as a university in order to use that title (think about the controversy surrounding Trump University). By 2014, the website included a disclaimer stating it was not an accredited academic institution, although it continued to operate as a nonprofit.

In 2011, Prager and Estrin recruited Streit, whom they had previously met through a Hebrew tutoring family. However, they found that Prager University wasn’t reaching enough viewers. As Estrin stated in a 2021 documentary by The Daily Wire, “We were breaking a fundamental Hollywood rule: You should spend as much on marketing as you do on production.” In response, they updated the website and rebranded in 2015, transforming PragerU into a media company rather than just an educational entity. Videos became more attention-grabbing and controversial, with titles like “Why I Left Greenpeace” and “What They Haven’t Told You About Climate Change.” Additionally, they began hiring younger talent, such as Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative student group Turning Point USA.

The rebranding proved successful. A video from 2015, advocating for the electoral college (which at that time predominantly benefited Republicans), gained widespread popularity, eventually garnering over 66 million views. As a result, certain themes began to surface in PragerU’s content: Law enforcement and capitalism were portrayed positively, while socialism and political correctness were criticized, the impact of climate change was questioned, and gender dysphoria was disputed on biological grounds.

During the 2016 elections, PragerU wasn’t the only right-wing media organization growing, even in Los Angeles where Breitbart News Network (under Steve Bannon’s leadership) and Ben Shapiro’s The Daily Wire were also located. While other platforms focused on the daily talking points of MAGA (like Hillary Clinton’s emails), PragerU chose not to align with Trump, barely speaking about him during his initial term. This was due to legal restrictions as a 501c3 organization, which prohibits political activity. Additionally, Prager himself had labeled Trump as unfit for the presidency in 2011; however, he later wrote in 2016 that choosing Trump over Clinton was necessary “political treatment to prevent our downfall.

In 2020 and 2021, Anthony Curtis, who was then the director of major gifts, expressed the leadership’s viewpoint as, “Let’s focus on avoiding the everyday debates… We need to preserve our reputation and trust.

As a fervent supporter, I’ve noticed that numerous political commentators and Trump supporters have graced the screens of PragerU videos. Among these speakers are Kirk, Shapiro, Candace Owens, and Tucker Carlson. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas even made an appearance, discussing courage. Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy were featured in several videos, just like Pete Hegseth, who is now the Secretary of Defense, and Tulsi Gabbard, currently serving as the Director of National Intelligence. From the world of entertainment, we see a familiar lineup of Hollywood’s conservative voices, including Zucker, Kirk Cameron, Samaire Armstrong, and Kevin Sorbo. Rob Schneider sat down for an interview about the role of comedy in preserving the West. Adam Carolla and Drew Pinsky were also featured in these videos.

As a gamer, I’d say these characters are key to PragerU thriving, according to John Knefel from Media Matters for America, a group that keeps an eye on media leanings. On their own platforms, these personalities might seem more “frothing,” but on PragerU, they tone it down, he notes. What’s being offered there is right-wing propaganda with a facade of neutral ideology, but in reality, it functions as a gateway to dive into other MAGA echo chambers.

Money for these high-profile videos originated from organizations linked to affluent Republican benefactors such as Dan and Farris Wilks, Sheldon Adelson, Lee Roy Mitchell, Bernard Marcus, and Betsy DeVos. PragerU’s latest publicly disclosed tax documents, covering fiscal year 2023, showed over $68 million in income, nearly twice the figure from only three years prior. By 2017, PragerU had surpassed a billion video views. It took just under four additional years to reach 5 billion views, achieving that milestone in 2021.

PragerU decided it was time to expand its audience.

***

Born in Los Angeles, Streit later relocated to Israel during her youth. Following military service with the Israeli Defense Forces, she became the director of operations at the Israeli-American Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting Israeli Americans. Besides teaching and managing a private Jewish K-8 school, she holds a master’s degree in education. Initially working for PragerU from her home kitchen, the organization has since expanded significantly. Now, it employs approximately 150 people across two floors in Los Angeles, featuring spaces for marketing, social media, and six production studios that produce over 40 pieces of new content weekly. American flags, portraits of Abraham Lincoln, Dennis Prager, and the Founding Fathers adorn the LA location, with a smaller office also situated in Florida.

The Los Angeles headquarters allows PragerU to draw talent from the entertainment sector, giving their polished videos a Netflix-like quality instead of the Cato Institute’s traditional style. As Streit explains, “We have the opportunity to hire individuals that Hollywood rejects.” In Hollywood, white males are often advised to stay silent until others who have won the ‘victim bingo’ have spoken first. PragerU appeals to those who prefer not to endure daily workplace hostility in California but can’t afford to leave. However, it’s important to note that PragerU is not just a platform for white men; many people of color also find its environment more appealing than Hollywood’s. Among the diverse team at PragerU are Black hosts like Xaviaer DuRousseau, who was recently highlighted by The New York Times as a rising conservative star, and Amala Ekpunobi, who left the organization in 2023.

Equipped with production skills and initial investment from venture capitalist David Blumberg, who was once featured in Business Insider under the title “He’s gay, believes in God, and voted for Donald Trump,” PragerU Kids made its debut in 2021. Currently, there are approximately a dozen shows catering to three age groups. For kindergarteners through second graders, Otto’s Tales features Jill Simonian reading stories about “American landmarks, celebrations, and community helpers” over an animated backdrop of the story. Unboxed, USA, designed for third- to fifth-graders, educates on state history by challenging students to guess the state based on the contents of a box. For sixth graders and above, How To claims to impart life skills such as financial management. However, critics of PragerU assert that even seemingly neutral content may exhibit a conservative slant. Media Matters has suggested that the financial literacy series “Cash Course” satirizes taking on student debt for attending a “fancy drama school,” which it connects to Republican criticisms of higher education.

Despite PragerU’s ongoing efforts to engage educators, the political landscape has shifted significantly. As per a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, most Republicans perceived K-12 schools as having a detrimental impact on the nation, while the majority of Democrats held the opposite view. By spring 2023, New York magazine tallied up 71 bills targeting schools from Republican legislators in 28 states. According to Adam Laats, a professor of education and history at Binghamton University, this wave of legislation is fueled by a prevailing narrative that American public schools have been infiltrated by a radical leftist ideology. However, Laats points out that this assertion is largely unfounded.

When PragerU began seeking partnerships with state education officials, these officials probably viewed it as a mutually beneficial opportunity. As Laats explains, “It’s an attractive proposition for a forward-thinking superintendent in a conservative region to declare, ‘Behold, we have endorsed this content!’ It may appear substantial, even if the actual impact is unquantifiable and likely minimal.” Initially, the shows were freely accessible on PragerU’s website. However, securing state approval offered PragerU several advantages: teachers would no longer face potential repercussions for incorporating the material into their lessons, and they could more easily access these resources through official educational platforms used for tasks such as lesson planning and grading.

The first region to make a deal was Florida, which has been at the heart of debates over education due to its 2022 “Don’t Say Gay” law and subsequent expansion in May 2023. In a live broadcast in July 2023, PragerU’s Simonian announced, “Drumroll please… PragerU Kids is now an approved part of the curriculum in Florida schools.

After Oklahoma, New Hampshire joined in, allowing students who completed PragerU Kids’ financial literacy course to earn school credit through the state’s program called Learn Everywhere. This expansion was facilitated by New Hampshire’s education commissioner, Frank Edelblut, who acknowledges opposition but emphasizes that learning is valued regardless of its source. “As long as students are learning, it doesn’t matter where they learn from, we just care that they learn,” he stated. Subsequently, Idaho, South Carolina, Louisiana, Arizona, Montana, and Texas also adopted this program. In Oklahoma, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ryan Walters, who previously used PragerU materials as a history teacher, expressed his approval in the state’s announcement. “You’re telling history accurately,” he said, criticizing the left for long controlling the narrative.

The extent of these partnerships can differ significantly. In New Hampshire, they provide credit, whereas Arizona integrates PragerU content on their state education website. As for Texas, it’s not entirely clear-cut. PragerU declared it is now active in Texas and included on the approved vendor list. However, a representative from the Texas Education Agency stated that PragerU has not been officially approved by either the Texas State Board of Education or the Texas Education Agency as an instructional materials provider.

Tom Horne, the Arizona’s former Republican state attorney general and current superintendent, shared with THR that he faced some resistance, even within his own family. He mentioned his youngest daughter is quite liberal and wrote him expressing her disapproval of him sharing Prager videos, saying they promote slavery. In response, Horne sent her about ten of their historical, objective videos devoid of any ideology, and since then, he hasn’t received another complaint from her. Teachers aren’t obligated to use these videos, but Horne suggests that if a teacher finds them beneficial, they should certainly consider incorporating them into their lessons.

***

A progressive high school teacher named Clifford Lee, hailing from conservative South Carolina, discovered the PragerU collaboration through the South Carolina Education Association, where he serves as a board member. Expressing his disapproval, he penned letters to the superintendent and local lawmakers. He considers the material questionable and feels that education should empower students to think independently rather than making decisions for them. “They undermine my credibility, they manipulate the trust I’ve built with my students,” he expresses. Unfortunate was his experience of not receiving a response from either the legislators or the superintendent. As a result, he took the initiative to persuade his colleagues against using these videos. “The situation is too critical to leave it unchecked,” he emphasizes.

It’s not just Lee questioning things; there’s also pushback from other quarters. For instance, Americans United for Church-State Separation initiated an investigation into the partnerships in Florida and Oklahoma. In New Hampshire, Cinde Warmington, a former member of the state executive council who unsuccessfully ran for governor in the 2024 Democratic primary, requested the state attorney general to examine if PragerU violated any laws by using the term “university.” (The AG decided it did not.) In Louisiana, legislators proposed a resolution urging the state to ban videos that are discriminatory and anti-Semitic, specifically mentioning PragerU. However, this proposal was eventually dropped.

Critics claim that instead of presenting objective information, PragerU videos essentially validate predetermined viewpoints to promote a questionable ideology. As Kevin Kruse, a professor of history at Princeton University and director of undergraduate studies, puts it, “It’s essentially propaganda.” According to Kruse, PragerU begins with its conclusions and selectively chooses historical evidence that supports these views, rather than conducting thorough and unbiased research. This approach is not only dishonest but also results in incorrect interpretations and conclusions.

Media Matters analyst Knefel, along with his team, scrutinized every PragerU Kids video in September 2023. The scenes they deemed most questionable were primarily from the educational cartoon series Leo & Layla’s History Adventures, designed for elementary school students, which features characters traveling through time to interact with historical figures. In one of these instances, they flagged a depiction of Booker T. Washington in which he claimed that slavery was prevalent globally, but that America was among the first nations to abolish it. The cartoon also suggested that present generations shouldn’t bear the burden of past sins.

In another questionable video, an animated version of Christopher Columbus claims that the lands he discovered “weren’t pristine centers of civilization” and the Native people were not always peaceful. He further suggests that some tribes were “violent, warlike cannibals,” stating that “being enslaved is preferable to being killed,” and that it is “foolish” to judge him by 21st-century standards, calling it “stupid.

It’s uncertain how much teachers are applying the provided content in their lessons. When a Fox affiliate in Oklahoma City contacted local school districts, most reported they weren’t using it. In New Hampshire, a representative from the education department informed THR that 19 students have finished PragerU’s financial literacy course and received certificates, while 43 were enrolled. However, there are approximately 54,000 high school students in New Hampshire’s public schools.

Streit admits she doesn’t know exactly how many teachers are utilizing the content, and since she values freedom, she prefers not to constantly monitor individuals. She questions whether Scholastic might still be present in the classrooms even if they don’t track every parent or teacher who uses their products.

***

One Tuesday in November, a week following the presidential election and around two weeks since his conversation with THR, Dennis Prager suffered a fall at home which necessitated hospitalization. Medical professionals discovered that he had sustained an injury to his spinal cord, affecting his ability to breathe freely. The Cedars-Sinai intensive care unit then placed him on a ventilator, leaving doubts as to whether he would ever walk again. Coincidentally, at this time, PragerU’s impact seemed more substantial than ever before.

For several months, PragerU has been sharing health updates about Dennis Prager, one of which in February stated that he could talk and eat but couldn’t move from his shoulders down. In a March video, his son David Prager, the organization’s chief development officer, shared a voice recording of Dennis saying, “I plan to return to the radio.” Salem initially announced his return in June, however, it was revealed that his previous time slot had been given to Charlie Kirk, who has gained prominence as a leading figure in the MAGA-world. However, there was a setback. In May, PragerU reported that Dennis had returned home but developed pneumonia and was readmitted to the hospital. “This was a significant setback,” Estrin stated in an update, adding that Dennis was once again on the road to recovery. Salem postponed his return date and has not provided a new one yet.

If Prager returns, he’ll find a setting distinct from the one he departed in November, a setting that might seem more advantageous for his ideals but also busier than ever before. His son cautioned during the March health update that we should not grow complacent. “People believe we’re entering an era of conservative prosperity,” he stated. “If you don’t continue to fight even in the golden ages, it can easily lead us back to a time of darkness.

You can find this story in the May 21 edition of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. If you want to stay updated, consider subscribing. [Click here to subscribe]

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2025-05-23 16:26