Conservative Influencers Tap a Nonprofit to Pay for Their Security

When the online influencer Nick Shirley greeted throngs of fans at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas in March, a burly security guard shadowed him and ensured nobody got too close.

Mr. Shirley, 23, became one of right-wing media’s biggest stars in recent months thanks to his videos claiming to uncover fraud at Minnesota day care centers. He has turned that attention into financial gain: sponsorships, merchandise sales and paid subscriptions.

Yet Mr. Shirley did not pay for the body man at CPAC or the security guards who accompanied him on his subsequent investigations of America’s immigrant communities. Instead, his security was paid for by a new charity founded on the idea that safeguarding conservative social media influencers is a public good.

The nonprofit, called the Blackline Guardian Fund, was created after last fall’s assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The shooting elevated fears of politically motivated violence against other conservative media figures.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/business/media/conservative-influencer-security.html