Chad Prather (born December 9, 1972) is an American

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

political commentator, comedian and Internet personality known for a series of

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

videos in which he comments on life, right-leaning politics and current events. His video "Unapologetically Southern"

went viral Viral phenomena or viral sensation are objects or patterns that are able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them. Analogous to the way in which viruses propagate, the ter ...

in 2015. He currently hosts ''The Chad Prather Show'' on

BlazeTV Blaze Media is an American conservative media company. It was founded in 2018 as a result of a merger between TheBlaze and CRTV LLC. The company's leadership consists of CEO Tyler Cardon and president Gaston Mooney. It is based in Irving, Texa ...

. Prather ran for

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, wh ...

against incumbent

Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 ...

in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary, but was eliminated in the primary on March 1, 2022.

Early life and education

Prather was born in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

. He grew up in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Georg ...

, where he attended Westside High School. Prather graduated from high school in 1991 and then attended the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

. He earned a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's degree from

Columbia International University Columbia International University (CIU) is a private Christian university in Columbia, South Carolina. Divisions CIU has five colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Counseling, the College of Education, the College of Inter ...

Career

In 2013 Prather was approached by fledgling television network Ride TV about potentially hosting a humor, travel show called "It's My Backyard". While working on the show Prather began to use

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social me ...

outlets to promote the program. He is best known for his viral YouTube video "Unapologetically Southern," which was featured on

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ...

and in ''Country Living''. Prather has also appeared in other media outlets including ''Fox and Friends'',

MSN MSN (meaning Microsoft Network) is a web portal and related collection of Internet services and apps for Windows and mobile devices, provided by Microsoft and launched on August 24, 1995, alongside the release of Windows 95. The Microsoft Net ...

, CNN and '' Nash Country Weekly''. Prather has been referred to as an armchair philosopher. He often wears a

cowboy hat The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the western and southern United ...

and speaks to the camera from the cab of his

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

. In 2016, Chad Prather and

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

comedian Cowboy Bill Martin teamed up to begin the Kings of Cowtown World Comedy Tour. In 2017, working with Steve McGrew, Prather released the satirical song "I've Got Friends in Safe Spaces", based on

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

' hit " Friends in Low Places", about progressive

college A college ( Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

students immuring themselves in

safe space The term safe space refers to places "intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations". The term originated in LGBT culture, but has since expanded to include any place where a marg ...

s. Prather also hosts "The Chad Prather Show" on

Political career

In 2020, Prather announced his candidacy for the

2022 Texas gubernatorial election The 2022 Texas gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott defeated the Democratic nominee and former U.S. Representative Beto O'Rourke to win reelection ...

in reaction to incumbent Governor

's policy of mandating face coverings throughout his state amid the

COVID-19 pandemic in Texas The COVID-19 pandemic in Texas is a part of the ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The state of Texas confirmed its ...

. Prather included "pro-life", "pro-gun", and promised to "defend First Amendment speech rights against those in academia, big tech media organizations and politics who seek to silence conservatives" on his weekly podcast on Blaze Radio Network. Prather has stated that he believes the issue of Texas secession from the United States should be put on the ballot for voters to decide.

References

External links

Chad Prather
Official Website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prather, Chad Living people People from Ramsey, New Jersey Male actors from Augusta, Georgia American male stage actors American television hosts American podcasters 1972 births Blaze Media people YouTube channels launched in 2018 News YouTubers Commentary YouTubers American male comedians Comedians from New Jersey Comedians from Georgia (U.S. state) 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors YouTube podcasters