Lauren Chen

Lauren Chen (born 1994, as Lauren Yu Sum Tam) is a Hong-Kong-Canadian conservative political commentator and former YouTube personality. She has worked with BlazeTV, Turning Point USA, and has contributed opinion pieces to RT. Chen attended the University of Southern California and Brigham Young University, where she studied political science and screenwriting.

Throughout her rise in the conservative media sphere, Chen's platform facilitated connections with both mainstream conservative figures and more controversial individuals. In 2017, she interviewed Richard Spencer, a white supremacist and prominent figure in the alt-right movement, though she publicly distanced herself from his white nationalist views. By positioning herself as a more moderate voice while engaging with controversial figures, she became a bridge between mainstream conservatism and the far-right online ecosystem.

In late 2018, Chen started writing for Evie Magazine, an antifeminist women's magazine. She wrote pieces deriding hookup culture and careerism in women. In a 2020 column, she argued that calling COVID-19 "the Chinese virus" was not racist and criticized Chinese state media's "propaganda" about COVID-19. She contributed to Turning Point USA, an American conservative nonprofit organization.

In 2021, she began contributing op-eds to RT, a Russian state media outlet, publishing articles with headlines such as "America’s 'white supremacy' is a myth" and "If you’re American and oppose war with Russia, expect to be smeared as unpatriotic." According to a federal indictment, Chen, identified as "Founder-1," was allegedly compensated by RT to create and publish over two hundred videos on her personal YouTube channel without disclosing the source of funding.

Tenet Media and alleged Russian connections

On 19 January 2022, In January 2023, Chen allegedly received a contract from RT to recruit other commentators for Tenet Media as part of the former's efforts to influence U.S. public opinion. Chen recruited conservative or conservative-adjacent commentators Matt Christiansen, Tayler Hansen, Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, Dave Rubin, and Lauren Southern to be a part of the Tenet Media network. The indictment, filed in the Southern District of New York, alleged that Russian state-controlled media company RT funneled nearly to Tenet Media to create and distribute content favorable to Russian interests, aimed at amplifying U.S. domestic divisions. The indictment specifically named Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, employees of RT, as the main operatives behind the funding.

The Justice Department said that Tenet Media, referred to as "US Company 1" in the indictment, produced numerous videos that supported Russia's geopolitical aims and received significant views on platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok. These activities were part of broader Russian efforts to influence U.S. public opinion ahead of the 2024 elections. It alleges the Tenet founders masked their Russian funding by creating a fictitious persona of a wealthy European sponsor, "Eduard Grigoriann." The charged Russian nationals, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, were involved in day-to-day operations of Tenet by fall 2023, using false names to conceal they were Russian RT employees. The indictment alleges the founders acknowledged in private communications that their "investors" were actually the "Russians." Prosecutors also allege the was a Russian money laundering operation.

After being summoned, Chen appeared with counsel during the hearing on 5 November 2024, and refused to answer any questions, citing the US criminal investigation. This prompted the committee, comprising MPs from all parties, to unanimously vote to send the matter to the House of Commons as a potential contempt of parliament case.

Response and public statements Following the indictment's public release, Tenet Media and the involved commentators, including Chen, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In response to the indictment, BlazeTV officially fired her. Her Turning Point USA profile was also removed. Her channels, as well as that of Tenet Media, were taken down by YouTube. Tenet Media has since been shuttered.

In September 2025, Chen denied the allegations in a post on Twitter.