Robby Starbuck

Robby Starbuck (born Robert Starbuck Newsom, February 27, 1989 ) is an American conservative social media activist and former music video director, and documentary filmmaker. As a music video director, he worked with artists including Akon, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Yellowcard. He is a critic of corporate policies that support diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Early life

Robby was raised by his mother and grandparents, who had fled Cuba in the 1960s.

Career Starbuck directed music videos and commercials in California before moving to Williamson County, Tennessee in 2019. He then began investing in real estate and the stock market. In 2021, Starbuck declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination to represent Tennessee's 5th congressional district. The Tennessee Republican Party removed him from the 2022 primary ballot, a decision upheld by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Megan Fox responded to Starbuck's post by saying "I really don't want to give you this attention because clearly you're a clout chaser ... But let me teach you something ... never use children as leverage or social currency. Especially under malevolent and erroneous pretense. Exploiting my child's gender identity to gain attention in your political campaign has put you on the wrong side of the universe."

The War on Children Starbuck's documentary The War on Children, which streamed on X (formerly Twitter) in February 2024, opposes gender-affirming care. The film promotes the conspiracy theory that toxic chemicals are responsible for causing children to identify as LGBTQ+. News outlets described the film as "anti-trans" and "anti-LGBTQ+".

Elon Musk promoted the trailer, which then received over 30 million views. A group planned to screen the film at a movie theater in Vernon, British Columbia, but another local group lobbied the theater to cancel the screening due to concerns about the film harming marginalized people and potentially violating the Human Rights Code of British Columbia. In Ottawa County, Michigan, a commissioner promoted the film during a public meeting, which may have been against county policy.

Anti-DEI activism In June 2024, Starbuck began campaigning on social media against companies unpopular with conservatives because of their DEI initiatives, support for LGBTQ+ events, climate change strategies, and related corporate policies. Starbuck focused on brands that implemented these programs in recent years and which he saw as less likely to resist pressure. In September 2024, Molson Coors and Caterpillar Inc. did the same. In October 2024, Toyota followed suit. In November 2024, Boeing Co. and Walmart rolled back their DEI initiatives after being targeted by Starbuck. The New York Times commented that "Robby Starbuck may have scored his biggest win" to date with his successful pressure campaign against Walmart. In December 2024, Nissan scaled back its DEI policies following a pressure campaign by Starbuck. In January 2025, McDonald's and Target rolled back some of their DEI policies after being targeted by Starbuck.

A CNN review showed that most of the companies that altered their policies against Starbuck's pressure were making "performative tweaks". Ford retained several of its DEI policies while the changes at John Deere were not as sweeping as Starbuck stated. The lawsuit regarded, among other things, an allegation that an AI chatbot created by Meta had claimed Starbuck participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. In August 2025, as part of a settlement, Meta hired Starbuck as an advisor to address "ideological and political bias" within the company's AI chatbot.

In October 2025, Starbuck sued Google, asserting that its AI tool defamed him by inaccurately connecting him to sexual assault allegations and a white nationalist.

Personal life He is married to Landon Starbuck, a musician who performed under the name of Matriarch.

Filmography

DVD music 2010 – Silverstein – Decade (Live at the El Mocambo)

Music videos 2008 – A Skylit Drive – This Isn't the End 2009 – And Then There Were None – Reinventing Robert Cohn 2009 – Asking Alexandria – Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel) 2010 – Asking Alexandria – A Prophecy 2010 – August Burns Red – Mariana's Trench 2010 – Blood on the Dance Floor – Believe 2010 – Fight Fair – Pop Rocks 2010 – Pierce the Veil – Caraphernelia 2010 – Seasons After – Cry Little Sister 2010 – The Dangerous Summer – Where I Want to Be 2011 – Pop Evil – Monster You Made 2011 – The Smashing Pumpkins – Owata 2012 – Blessed by a Broken Heart – Rockin' All Night 2012 – Jeffree Star – Prom Night! 2012 – Yellowcard – Always Summer 2013 – Akon – One in the Chamber 2013 – Eve feat. Gabe Saporta – Make It Out This Town

Documentaries 2024 – The War on Children