There will be a lot of analysis of the 2026 midterms. And while this newsletter is not about politics, I do think it’s relevant to ask the question in the title. After all, Vanity Fair has gone so far as to proclaim that “this is how the manosphere ends.”
I’m not so sure.
What’s more, I don’t equate the manosphere with one political party or ideology.
What I do think is worth exploring are three things: 1) that we saw a big change in the presence of the manosphere in this election cycle, 2) we saw a change in how young men participated in the election (and my take on that below may surprise you), and 3) why I think we should keep tabs on what happens in the manosphere going forward.
First, look at how much lower of a profile the manosphere played in this cycle than two years ago. In 2024 the president made the rounds of all the major podcasters and YouTubers in the manosphere. Many celebrated at election night parties, and the pundit class talked about how little daylight there was between the president and his male electorate.
But this year, to my second point, there was enough daylight to get a sunburn. The Washington Post reports that younger voters picked Democrats in House races by more than 30 points, and 66 percent of voters under 30 went Democratic. The New York Times estimated that young men, specifically, went Democratic by 24 points, a 38-point swing from two years ago.
And unlike 2024, Forbes reports that Trump didn’t appear on a single manosphere podcast ahead of the midterms. A Wall Street Journal analysis found that mentions of Trump on conservative podcasts have dropped 70 percent since 2024. These guys aren’t joined at the hip to anyone anymore. Not to Trump, and not to a party.
One of them explained why in this NBC news story: “When you don’t live up to your promises, bro, it creates a problem, and that’s what made me not be a supporter,” said Adin Ross, a racist streamer who openly supports his mentor Andrew Tate, the former pro kickboxer and social media influencer who currently sits in a Miami cell fighting extradition to the U.K. where he’s accused of 59 counts of rape, human trafficking, sexual assault, and offenses involving multiple victims. Ross is a man who helped sell the president to other young men, now he’s telling his audience he feels let down.
But you know, I don’t think that’s a partisan story. I think it’s a pretty common feeling, actually. Sure, there are a lot of analysts reading the tea leaves for this particular midterm. But one historian looked back on 200 years of evidence and found this sentiment true for politicians of all stripes.
I mean, when haven’t voters felt betrayed by politicians who fail to live up to their promises?
It’s an uncomfortable truth for the Democrats who will control Congress come January. If the Democratic party doesn’t deliver, the same voters will leave it too.
Which brings me to my third point. What’s next is to see what’s next. Yes, that’s a bit simplistic, and I’m not ready to agree with Axios, which reported that the manosphere’s biggest stars are “losing their shine.” Researchers at NYU found that podcasts explained only a small part of the 2024 gender gap. And nearly two-thirds of Gen Z adults still say they get news from creators. (Gawd, I hate that word, but I digress.)
So no, the manosphere didn’t die on Tuesday.
I never thought the manosphere was a “movement.” To me it’s a business. It’s men using platforms in toxic ways to make money. My concern has been how many other men buy into it and the impact that has on us as men, and on our families and society at large. If they’re losing their grip, I’m glad. That has little to do with partisan politics.
But I will be watching. The manosphere’s “stars” can look at what the marketplace of ideas and decide what they want to sell. Will it be good for us all or not? Time will tell.