The “Independent” Influencer Chorus Sings for Dark Money

The Only Thing Independent Is the Bank Account

Bryan Tyler Cohen on the left. David Pakman on the right.

See my update on this topic HERE

The “Independent” Influencer Chorus Sings for Dark Money 🎤💸

I really didn’t want to write this. As a fellow independent creator, calling out other influencers feels like airing out the family laundry on the front lawn. I’ve watched guys like Brian Tyler Cohen and David Pakman hustle on YouTube, claiming independence, and I bit my tongue. We’re on the same team, right? But at a certain point, silence equals complicity. If I don’t speak up now about the secret DNC aligned dark money these folks have been pocketing, then I’m part of the cover-up. And I refuse to be complicit in this clown show.

When “Independent” Voices Join the Chorus of Cash

By now you might’ve heard: a whole roster of prominent Democratic influencers have been outed for taking up to $8,000 a month from a secretive program called Chorus, funded by a big liberal dark money group . The link to the referenced Wired article is HERE.

The deal was simple: sing the party line, cash the checks, and keep your mouth shut about it. In fact, the contract explicitly says they “are not allowed to disclose” their relationship with Chorus or that they’re being paid at all . Independent my goddamn ass ….more like hired hype men working backstage.

What’s in the fine print? According to the WIRED exposé, these influencers signed contracts with strings attached:

• Keep It Secret: Don’t tell anyone you’re in the program or getting paid (or you’re kicked to the curb) .

• Message Control: All interviews with politicians have to be routed through Chorus HQ for approval . Got a Zoom call with a senator? Better get Chorus on the line too.

• Stay On Script: Don’t use the funds to support or criticize any candidate unless Chorus gives you written permission first . Translation: we pay, you say what we like.

• No Disclosure, No Dissent: You can’t even announce you’re part of Chorus without approval, nor identify the funders, and Chorus can force you to delete or “correct” your content if it displeases them .

Does that sound like independent content creation to you? Hell no. That’s a partnership with puppet strings attached, a sneaky PR operation under the guise of a “scholarship.” (Brian Tyler Cohen actually called Chorus “a scholarship program to teach creators how to grow their accounts” – yeah, and KFC is a health food store .) The whole thing reads like the Democratic Party saw its loyal online voices drifting off-key and decided to buy themselves a choir. Even worse, one of the co-founders of Chorus is Brian Tyler Cohen himself, Mr. “Totally Independent” YouTuber, who reportedly leads the daily messaging check-ins for the cohort . That’s right: Brian isn’t just in the Chorus – he’s conducting it. 🎶

Copy-Paste Damage Control (Everyone Got the Memo)

When Taylor Lorenz at WIRED blew the lid off this scheme, you’d expect these influencers to either fess up or at least come up with their own defenses. Nope. Instead, they all burst out with the same rehearsed tune like a bad boy band comeback. I’m not kidding. There were multiple influencers who put out nearly identical statements as if reading off a script.

One example: “After a recent Wired hit piece now fully debunked false claims started circulating, and sadly some people chose to unsubscribe… This outcome is exactly what the author was hoping for… If you want to support what I do, consider subscribing.” . Another posted almost word-for-word: “Because of a recent Wired hit piece that has now been debunked… misinformation spread like wildfire… people decided to unsubscribe from my Substack… Please consider subscribing to support my work today.” . Same template, same BS with the Chorus in perfect harmony.

Let’s translate that damage control: “Don’t believe the exposé, folks it’s all a debunked hit piece! We didn’t do nothing wrong. We’re the victims here (also, please send money).” The sheer audacity to cry misinformation while proven receipts of their contracts are right there in black and white is mind-blowing. They’re hoping you don’t actually read the article and just trust them blindly. And oh, the irony in claiming it’s “debunked” without actually debunking a single fact. Not one of these guys has refuted the actual evidence that they took secret money with strings attached. Instead, they changed the subject and played victim: “Woe is me, I lost a few subscribers because of this smear!” 🥺👉👈

It gets better (or worse). Brian Tyler Cohen even tried a classic whataboutism: he blasted the journalist, saying she’s criticizing an entity funded by someone she’s also taking money from . Bold move, Brian. Attacking the messenger is so much easier than addressing the message, huh? (Spoiler: the reporter isn’t the one pretending to be independent while co-running a dark money influencer scheme – that’s you, bruh.) David Pakman, for his part, went on camera insisting “I’m still critical of Democrats sometimes, so clearly this program isn’t affecting me!” He literally pointed to a recent instance where he chastised the DNC as “proof” he’s not a mindless shill. Newsflash: occasionally biting the hand that feeds you doesn’t mean you’re not being fed. That’s like a supposedly unbiased referee saying, “I called one foul on the home team last game – see, I’m fair!” 🙄 It’s a distraction, not a defense.

The Damage Control Playbook (As If They’re Fooling Anyone)

To sum up, here’s the 5-step PR script these “independent” influencers seem to be following:

1. Call It a Hit Piece: Dismiss the investigative article outright. Bonus points if you say it’s “fully debunked” without offering any actual debunking .

2. Proclaim Victimhood: Lament that “people unsubscribed because of lies”. (Maybe take a page from Brian’s book and attack the reporter, too – why not?)

3. Deny, Deflect, Distract: Insist that you’re still totally independent. Point to the one time you mildly criticized a Democrat as evidence of your integrity. Ignore the whole secret money aspect entirely.

4. Rally the Base: Frame this as an attack on progressive voices. (“The right-wing or MSM just wants to tear us down!” 🤷)

5. Ask for More Money: This part is my favorite. After being caught taking dark money in secret, turn around and beg your audience for light money out in the open … “please subscribe to support my work” . You can’t script hypocrisy better than this!

They executed this playbook almost in unison. If you listened closely, you could practically hear a Chorus group chat notification ping: “Guys, here’s our response template, fill in your details and hit send.” It’s as if the messaging controls in their contract came with a free PR crisis manual. Independent thinkers? Please. This was synchronized spin at its finest.

The Real Joke: Posing as Honest Brokers While Deceiving Fans

At the heart of this is one big, dirty joke: these influencers built their brands on trust – “we’re just like you, fighting the good fight, beholden to no one”. Meanwhile, they were secretly on the DNC’s payroll the whole time . They didn’t disclose it because they legally weren’t allowed to . (Gee, wonder why Chorus wanted to keep it hush-hush? Could it be because audiences might feel just a tad betrayed finding out their fave “independent” pundit is a paid mouthpiece?) The issue isn’t that these folks suddenly changed all their opinions ….no… it’s that they lied by omission every single day they took that money and pretended to be unbiased. They know it’s unethical; even the ethics experts in the article spelled it out: if someone pays you to push messages and you hide it, you’re in the wrong . Period.

And let’s be clear: I’m not mad that progressive causes are getting funding or that influencers are getting paid. Creators deserve support, and Lord knows the left needs better media infrastructure. But do it honestly! If Brian, David, or any of them had said up front, “Hey, this group Chorus is sponsoring some of my content to help amplify progressive messages,” we’d be having a different conversation. Instead, they opted for secret contracts and fake transparency, all while loudly claiming the moral high ground. It’s the deception that’s the betrayal. They took their audiences’ goodwill and sold it for a bag of cash, then lied about it by omission. That’s not just unethical that’s comedy gold in the most cringe-inducing way.

Let me make you a promise right now. If I ever take a dime from anyone besides you, my subscribers, you’ll hear it from me first. No hiding it in some NDA, no “oops, I forgot to mention the $8,000 stipend.” I’d rather take the heat up front and lose a few subs than get caught later looking like some jackass trying to mansplain away shenanigans.

Hell, I lose some subscribers abruptly every single time I put out a post anyway. That’s just part of the ride. Fortunately, the growth has been enough to paper it over. But if the choice is between short-term pain and long-term dishonor? I’ll take the pain. Because once you torch trust, you can’t buy it back with all the dark money in the world.

So yeah, you’ll never have to squint at my content wondering, “Who’s really paying for this take?” If it ain’t you, you’ll know. That’s the deal.

Now, at this point, these guys have lost a ton of credibility, and they have only themselves to blame. The punchline to this whole saga is that they actually thought they could get away with it and that nobody would ever find out about their secret benefactors or content restrictions. Well, the truth is out, and their coordinated denial just adds insult to injury.

Let me put it this way: You can act independent, you can talk independent, but if you’re getting paid hush money to be “independent”? Man, you ain’t independent, you’re on an invisible leash. And the crazy part is, they still have the nerve to look into the camera like we’re idiots and say everything’s cool. Nah, everything ain’t cool.

So Brian, David, and the rest of the Chorus: the jig is up. Your voices might not have changed, but the secret backing vocals sure did. You preached transparency and truth to your viewers while signing contracts to do the opposite. That’s a grift wrapped in hypocrisy inside a big ol’ lie. And the audience? We see it now. We hear the false notes in your chorus loud and clear.

In comedy, they say timing is everything. Well, it’s about time someone called out this nonsense. Consider it done. The show’s over, folks – tip your waitresses on the way out. 🎙️😂

Now look, if I ever start cashing PAC checks, you can unsubscribe, block me, and egg me in the face. But until then, the only people paying me are you so if you want this voice to stay broke but honest, toss in a few bucks.

Cuz trust me, $8,000 a month ain’t knocking on my door.