Leftist YouTubers
The list of left leaning YouTubers is expanding with progressive journalists, comedians, pundits and writers crossing over to video. Like podcasters, some YouTubers come and go, but these progressive voices offer consistent commentary, interviews and insights.
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Bad Faith with Briahna Joy Gray
YouTube and Podcast show featuring Briahna Joy Gray, an American political commentator, lawyer, and political consultant who served as the National Press Secretary for the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign. Gray is a contributing editor for Current Affairs, and was a senior politics editor for The Intercept.
Belle of the Ranch
Discussions from a southern point of view for people who are tired of a lack of common sense.
Ben Burgis
Burgis is a philosophy professor, a columnist for Jacobin magazine, and the author of a few books—starting with one with the same name as the podcast. He’s debated right-wingers ranging from Charlie Kirk to Walter Block, appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience, and been called a “glib c*nt” by Gavin McInnes. Past GTAA guests have included Slavoj Žižek, Ana Kasparian, Richard Wolff, Glenn Greenwald, Sam Seder, Emma Vigeland, Jesse Singal, Norman Finkelstein, Thaddeus Russell, Bhaskar Sunkara, Nathan Robinson, David Pizarro, Tamler Sommers, Matt Christman, Amber Frost, and Touré Reed.
Benjamin Dixon
News and commentary from a progressive perspective. Cautiously idealistic yet reasonably pragmatic: as hopeful for the future as he may be, Benjamin Dixon isn’t afraid to tackle the issues of today.
The Bitchuation Room with Francesca Fiorentini
A weekly progressive speakeasy featuring new comedians, organizers and experts hosted by Francesca Fiorentini.
Brian Tyler Cohen
Brian Tyler Cohen is one of the most viewed independent progressive political hosts on YouTube. Cohen publishes daily breaking news clips followed by in-depth commentary and features interviews with top political figures (including President Biden, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, AOC, Elizabeth Warren, Jamie Raskin, Pete Buttigieg, Jen Psaki, Rachel Maddow, Nancy Pelosi, and many more); weekly video podcasts for a deep-dive into the week’s most important stories; legal analysis on “The Legal Breakdown” with Glenn Kirschner and voting rights news on “Democracy Watch” with Marc Elias; and live-streams of major events, from debates to election results. Cohen is not truly a progressive, but a left leaning Democrat with a substantial platform.
Brittany Page
Brittany Page brings her passion for learning and teaching to YouTube with new videos released weekly. These videos highlight her favorite topics in psychology, activism, public policy, and politics! A self-proclaimed lifelong learner, Brittany seeks to reinforce the importance of changing one’s mind when the evidence changes or when our understanding of the evidence changes.
Current Affairs with Nathan Robinson
Official video content from Current Affairs magazine, hosted by co-founder and editor, Nathan J. Robinson. In addition to Current Affairs magazine, podcast and YouTube Channel, Robinson is the author of many books, the latest of which was co-authored by Noam Chomsky.
David Pakman
The David Pakman Show (TDPS) started as a radio show called Midweek Politics in the basement of community radio station WXOJ’s studio in Northampton, Massachusetts. Today, it is one of the most watched independent progressive podcasts and online shows. The program’s first iteration launched in August 2005. TDPS is one of the most viewed progressive political channels on YouTube, and is hosted by David Pakman. David, originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, holds an MBA from Bentley University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Communication from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Destiny
Here you will find intellectual talks, pseudo-intellectual talks, debates, discussions, live stream highlights, and more. Destiny has described himself as a “social democrat” and a “neoliberal”. He believes capitalism is a working system but requires a regulatory framework to excel. His social views are generally progressive, though not to the same extent as most BreadTubers. He dislikes conservativism, socialism and a number of other ideologies, viewing them all to be harmful.
Empire Files with Abby Martin
An independent documentary & interview series hosted by Abby Martin—reporting on war & inequality from the heart of Empire.
F.D. Signifier
A powerful emerging voice in the Black leftist community who releases video essays on Black movies and media and Black culture.
Gary’s Economics with Gary Stevenson
Max here. Gary Stevenson is one of my personal favorites. I’m not sure he would consider himself a “leftist” per se, but he’s one of the leading international voices on the subject of inequality. He’s an unlikely source because he made a fortune as a trader and comes from a hardscrabble part of London. But that’s what makes him beautiful. This trader turned author and economist is gaining a huge following by shutting down elites because he knows how they think and how they operate. As his bio says, “Inequality Economist. Former Trader. Other Economists make predictions, but my ones are actually right.”
Hasan Piker
The YouTube home of popular Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, known online as HasanAbi, is a Turkish-American political streamer and YouTuber. While he frequently does reaction videos and other miscellaneous content, he’s also well-known for his political advocacy of socialism. Piker’s uncle is Cenk Uygur, founder of The Young Turks (TYT) network.
The Humanist Report with Mike Figueredo
This channel disseminates sociopolitical and religious news stories that are supplemented with progressive commentary.
Laura Flanders & Friends
The award-winning weekly half hour news and public-affairs program with a focus on the future. Formerly known as The Laura Flanders Show.
Leeja Miller
Leeja Miller is a lawyer. She thinks you deserve to understand the law and how it’s affecting the world around you. Lawyers love to gatekeep this shit in their ivory towers. That’s not what she’s about. Join her every Monday and Wednesday afternoon on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts for Why, America? The show where she digs into the stories behind the headlines for a no BS look at what’s actually going on in American politics.
Left Reckoning
The Michael Brooks Show crew Matt Lech & David Griscom work to cover & build a strong, popular, working-class rooted, no BS Socialist Left. With a special focus on the international struggle and Texas, the South, & the West.
The Majority Report with Sam Seder
Seder is a former actor and longtime progressive commentator who was affiliated with Air America and MSNBC before launching TMR, which airs daily and features co-host Emma Vigeland, formerly of TYT.
Marc Lamont Hill
A full library of MLH speeches, commentaries, interviews, and lectures. This channel also provides the latest news updates, political analysis, cultural commentary, and more.
MeidasTouch Network
MeidasTouch Network (MTN) was founded by three brothers Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas. MTN is a pro-democracy news network. MTN has quickly established itself as one of the most viewed and visited news networks in the world. MeidasTouch is independently owned and operated. Make sure to check out Max’s videos on the MeidasTouch channel.
Muckrake Podcast
The Muckrake Podcast is the political podcast that promises to dig deeper. Political analysts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman tackle the news of the day but go beyond the stale and tired narratives to provide historical context and alternative perspectives, all to bring a little order to chaotic times.
Olurinatti
Olayemi Olurin is a movement lawyer, political commentator, writer, and abolitionist thinker. Olurin is Bahamian Nigerian, and was born and raised in Nassau, The Bahamas, where she lived until she moved to America in 2008. She received her JD from St. John’s University School of Law and her BA from Ohio University where she studied Political Science, African American Studies; and Law, Justice & Culture. She releases essays monthly on olurinatti, where she critically analyzes different issues of our time. She Hosts Olurinatti The Show, where she releases full-length documentary style videos exploring issues seriously, as well as her Iconic Interview Series, and her podcast Olay & Friends, which is also available on Spotify.
Owen Jones
A platform to discuss issues and causes that are otherwise ignored, to debate and discuss alternatives to the way the world is run, to challenge the powerful, and to try and have a laugh, too.
Politics Girl
Leigh McGowan launched PoliticsGirl as a way to help people reconnect with politics. She started the YouTube channel in 2015 as a way to inform and inspire because she said, “when you understand you care, and when you care you vote”. After watching the fallout from the Trump years, Leigh relaunched the project on TikTok in September of 2020 doing rants in her kitchen as a way to engage the younger generation whose participation, she believed, was essential to the future of the country. Leigh is now on TikTok, Twitter (X), Threads, and Instagram as @IAmPoliticsGirl and PoliticsGirl on YouTube & Facebook. With almost 2 million followers, her rants now have hundreds of millions of views and she’s supported by everyone from leading politicians and celebrities, to a deep cross-section of the American public.
Pondering Politics
An American politics geek who wants more progressive policy, more ruthless Democrats, more defeated Republicans.
The Rational National
Independent political commentary, media criticism, news and culture, with an occasional comedic tinge; hosted by David Doel. Fights for human rights, workers’ rights, and equality. David comes from a background working in broadcast news, ran for political office as a Canadian Green Party candidate, and hosted an AM Radio show in downtown Toronto. Through ‘The Rational National’ he breaks down the latest political news, exposes media misinformation from all sides, and works to push society forward in a way that centres human rights and equality.
Second Thought
Second Thought is a channel devoted to education and analysis of current events from a socialist perspective.
Secular Talk with Kyle Kulinsky
News & politics commentary from the populist left perspective.
The Serf Times
“In a media landscape blemished by blemish we seek to provide news for the alienated masses.”
Some More News
Comedian Cody Johnston hosts this always fair, always well-researched, but most importantly, always entertaining take on the topical news of the week. Some More News dives into the world’s weekly events with a mix of wit, dread, hope and compassion.
Status Coup News
Status Coup News is an independent news network that reports on the ground across the country—what they call the United Corporations of America—on the important stories the corporate media exists to cover up. Funded by working people, rather than billionaires, they expose and cover corruption, worker exploitation and workers fighting back, protest movements, environmental injustice, and the progressive movement. Their mission is simple: to give the microphone back to the people. Led by veteran independent journalist Jordan Chariton, Status Coup shows up in the trenches to put a spotlight on the stories mainstream media ignored and abandoned long ago.
Stephanie Miller: Political Voices Network
Get Stephanie Miller’s take on the day’s news, events, and other noteworthy topics. Funny, quirky, honest.
Straight White American Jesus
An in-depth examination of the culture and politics of Christian Nationalism and the Religious Right by two ex-evangelical ministers-turned-religion professors. Their work is analytical, unflinching, and accessible. Three times per week they break down the most important topics, events, and histories at the intersection of religion and politics through a research-based approach. If you have ever wondered what social and historical forces formed the Religious Right, led white Christians to usher Donald Trump into the White House, how and why J6 was fueled by religious fervor, and what comes next for a nation threatened by Christian nationalism, this podcast is for you. As former insiders and critical scholars of religion, Dan Miller and Bradley Onishi have a unique perspective on American politics and religion.
Thom Hartmann
Thom Hartmann has been the nation’s #1 progressive talk show host for over a decade. His program is live daily from noon-3 PM ET on commercial radio stations all across the United States, on nonprofit stations via the Pacifica Network, and on channel 127 of the SiriusXM Satellite radio network. The program is also simulcast as TV via the Free Speech TV Network, carried on DISH and DirectTV satellite networks, Hulu, AppleTV, Sling, cable systems nationwide, on the internet at freespeech.org and everywhere else you can find FSTV. It’s also live on YouTube and Facebook.
The Vanguard
Leftist and liberals beware. You do NOT want to be on the wrong side of Zac and Gavin. The self-proclaimed conscience of the left, Zac and Gavin have carved an important niche as the chief bullshit callers of the online left.
Zeteo
Founded by Mehdi Hasan, Zeteo has a strong bias for the truth and an unwavering belief in the media’s responsibility to the public. Unfiltered news, bold opinions.
Zoe Baker
Baker is a trans woman (she/her), who talks about the theory and history of anarchism, feminism and marxism. Author of Means and Ends: The Revolutionary Practice of Anarchism in Europe and the United States. PhD on the history of anarchism.