Michael William Lebron (born August 26, 1958), better known as Lionel, is an American syndicated radio, television and YouTube legal and media analyst. He is known as a leading promoter of the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory.[3][4]
Lionel
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Lionel in 2018
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Born | Michael William Lebron (1958-08-26) August 26, 1958 (age 65)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
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Education | University of South Florida (BA) Stetson University (JD) |
Occupation(s) | YouTube political and social commentary [1] |
Spouse | Lynn Shaw[2] |
Awards | 2015 New York Emmy Award for Writer: Commentary/Editorial |
Website | lionelmedia.com |
Lebron was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, where he attended Jesuit High School.[5] Lebron graduated from the University of South Florida and Stetson University College of Law. After graduating from law school, Lebron worked with the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office.[6]
Lebron hosted the CourtTV law show Snap Judgment in the late 1990s. Lionel then began appearing on WABC radio in New York. He first appeared as a caller to WFLAinTampa, Florida, drawing attention to himself by avoiding the given topic of discussion.[citation needed] He was eventually given his own time slot on WFLA before moving to New York City.
Beginning in May 2007, Lebron replaced The Majority Report with Sam SederonAir America Radio with a daily three-hour talk show. Seder claimed that Lebron's unpopularity with Air America's listeners led to the loss of most of Seder's audience within a year of assuming the timeslot, as well as the loss of two-thirds of the live affiliates and live streaming.[7][better source needed]
Talkers Magazine included Lebron in its 2010 "Heaviest Hundred" list at number 54[8] and in its 2013 "Frontier Fifty" list at number 37.[9] In 2015, he won a New York Emmy Award for commentary and editorial writing.[10][non-primary source needed]
Lebron also appeared in an episode of House of Cards.[11]
He has appeared on the Russian RT network as a legal and political analyst.[12]
Since his show on Air America ended, Lebron's politics have gravitated to the right and established himself as a right-leaning pundit for Alex Jones' InfoWars network, and also on his youtube channel Lionel Nation, where he has used his show to discuss the current zeitgeist in American politics.