Multiple right-wing figures known for spreading misinformation and extremism have already collectively earned tens of thousands of dollars in ad revenue under the platform’s new ad revenue sharing program. Multiple of those figures were previously banned from the platform and reinstated under current owner Elon Musk.

In February, Musk announced that Twitter was launching a creator revenue sharing program, paying creators a share “for ads that appear in their reply threads.” The first payments to creators seemingly started on July 13, with Musk confirming that “revenue payout to content creators will be cumulative from when I first promised to do so in February.”

The launch of the program comes as the platform has tried to entice advertisers to return, after Twitter’s ad revenue plunged under Elon Musk’s ownership. But under this new monetization program, major companies advertising on Twitter are now funding right-wing misinformers and extremists. 

According to advertising data from Sensor Tower, Twitter’s top 5 advertisers in June — Mondelez International, The Wall Street Journal, HBO, Apple, and FinanceBuzz.io (Buzzery, LLC) — spent nearly $17 million on Twitter ads. Media Matters has previously reported that ads from some of these companies have appeared on a white nationalist account and next to tweets from previously banned accounts, including right-wing extremists, COVID-19 misinformers, anti-vaccine figures, and election deniers.

A Media Matters review of the ad revenue sharing currently being disclosed found that multiple right-wing figures known for being misinformers and spreaders of extremism are benefitting. Already, those figures’ earnings have totaled to over $80,000 — meaning advertisers are funding their misinformation, baseless conspiracy theories, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, and other harmful content.

Those figures are:

• Turning Point USA contributor Benny Johnson, who tweeted he earned more than $9,500 in revenue.

• Ashley St. Clair, a right-wing commentator that Turning Point USA cut ties with in 2019 after she was photographed with white nationalist figures, tweeted that she earned more than $7,100 in revenue.

• Simon Ateba, a White House reporter known for disruptive outbursts in the White House press room and who “has amassed a wide social media following and been portrayed as a victim of White House censorship among right-wing media sources,” tweeted that he earned more than $3,900 in revenue.

• Tim Pool, a right-wing podcast host and conspiracy theorist known for associating with numerous extremists, tweeted that he earned more than $5,800 in revenue.

• Andrew Tate, a “manosphere” influencer who has been indicted for rape and human trafficking, tweeted that he earned more than $20,300 in revenue. Tate was originally banned from Twitter and later reinstated under Musk.

• Jacob Creech, a QAnon influencer known online as “Clandestine” who instigated the spread online of the false Ukrainian biolabs conspiracy theory, tweeted that he earned more than $2,400 in revenue. Creech was originally banned from Twitter and later reinstated under Musk.

• Ian Miles Cheong, a right-wing commentator who has influenced Musk, tweeted that he earned more than $16,200 in revenue.

• Rogan O’Handley, known online as “DC_Draino” and for transphobic content, tweeted that he earned more than $7,000 in revenue. Handley in his tweet announcing his revenue noted that he was previously banned from the platform.

• An account called “End Wokeness” tweeted that they earned more than $10,400 in revenue.

Additionally, the Krassenstein brothers, known for being “reply guys” on Twitter against then-President Donald Trump who have nonetheless been friendly with far-right figures, tweeted that they earned almost $25,000 in revenue. They too were banned from Twitter originally and reinstated under Musk.