The following content is sponsored by PragerU. This is the second in a three-part series. See part one here.
Social media sensation Xaviaer DuRousseau, a former Black Lives Matter activist who “accidentally red-pilled” himself while watching PragerU videos, has launched a new show, Respectfully, Xaviaer, with PragerU.
On the show, DuRousseau dives into pop culture and politics through the lens of someone who has been on both sides of the political aisle, using his quick wit and humor to break down relevant topics through his unique perspective.
In a recent interview, DuRousseau got personal about his background, who he was, how he came to be a conservative, and what he’s doing now.
What would you say was the one PragerU video that stood out to you and ended up being the catalyst for “accidentally red-pilling” yourself?
“It’s so hard to put that onto one video, because I went on this whole mission of debunking PragerU, and every time there was a video I felt like I couldn’t debunk, I would just go to the next one, and the next one, and the next one,” DuRousseau revealed.
DuRousseau elaborated:
It started with race. It started with finally recognizing that BLM had raised all this money. Something I remember being frustrated with during my time with BLM is, I would ask all the time, “Why are we paying for things? Why is [the national organization] not funding the things that we’re doing and helping us out?” and I was told that my focus was in the wrong place. So, to learn that they had raised so much money, and that none of the money was gong toward any real causes of the black community, that to me was the biggest “I can’t do this anymore” moment.
But I was getting red-pilled on so many things: I thought capitalism was a terrible thing. I identified as a Democratic Socialist in college, and learning how fraudulent socialism is taught me a lot, because then it led me into learning about Marxism. Learning how Marxism was the ideology that I was following without even knowing truly what Marxism is really shifted my perspective.
“Then learning about the history of the Democratic Party,” DuRousseau continued. “I had no idea that the KKK were Democrats. I had no idea that the people who were against civil rights for the longest time were always these Democrats.”
DuRousseau at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of Xaviaer DuRousseau)
Were the hosts of these PragerU videos also not what you were expecting?
“I was thrown by the range of people that they had speaking out,” DuRousseau said. “I remember seeing Brandon Tatum and being so confused about how this black man could stand with PragerU.”
“If I had to highlight one person, it would be Dr. Carol Swain,” he added, citing the high regard he holds for Dr. Swain’s opinions, especially given that she grew up in the segregated South.
“She really blew my mind on a lot of things,” DuRousseau said. “I was like, here’s my Southern auntie telling me about the history of Democrats — it completely blew my mind.”
What was your first impression of Dennis Prager when you met him?
“I did not expect his personality to be as precisely aligned with who he is on radio, but he is everything that he is on radio,” DuRousseau said. “He’s an open book, and he will open you up as a book, too. That was certainly my first impression.”
“He’s also the reason I have a relationship with my father now, and it’s something I’ll always be grateful for,” he added.
DuRousseau explained:
On my second week at PragerU, we were flying to West Palm Beach, and I got to sit next to [Prager]. One of the first things he asked me was what my relationship was like with my parents. And he noticed that I kind of skimmed over talking about my dad, because while my mom doesn’t agree with my politics, she does support me doing what I’m passionate about. But I didn’t really talk about my dad.
When I explained to him that my dad and I didn’t really have a relationship anymore largely because of politics, he was the one who strongly encouraged me to reach out to my father, and to be the bigger person and just recognize that politics isn’t worth losing that bond.
“Because of that conversation [with Prager], my dad and I are now on speaking terms and can get along well, better than we have in the last five years,” DuRousseau said.
DuRousseau with PragerU founder Dennis Prager in 2024. (Photo courtesy of Xaviaer DuRousseau)
What has becoming conservative been like for you on a personal level with friends and family? Has anyone also been red-pilled in the process or has it caused a disconnect?
“All of the above,” DuRousseau said. “I have, to this day, certain family members who will not speak to me. I have a sibling who completely lost all respect for me. My dad and I didn’t speak for a couple years, but now we’re on good terms. I have cousins that got red-pilled with me, and I have other cousins who don’t really like to talk to me.”
“At one point, I was told to not come to family functions anymore,” the social media sensation continued. “There was even a funeral I wanted to go to, but I realized very quickly that I not welcomed at the funeral, so I didn’t go. It was really hard. I lost a lot of people who, at the time, I considered friends.”
“To this day, I deal with the backlash that came with [being conservative], but I still have many friendships where we don’t talk about politics,” he added. “I have friendships where we can talk about it in a friendly manner and just banter about it and agree to disagree. Then I also have a lot of friends who are either waiting for me to see the light, or they now see the light.”
“It’s all across the board,” DuRousseau said.
DuRousseau in Puerto Rico sporting a red Make America Great Again hat at in 2021. (Photo courtesy of Xaviaer DuRousseau)
If who you are now were to go back five years ago and tell your younger self you’d become a leading voice in the conservative movement, how would your younger self react?
“The person I was five years ago would be like, ‘Oh no, I became an Uncle Tom and sold out,” DuRousseau laughed.
If you could say something to your younger self from five years ago, what would you tell him?
“You’ve always been someone who’s objective and willing to learn, and the journey of learning and unearning while difficult, is 100 percent worth it, and trusting in God’s plan and God’s timing is always going to be the answer,” DuRousseau said in an earnest voice.
“And I would let myself know that I’m happier, healthier, more pro-black, more pro-American, and more determined to protect the rights of Americans than I’ve ever been before,” he added.
“I feel like my values haven’t changed, it’s just my perspective has changed,” DuRousseau said. “Because I still want to protect people’s freedoms. I still want there to be racial equality in the country. I still want to hold people who need to be held accountable, accountable. I still want people to be educated on history, period.”
“I just don’t look at things through the lens of a victim of my race anymore,” he asserted.
DuRousseau with friend Emily Wilson. (Photo courtesy of Xaviaer DuRousseau)
Viewers can tune in to watch “Respectfully, Xaviaer” on YouTube and at PragerU.com, or on PragerU’s free mobile app. The show features two live weekly episodes, airing every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:00 p.m. PT, 6:00 p.m. ET.
Subscribe here to Respectfully, Xaviaer.
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