{{Short description|Former Fox News executive (born 1965)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{infobox youtuber | name = Ken LaCorte | logo = | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|02|05}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |date=1998-05-31 |title=The following candidates are running in the Valley's primary election on Tuesday. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-31-me-55211-story.html |access-date=2021-04-24 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> | birth_place = [[Alhambra, California]], U.S. | education = [[Claremont McKenna College]]<br>[[State University of New York]] | occupation = Media executive, journalist, YouTuber | website = {{URL|https://kenlacorte.substack.com/}} | youtube_handle = @ElephantsInRooms | youtube_display_name = Elephants in Rooms - Ken LaCorte
| youtube_years_active = 2023–present | youtube_genre = {{flatlist| * Informational * Factual * Education * Politics * History }} | youtube_subscribers = 618 thousand<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | youtube_views = 36.3 million<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | stats_update = March 26, 2026 }}
'''Ken LaCorte''' (born February 5, 1965) is an American media executive, journalist, businessman, and YouTuber. He was an executive at [[Fox News]] for over eighteen years, joining in 1999 as Western Region bureau chief before rising to head of news editorial (2003) and vice president/senior executive producer of FoxNews.com (2006–2016), where he oversaw all editorial content and digital operations.<ref name=":7" />
After leaving Fox, he founded LaCorte News, a digital outlet he described as intended to "restore trust in journalism". He operated the partisan sites [[Conservative Edition News]] and [[Liberal Edition News]] which used clickbait content to drive traffic to fund LaCorte News.<ref name="Perlroth" /> Since 2023, he has hosted the YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@ElephantsInRooms Elephants in Rooms], which focuses on politics, history, and popular culture.<ref name=":8" />
== Early life and education == LaCorte's grandparents lived in a small village in [[Sicily]].<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nms4BMOuDeE |title=Why are humans vanishing? |date=2025-01-16 |last=Elephants in Rooms - Ken LaCorte |access-date=2025-08-16 |via=YouTube |archive-date=August 20, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250820210321/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nms4BMOuDeE&pp=0gcJCa0JAYcqIYzv |url-status=live }}</ref> He was born in [[Alhambra, California]], on February 5, 1965.<ref name=":0" />
He attended [[Claremont McKenna College]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=|date=November 15, 2006|title=News Corp Ltd-cl B : Ken Lacorte Named Vice President and Senior Executive Producer of Foxnews.com|url=https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/NEWS-CORP-13846/news/News-Corp-Ltd-cl-B-nbsp-Ken-Lacorte-Named-Vice-President-and-Senior-Executive-Producer-of-Foxnews-253183/|access-date=2021-04-24|website=MarketScreener|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|date=2017-02-17|title=Galleria Opportunities to Complete RTO With QYOU Media and Raise $4 Million|language=en|work=Bloomberg|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2017-02-17/galleria-opportunities-to-complete-rto-with-qyou-media-and-raise-4-million|access-date=2021-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424235405/https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2017-02-17/galleria-opportunities-to-complete-rto-with-qyou-media-and-raise-4-million|archive-date=2021-04-24|url-status=live}}</ref> and earned a bachelor's degree in government in 1987.<ref name=":0" /> He received a master’s degree in professional studies in 1988 from the [[State University of New York]].<ref name=":0" />{{which|reason=There are many colleges in the State University system.|date=May 2026}}{{better cite needed|reason=The existing citation simply references a candidate questionnaire with responses provided by them, not an authoritative source verifying the claim(s).|date=May 2026}}
== Career == LaCorte began his career as a communications specialist.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he worked as a [[media consultant]] for companies and political candidates in the [[United States]] and internationally, including presidential campaigns in [[Colombia]], [[Guatemala]], and [[Venezuela]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} In 1997, he was the marketing manager for [[Healthline]] Medical.<ref name=":0" /> In 1998, he ran as a Republican primary candidate in [[California's 44th State Assembly district|California's 44th State Assembly District]].<ref name=":0" /> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported that he was a member of the [[National Rifle Association of America]] and opposed stricter gun control legislation with the exception of handguns for felons and automatic weapons.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 9, 1998|title=Jack Scott (D) vs. Ken LaCorte (R)|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-09-me-30725-story.html|access-date=April 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425050510/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-09-me-30725-story.html|archive-date=April 25, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 1997, he challenged California law by publishing the state's [[Megan's Law]] list.<ref name=":3" /> Despite a warning from the state's Attorney General [[Dan Lungren]], LaCorte hand copied the names of the state's high risk [[sex offenders]] and published them online. In 2004, California published the Megan's Law database on the internet.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Rath|first=Tiare|date=August 14, 1997|title="Megan's law" taken online|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/megans-law-taken-online/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-15|access-date=2019-03-12|website=CNET|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120715225913/http://news.cnet.com/Megans-law-taken-online/2100-1023_3-202380.html}}</ref>
LaCorte worked in senior management<ref name=":4">{{Cite magazine|last=Mayer|first=Jane|date=March 4, 2019|title=The Making of the Fox News White House|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/11/the-making-of-the-fox-news-white-house|access-date=2021-04-25|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-US|archive-date=December 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211045411/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/11/the-making-of-the-fox-news-white-house|url-status=live}}</ref> for [[Fox News Channel]] for nearly two decades.<ref name="Perlroth" /> He became the Bureau Chief for the channel's western region in 1998 and the Director of News Editorial in 2003.<ref name=":1" /> LaCorte was made the Vice President of Fox News Digital in 2006<ref name=":7">{{Cite news|last1=Banco|first1=Erin|last2=Baragona|first2=Justin|last3=Rawnsley|first3=Adam|last4=Howell|first4=Jordan|date=2020-10-23|title=Notorious Former Fox Exec at Center of Attempted Hunter Biden Takedown|language=en|work=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/notorious-former-fox-exec-ken-lacorte-at-center-of-attempted-hunter-biden-takedown|access-date=2021-04-24}}</ref> where he oversaw editorial content of the website.<ref name=":5" /> During his tenure at Fox News Digital, the site underperformed against CNN even while Fox News Channel dominated the cable news ratings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=One Thing CNN Does Better Than Fox News Channel: Getting People To Read Its Website |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/one-thing-cnn-does-better-than-fox-news-channel-getting-people-to-read-its-website-2010-8 |access-date=2026-03-25 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref>
LaCorte was one of network chief [[Roger Ailes]]'s most trusted acolytes. He was part of Ailes's "[[Black room|Black Room]]," a secret unit used to conduct surveillance on Fox News employees and perceived rivals of the network. Websites were set up to attack reporters, and private investigators were dispatched to follow journalists and prepare dossiers that would be leaked to blogs such as "Cable Game." LaCorte engaged in negative PR campaigns to promote Ailes's personal grievances against journalists and Fox News critics.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2020-10-23 |title=Notorious Former Fox Exec at Center of Attempted Hunter Biden Takedown |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/notorious-former-fox-exec-ken-lacorte-at-center-of-attempted-hunter-biden-takedown/ |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=The Daily Beast |language=en}}</ref> The network sent him to [[Gaza City]] in 2006 to press for the release of kidnapped Fox News journalists [[Steve Centanni]] and [[Olaf Wiig]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Estrella|first=Cicero A.|date=August 22, 2006|title=Family fears for U.S. journalist kidnapped in Gaza Strip / Captors unknown, and no demands have been made|url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Family-fears-for-U-S-journalist-kidnapped-in-2513360.php|access-date=2021-04-25|website=SFGATE|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=August 20, 2006|title=Wiig family's fears mount|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/wiig-familys-fears-mount/WC46JC3J2FMY4HKY522BLJXYQU/|access-date=2021-04-25|website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ}}</ref>
At the end of 2016, LaCorte was pushed out of Fox News during the post-Ailes "corporate purge".<ref name=":4" /> With a $1 million investment, he partnered with [[John Moody (journalist)|John Moody]], a former Fox News executive and longtime Ailes ally, to form ''LaCorte News'' in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bond|first=Paul|date=2018-05-24|title=Former Fox News Execs to Launch Digital Outlet: "We're Not Breitbart Lite"|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-news-execs-launch-digital-news-outlet-were-not-breitbart-lite-1114546|access-date=2021-04-25|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en|archive-date=April 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425010121/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-news-execs-launch-digital-news-outlet-were-not-breitbart-lite-1114546|url-status=live}}</ref> LaCorte also recruited former [[NPR]] editorial director and [[The New York Times|New York Times]] editor [[Michael Oreskes]] to join him at ''LaCorte News'' with the stated goal of "restoring faith in media." John Moody left Fox after posting a racially inflammatory column, and Michael Oreskes was ousted from an executive position at NPR due to alleged sexual harassment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/18/ousted-npr-news-chief-ex-fox-news-execs-team-up-on-new-site-1068672|title=Ousted NPR news chief, ex-Fox News execs team up on new site|last1=Schwartz|first1=Jason|date=December 18, 2018|accessdate=19 December 2018|publisher=Politico|archive-date=December 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219194300/https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/18/ousted-npr-news-chief-ex-fox-news-execs-team-up-on-new-site-1068672|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Alleged Fox News Trump-Daniels cover-up === In March 2019, [[Jane Mayer]] reported in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' that Fox News reporter [[Diana Falzone]] had the story of the [[Stormy Daniels–Donald Trump scandal]] before the 2016 election, but that LaCorte told her, "Good reporting, kiddo. But [[Rupert Murdoch|Rupert]] [Murdoch] wants Donald Trump to win. So just let it go," and the story was killed.<ref name=":4" /> LaCorte denied making the statement to Falzone and said he killed the story because the evidence was not there, saying, "I was the person who made the call. I didn't run it upstairs to [[Roger Ailes]] or others...I didn't do it to protect Donald Trump," adding "[Falzone] had put up a story that just wasn't anywhere close to being something I was comfortable publishing" and pointing to ways he said Falzone's article failed to meet his journalistic standards of verification.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/former-head-of-foxnews-com-denies-trump-porn-star-story-was-ignored-easy-call-to-make/|title=Former Head of FoxNews.Com Denies Trump-Porn Star Story Was Ignored: 'Easy Call to Make'|access-date=March 12, 2019|archive-date=December 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230125534/https://www.mediaite.com/online/former-head-of-foxnews-com-denies-trump-porn-star-story-was-ignored-easy-call-to-make/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Nik Richie]], who claimed to be one of the sources for the Falzone story, called LaCorte's account "complete bullshit," adding "Fox News was culpable. I voted for Trump, and I like Fox, but they did their own '[[catch and kill]]' on the story to protect him."<ref name=":4" /> Both Falzone and LaCorte argued that Fox News should lift the NDA so the full story could come out.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Valero |first=Maria |date=2019-03-10 |title=Ex-Fox News Reporter Diana Falzone Wants Murdoch to Lift NDA |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-09/ex-fox-news-reporter-diana-falzone-wants-murdoch-to-lift-nda |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190310023109/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-09/ex-fox-news-reporter-diana-falzone-wants-murdoch-to-lift-nda |archive-date=2019-03-10 |work=[[Bloomberg News]]}}</ref>
In 2022, LaCorte defended his decision, saying that Daniels and Falzone were not interested in publishing the scandal but were using the media to extort Trump. According to him, Daniels refused to go on record and, after Trump paid her, avoided media outlets. He said the criticism directed at him and Fox was unjustified and pointed to other outlets that did not cover the story. He added that Trump was innocent and that Daniels should be in prison.<ref>{{Cite web |title=My front-row seat to Stormy's shakedown {{!}} Blaze Media |url=https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/my-front-row-seat-to-stormys-shakedown |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=www.theblaze.com |language=en}}</ref>
=== LaCorte News === In November 2019, a ''[[New York Times]]'' report alleged that LaCorte used {{clarification needed span|text="Russian tactics"|reason=What are "Russian tactics" in this context? A link to cited WP content, or a reliable source for the explanation is required.|date=May 2026}} to push inflammatory content on the websites ''[[Conservative Edition News]]'' and ''[[Liberal Edition News]]'', which he controlled. LaCorte's ownership of the sites was not publicly known until the ''NYT'' investigation, conducted jointly with the Virginia security firm Nisos.<ref name="Perlroth" /> The investigation found that the sites repeatedly published false news and hyperbolic content designed to inflame political tensions, and concluded that "the adoption of Russian tactics by profit-motivated Americans had made it much harder to track disinformation."<ref name="Perlroth">{{cite news |last1=Perlroth |first1=Nicole |title=A Former Fox News Executive Divides Americans Using Russian Tactics |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/technology/LaCorte-edition-news.html |accessdate=22 November 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=21 November 2019 |archive-date=November 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122011622/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/technology/LaCorte-edition-news.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
LaCorte defended the operation, saying he ran the partisan sites to drive traffic and raise revenue for his centrist outlet ''LaCorte News'', stating, "I wanted to try to find middle ground." He acknowledged hiring [[North Macedonia|Macedonian]] writers from [[Veles, North Macedonia|Veles]], a town described by reporters as "home to a collection of writers who churned out disinformation during the 2016 presidential election in the United States."<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Katz|first=A. J.|date=November 22, 2019|title=Former Fox News Exec Ken LaCorte Admits to Hiring Writers to Create Inflammatory Content for Partisan Websites|url=https://adweek.it/2ObDxjJ|access-date=2021-04-25|website=Adweek|language=en-US}}</ref>
In late November 2019, the [[Facebook]] pages for ''Conservative Edition News'' and ''Liberal Edition News'' were shut down for [[terms of service]] violations that included manipulation of site privileges and engagement with Macedonian "[[troll farms]]".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Zakrzewski|first=Cat|date=November 22, 2019|title=The Technology 202: Bits, Nibbles and Bytes|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-technology-202/2019/11/22/the-technology-202-getting-digital-evidence-can-be-hard-for-police-this-bill-would-create-a-new-office-to-help/5dd6c77b602ff1184c316778/}}</ref> The shutdown effectively ended LaCorte News.
=== Hunter Biden laptop story === In October 2020, LaCorte was among the first to publish material from the [[Hunter Biden laptop controversy|Hunter Biden laptop]]. According to ''The Daily Beast'', repair shop owner John Paul Mac Isaac contacted LaCorte through Fox News connections, despite Mac Isaac's stated preference that law enforcement investigate the contents of the laptop. On October 15, 2020, LaCorte released 29 PDFs he said contained emails from Hunter Biden's iCloud account. Metadata from the archive showed the files containing copies of these emails - but not the emails themselves - were created the evening of October 14, after the story was already published by [[New York Post]].<ref name=":6" />{{paywall}}
=== Ties to Rumen Naumovski === In October 2025, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' reported that Rumen Naumovski, a Macedonian citizen who had never visited the United States, had previously worked for LaCorte. Naumovski operates the [[X (social network)|X]] accounts ''Defiant L's'' and ''Resist the Mainstream'', which together have more than two million followers and have been amplified by figures including [[Elon Musk]], [[Nancy Mace]], [[Mike Lee]], [[Ron Watkins]] and [[Eli Crane]]. Both accounts focus on American politics, frequently alleging corruption and [[Electoral fraud|election fraud]] by [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]. LaCorte has publicly described Naumovski as a close friend and has written about Naumovski's attempts to emigrate.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sweet |first=Jacqueline |date=2025-10-08 |title=The Viral MAGA Accounts Run by a Man Who Has Never Been to America |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/viral-maga-social-media-accounts-rumen-naumovski-1235441739/ |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Elephants in Rooms === Since 2023, LaCorte has hosted the YouTube channel {{anchor|Elephants in Rooms}} [https://www.youtube.com/@ElephantsInRooms Elephants in Rooms],<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Elephants in Rooms - Ken LaCorte |url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb8sfMalVgTMvA68dfKzA5Q |access-date=2025-07-25 |website=YouTube |language=en}}</ref> which covers politics, history, popular culture, and topics he describes as underreported, including conspiracy theories, demography, discrimination, and alleged cover-ups. As of April 2026, the channel had over 750,000 subscribers and 36.3 million total views.<ref name=":8" />
== Personal life == LaCorte was born in [[Alhambra, California]], and grew up in [[Arcadia, California]]. As of 2024, he was in a relationship with [[Claudia Cowan]], Fox News's senior correspondent. Both are divorced with grown children.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pardini |first=Jennifer Massoni |date=2024-07-24 |title=Designer Docks and Rock-Solid Community Among the Floating Homes of Sausalito |url=https://www.nobhillgazette.com/style_and_design/interior_design/designer-docks-among-the-floating-homes-of-sausalito/article_3bdf5504-42d5-11ef-beee-17c2fbba2b0b.html |access-date=2026-03-22 |website=nobhillgazette.com |language=en}}</ref>
In February 1976, LaCorte's sister Cathy LaCorte and her boyfriend Bob Morton were murdered while hiking near Arcadia. The killer, Richard Johnson, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder. The experience led LaCorte's family to become active in California's victims' rights movement, advocating for parole reform and contributing to the passage of [[1982 California Proposition 8|Proposition 8 (1982), the Victim's Bill of Rights]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=LaCorte |first=Ken |date=2023-02-17 |title=I need your help keeping a killer in prison |url=https://kenlacorte.substack.com/p/i-need-your-help-keeping-a-killer |website=Substack}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |last=LaCorte |first=Ken |date=2025 |title=Crime, Justice and Politics Through the Lens of My Sister's Murder |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM8pKoBRQIw |website=YouTube |via=Elephants in Rooms}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacorte, Ken}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1965 births]] [[Category:American people of Italian descent]] [[Category:People from Alhambra, California]] [[Category:YouTubers from California]] [[Category:Fox Broadcasting Company executives]] [[Category:Claremont McKenna College alumni]]