Today on finding Matt Drudge, and he said.

Today on finding Matt Drudge, and he said.

I'm thinking about just dropping out. I'm thinking about not being the face of the Drudge Report anymore. I'm thinking I just make the Drudge Report about the page itself, and I don't do anything.

I'm thinking about just dropping out. I'm thinking about not being the face of the Drudge Report anymore. I'm thinking I just make the Drudge Report about the page itself, and I don't do anything.

Those were the words of Joseph Curl, who from twenty ten to twenty fourteen was an editor indeed the first full time employee of The Drudge Report, where he worked directly behind the scenes of the site with Matt Drudge. Before joining the Drudge Report, Curl was the White House correspondent for the Washington Times and now works as editor in chief of Offthepress dot com. Curl first got to know Matt Drudge when Drudge attended the White House Correspondence dinner as a guest of the Washington Times, and the pair hit it off. As a White House reporter, Curl often found himself sending Drudge links to his own stories and other pieces he thought would be a good fit for the site, and then one day Drudge act actually responded and asked if Curl would ever want to leave his posts at the White House Briefing Room and come work for him exclusively on the Drudge Report, and That's how Joseph Curl found himself waking up early every day, logging on to the back end of the Drudge Report at seven am, and getting to work for Matt Drudge. Curl has talked about Drudge the press before, but to our knowledge, never on audio, and certainly never at this length and in this detail. In our extended interview, Curl takes us behind the scenes of the Drudge Report and will share never before hear details about Matt Drudge and how the Drudge Report operates, and how those who want to get on the Drudge Report interact with him. He also provides some new insights into the questions we started this show to answer, like why Drudge may have turned against Trump and whether it's possible Matt Drudge doesn't even run the site anymore. Never before have we had on the record such a detailed expose on how the Drudge Report operates. Trust me, you won't want to miss this, I promise. I'm Chris Moody and this is Finding Matt Drudge. Stay tuned. How could the most powerful man in media basically just vanish from public life from JMW Productions and iHeartMedia. This is Finding Matt Drudge. Joseph Kurle, it's great to have you on finding Matt Drudge. You'd met Drudge before in Washington, but you first got to know him on a trip to Miami. What can you tell us about the first time visiting Matt Drudge in Miami in two thousand and seven, Well.

Those were the words of Joseph Curl, who from twenty ten to twenty fourteen was an editor indeed the first full time employee of The Drudge Report, where he worked directly behind the scenes of the site with Matt Drudge. Before joining the Drudge Report, Curl was the White House correspondent for the Washington Times and now works as editor in chief of Offthepress dot com. Curl first got to know Matt Drudge when Drudge attended the White House Correspondence dinner as a guest of the Washington Times, and the pair hit it off. As a White House reporter, Curl often found himself sending Drudge links to his own stories and other pieces he thought would be a good fit for the site, and then one day Drudge act actually responded and asked if Curl would ever want to leave his posts at the White House Briefing Room and come work for him exclusively on the Drudge Report, and That's how Joseph Curl found himself waking up early every day, logging on to the back end of the Drudge Report at seven am, and getting to work for Matt Drudge. Curl has talked about Drudge the press before, but to our knowledge, never on audio, and certainly never at this length and in this detail. In our extended interview, Curl takes us behind the scenes of the Drudge Report and will share never before hear details about Matt Drudge and how the Drudge Report operates, and how those who want to get on the Drudge Report interact with him. He also provides some new insights into the questions we started this show to answer, like why Drudge may have turned against Trump and whether it's possible Matt Drudge doesn't even run the site anymore. Never before have we had on the record such a detailed expose on how the Drudge Report operates. Trust me, you won't want to miss this, I promise. I'm Chris Moody and this is Finding Matt Drudge. Stay tuned. How could the most powerful man in media basically just vanish from public life from JMW Productions and iHeartMedia. This is Finding Matt Drudge. Joseph Kurle, it's great to have you on finding Matt Drudge. You'd met Drudge before in Washington, but you first got to know him on a trip to Miami. What can you tell us about the first time visiting Matt Drudge in Miami in two thousand and seven, Well.

First time I met him, I actually reached out to him. I knew that he was in Miami and we were heading down there with our family, so I just dropped him Ali and he said, swin on Vibe. He picked me up and took me back to his He had a suite I think was on the fortieth floor of the Four Seasons. He took me back there and he had a couch and just laptops. He was big on laptops. I think he had he had two or three laptops, and he just kind of showed me, you know, how he did things and what he was doing. He said something really interesting that I found odd. At that time, he was doing his radio show, his weekly radio show. He was doing an annual appearance on c Span whenever he would come to Washington for the White House Correspondence Dinner. And he said, I'm thinking about just dropping out. I'm thinking about not being the face of the Drudge Report anymore. I'm thinking, I just make the Drudge Report about the page itself, and I don't do anything. I thought it was an intriguing idea. I thought, you know, it can always be kind of messy when when there's a person behind something. But what if the page is just the page. What if there is no celebrity journalist connected to it. It's just this page that lives there when you go on it and you see all the latest news, and there's no personality connected to it. So I told him I thought it was a good idea. And it was shortly after that that he did kind of disappear and become the mysterious man we don't know very much about nowadays.

First time I met him, I actually reached out to him. I knew that he was in Miami and we were heading down there with our family, so I just dropped him Ali and he said, swin on Vibe. He picked me up and took me back to his He had a suite I think was on the fortieth floor of the Four Seasons. He took me back there and he had a couch and just laptops. He was big on laptops. I think he had he had two or three laptops, and he just kind of showed me, you know, how he did things and what he was doing. He said something really interesting that I found odd. At that time, he was doing his radio show, his weekly radio show. He was doing an annual appearance on c Span whenever he would come to Washington for the White House Correspondence Dinner. And he said, I'm thinking about just dropping out. I'm thinking about not being the face of the Drudge Report anymore. I'm thinking, I just make the Drudge Report about the page itself, and I don't do anything. I thought it was an intriguing idea. I thought, you know, it can always be kind of messy when when there's a person behind something. But what if the page is just the page. What if there is no celebrity journalist connected to it. It's just this page that lives there when you go on it and you see all the latest news, and there's no personality connected to it. So I told him I thought it was a good idea. And it was shortly after that that he did kind of disappear and become the mysterious man we don't know very much about nowadays.

Did he give any more reasons why it might be a good move for him, or what was drawing him away from the public light.

Did he give any more reasons why it might be a good move for him, or what was drawing him away from the public light.

It was just the idea of the messy personal side of things. He kind of wanted to drop out of everything. We were walking through the parking garage and he said that he always leaves the country during election day because he or the election season, you know, the weeks before the election, because he was afraid of what you know, he had done so much on the Clintons, and of course two thousand and eight was when Hillary was running, so he said he was worried about the Clintons planting you know, a bag of cocaine in his car, which he had parts of the parking lot there. So he would always take off and get out of the country for around the election.

It was just the idea of the messy personal side of things. He kind of wanted to drop out of everything. We were walking through the parking garage and he said that he always leaves the country during election day because he or the election season, you know, the weeks before the election, because he was afraid of what you know, he had done so much on the Clintons, and of course two thousand and eight was when Hillary was running, so he said he was worried about the Clintons planting you know, a bag of cocaine in his car, which he had parts of the parking lot there. So he would always take off and get out of the country for around the election.

When he told you this, was it joking or do you think he was serious about this?

When he told you this, was it joking or do you think he was serious about this?

Well, that's a good question. I think he was. I really think he was mostly serious. He was the one that exploded Bill Clinton, and he had just spent you know a few years exploding and targeting Hillary Clinton as though, you know, in the run up to the two thousand and eight elections. So he was certainly persona non grada among the Clintonistas. Maybe there was something to actually fear, and Matt knew better than I did that maybe these people were really dangerous. When he drove me back to my car, he had the top down of his I think it was a thunderbird, and we shook hands, and as I was still standing there shaying our goodbyes, he took some purell and wiped him off on his hands, and I just remember thinking, you know, like, well, I'm not that dirty. This was before the COVID time and now it's pretty commonplace. And he told me later that he had kind of a germ thing, an OCD kind of phobia. So that's what I remember from that meeting.

Well, that's a good question. I think he was. I really think he was mostly serious. He was the one that exploded Bill Clinton, and he had just spent you know a few years exploding and targeting Hillary Clinton as though, you know, in the run up to the two thousand and eight elections. So he was certainly persona non grada among the Clintonistas. Maybe there was something to actually fear, and Matt knew better than I did that maybe these people were really dangerous. When he drove me back to my car, he had the top down of his I think it was a thunderbird, and we shook hands, and as I was still standing there shaying our goodbyes, he took some purell and wiped him off on his hands, and I just remember thinking, you know, like, well, I'm not that dirty. This was before the COVID time and now it's pretty commonplace. And he told me later that he had kind of a germ thing, an OCD kind of phobia. So that's what I remember from that meeting.

How do you come to work for Matt Drudge?

How do you come to work for Matt Drudge?

Well, that all happened very quickly. One one day, in the span of a couple of hours, he had posted a story about Nancy Pelosi and she was on the cover of some magazine here in Washington, and it was a very photoshop photo. I mean at that time. I mean, you know, Nancy Pelosi is one hundred years old now, so at that point two thousand and nine, she was what seventy something, and it was a super photoshops picture. So I sent a message saying, you know, and the headline of his story was, you know, white Pelosi's office says photo not cover, photo not photoshopped. And so I sent him a message just saying, you know, what you should do is just find the latest AP photo of Nancy Pelosi and post it right next to it, because you know, it's super photoshopped to the point where she looks forty, and he laughed at that and then did that. And then he sent me a message on email about an hour later saying, Hey, you should come down to Miami and we should talk about your future and mine. That's why I was intriguing, That's all he said. And then we just worked out a date and for me to head down in Florida. He says, book a ticket. I'll book you a room and just book a ticket for five first class and come down. And of course he booked me a room, a suite in the Riz Carlton in Miami, Miami Beach. The next day, about noon or so, he comes by and I didn't really recognize him because I didn't know he was bald, because I've never seen him without his fedora, and he was wearing flip flops and a pair of white shorts and a baseball cap that he took off, and I was like, ooh, I didn't I wouldn't even recognized him without his regular fedora hat. He literally at that point just offered me a gig with him and wanted me to come on full time. Andrew Breitbart, who went on to found Breitbard News, had worked with Matt occasionally before that, but Matt told me that I would be his first full time employee. Andrew basically just sort of sat in for him from time to time. So he was hiring me and putting me on a shift that he would then be off of the page at that time and I would be on. I'm very much similar to Drudge. We actually grew up not very far apart, about six or seven years apart, but close to each other. I grew up in Chevy Chase. You grew up in Tacoma Park, Maryland, So we went to a lot of the same places and things, so we just had all kinds of things to talk about. One of the things that he said when I first got on there, he was like, you know, don't be doing a lot of Facebook and Twitter because now you know. And eventually, when it became known that I was one of the editors there, you know, if I suddenly write a tweet about something, then somebody can write, you know, Drudge Report editor says this, and eventually people did write a couple of headlines like that. I didn't realize that that, you know, I would write a tweet. I remember there was some big story that was happening and I said, you know, I was still writing columns for the Washington Times, and I said, I'm hearing from some sources that another shoe's going to drop. And you know, somebody wrote, you know, Drudge editor says it's not over on this scandal, and I was like, oh crap. And Matt was not happy about that because you know, now I'm Drudge editor and he had gone to such great lengths to drop out of everything and not be connected with it. There's nothing on his Twitter page. He'll post something that he finds interesting a couple of times a month, but then he kills him off of there, so the page is always empty. He doesn't have a history of what he's tweeted. He just really wanted to make the Drudge Report be about the page and not a person. And Matt's also been, you know, very coy about his politics. I mean a lot of people think he's conservative. He'll tell you to your face that he's libertarian or you know, in some ways open to everything. Every every political presidential cycle, somebody will write a story saying, you know, is Matt Drudge secretly for and then fill in the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama there were always stories like that, and you know, then he turned and on Donald Trump, and then you know he supported Joe Biden. So his politics are are not easily discerned.

Well, that all happened very quickly. One one day, in the span of a couple of hours, he had posted a story about Nancy Pelosi and she was on the cover of some magazine here in Washington, and it was a very photoshop photo. I mean at that time. I mean, you know, Nancy Pelosi is one hundred years old now, so at that point two thousand and nine, she was what seventy something, and it was a super photoshops picture. So I sent a message saying, you know, and the headline of his story was, you know, white Pelosi's office says photo not cover, photo not photoshopped. And so I sent him a message just saying, you know, what you should do is just find the latest AP photo of Nancy Pelosi and post it right next to it, because you know, it's super photoshopped to the point where she looks forty, and he laughed at that and then did that. And then he sent me a message on email about an hour later saying, Hey, you should come down to Miami and we should talk about your future and mine. That's why I was intriguing, That's all he said. And then we just worked out a date and for me to head down in Florida. He says, book a ticket. I'll book you a room and just book a ticket for five first class and come down. And of course he booked me a room, a suite in the Riz Carlton in Miami, Miami Beach. The next day, about noon or so, he comes by and I didn't really recognize him because I didn't know he was bald, because I've never seen him without his fedora, and he was wearing flip flops and a pair of white shorts and a baseball cap that he took off, and I was like, ooh, I didn't I wouldn't even recognized him without his regular fedora hat. He literally at that point just offered me a gig with him and wanted me to come on full time. Andrew Breitbart, who went on to found Breitbard News, had worked with Matt occasionally before that, but Matt told me that I would be his first full time employee. Andrew basically just sort of sat in for him from time to time. So he was hiring me and putting me on a shift that he would then be off of the page at that time and I would be on. I'm very much similar to Drudge. We actually grew up not very far apart, about six or seven years apart, but close to each other. I grew up in Chevy Chase. You grew up in Tacoma Park, Maryland, So we went to a lot of the same places and things, so we just had all kinds of things to talk about. One of the things that he said when I first got on there, he was like, you know, don't be doing a lot of Facebook and Twitter because now you know. And eventually, when it became known that I was one of the editors there, you know, if I suddenly write a tweet about something, then somebody can write, you know, Drudge Report editor says this, and eventually people did write a couple of headlines like that. I didn't realize that that, you know, I would write a tweet. I remember there was some big story that was happening and I said, you know, I was still writing columns for the Washington Times, and I said, I'm hearing from some sources that another shoe's going to drop. And you know, somebody wrote, you know, Drudge editor says it's not over on this scandal, and I was like, oh crap. And Matt was not happy about that because you know, now I'm Drudge editor and he had gone to such great lengths to drop out of everything and not be connected with it. There's nothing on his Twitter page. He'll post something that he finds interesting a couple of times a month, but then he kills him off of there, so the page is always empty. He doesn't have a history of what he's tweeted. He just really wanted to make the Drudge Report be about the page and not a person. And Matt's also been, you know, very coy about his politics. I mean a lot of people think he's conservative. He'll tell you to your face that he's libertarian or you know, in some ways open to everything. Every every political presidential cycle, somebody will write a story saying, you know, is Matt Drudge secretly for and then fill in the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama there were always stories like that, and you know, then he turned and on Donald Trump, and then you know he supported Joe Biden. So his politics are are not easily discerned.

What did you learn about Matt Drudge from that time that you didn't know before?

What did you learn about Matt Drudge from that time that you didn't know before?

Well, sitting down with Matt, you you really get a sense of how bright he is. I mean, he didn't he didn't go to college, and not that you need to go to college to make you smart, but but he's just he's very sharp and very quick and and uh, and I didn't know he had a great sense of humor. I didn't know he had a big kind of gregarious laugh That surprised me the first time he really burst out laughing because he's a he's a big laugher, but just uh, the breath of his knowledge. I mean, you know, I've I've joked about the Drudge Report being like plugging into the matrix, where you're you're literally trying to cover everything that's on the Internet, which is an incredibly difficult job. I mean I used to joke about covering the White House, as I literally had to know what was going on politically in the entire world. So when I moved to the Drudge Report, I suddenly had to be aware of and in a lot of cases post quickly anything that was happening in the world, and that includes culture, Hollywood, justin Bieber, anything that might come up. So but Matt really had this incredible knowledge of all those things. And what again, what fascinated me was was his curiosity. I mean, he wanted to know all these things, so he just really just he just found out about everything. Like I remember working with him so many times saying, hey, I saw this, Hey I saw that, and he would always say, I already know that. So you know that was surprising because almost everything I would tell him, it would be like I saw that already. He told me a couple of other things, like about how to do the job, which he called a suicide mission. He said, And I should ask myself every day, if I'm the hottest editor on the internet right now, am I posting just the very best stoffers my page just a can't miss page? And you know, that stuck in my head all the time, because that's what his page always was for so long. He told me that before he starts. I don't know if he still does it. But back in that day, or maybe he was just telling you this, but he said, right before he plugs it, he would say game time and then he would start, so he would get his game face on and his game mentality, and then he would start and then I think the other thing that's incredible about Matt is his memory. His his institutional memory. I mean he can because he's literally covered the world and all of the biggest news stories for twenty some years. He just has this huge base to pull from of. Like you know, he remembers everything that happened because he covered it, wrote headlines on it, posted it on his page, and then proceeded to cover every of that story for the next months that it ran out. So he just remembered everything.

Well, sitting down with Matt, you you really get a sense of how bright he is. I mean, he didn't he didn't go to college, and not that you need to go to college to make you smart, but but he's just he's very sharp and very quick and and uh, and I didn't know he had a great sense of humor. I didn't know he had a big kind of gregarious laugh That surprised me the first time he really burst out laughing because he's a he's a big laugher, but just uh, the breath of his knowledge. I mean, you know, I've I've joked about the Drudge Report being like plugging into the matrix, where you're you're literally trying to cover everything that's on the Internet, which is an incredibly difficult job. I mean I used to joke about covering the White House, as I literally had to know what was going on politically in the entire world. So when I moved to the Drudge Report, I suddenly had to be aware of and in a lot of cases post quickly anything that was happening in the world, and that includes culture, Hollywood, justin Bieber, anything that might come up. So but Matt really had this incredible knowledge of all those things. And what again, what fascinated me was was his curiosity. I mean, he wanted to know all these things, so he just really just he just found out about everything. Like I remember working with him so many times saying, hey, I saw this, Hey I saw that, and he would always say, I already know that. So you know that was surprising because almost everything I would tell him, it would be like I saw that already. He told me a couple of other things, like about how to do the job, which he called a suicide mission. He said, And I should ask myself every day, if I'm the hottest editor on the internet right now, am I posting just the very best stoffers my page just a can't miss page? And you know, that stuck in my head all the time, because that's what his page always was for so long. He told me that before he starts. I don't know if he still does it. But back in that day, or maybe he was just telling you this, but he said, right before he plugs it, he would say game time and then he would start, so he would get his game face on and his game mentality, and then he would start and then I think the other thing that's incredible about Matt is his memory. His his institutional memory. I mean he can because he's literally covered the world and all of the biggest news stories for twenty some years. He just has this huge base to pull from of. Like you know, he remembers everything that happened because he covered it, wrote headlines on it, posted it on his page, and then proceeded to cover every of that story for the next months that it ran out. So he just remembered everything.

Do you know where Matt Drudge is? If you have a great Matt Drudge story, they can shed insight into the mysterious mogul and help us on our search. Call us at three zero one two zero zero two four one four and tell us about it. We may even air your message in the final episodes of the show. If you want us to credit you, please say so and leave your name. What was the appeal to leave traditional news at the Washington Times and go work for the Drudge Report.

Do you know where Matt Drudge is? If you have a great Matt Drudge story, they can shed insight into the mysterious mogul and help us on our search. Call us at three zero one two zero zero two four one four and tell us about it. We may even air your message in the final episodes of the show. If you want us to credit you, please say so and leave your name. What was the appeal to leave traditional news at the Washington Times and go work for the Drudge Report.

Well, I won't lie. It was the money. The money was was basically three times when I was getting paid at the Washington Times. I had pretty much risen to the highest position you could be at the Washington Times. As the White House corresponded, the senior White House corresponded, and it just seemed like a really unchallenged It was just a whole new challenge and it and it literally one of the most unusual things about the job is when you're on, you're plugged into the matrix, and when you're off, you're literally off. There's nothing that you can even do. There's nothing that you can work on for the future because you're there to cover the news and what's happening. So when my shift would end, I would close my computer and I was literally done. I didn't have to work on anything. There was nothing that was coming up in the future that I that I needed to get a grip on it. It was when I when I would sit back down and open my computer, that's when my day would begin. But it would end just as abruptly by by closing my computer, and I literally did not have to think about it until the next day. The next time I open my computer.

Well, I won't lie. It was the money. The money was was basically three times when I was getting paid at the Washington Times. I had pretty much risen to the highest position you could be at the Washington Times. As the White House corresponded, the senior White House corresponded, and it just seemed like a really unchallenged It was just a whole new challenge and it and it literally one of the most unusual things about the job is when you're on, you're plugged into the matrix, and when you're off, you're literally off. There's nothing that you can even do. There's nothing that you can work on for the future because you're there to cover the news and what's happening. So when my shift would end, I would close my computer and I was literally done. I didn't have to work on anything. There was nothing that was coming up in the future that I that I needed to get a grip on it. It was when I when I would sit back down and open my computer, that's when my day would begin. But it would end just as abruptly by by closing my computer, and I literally did not have to think about it until the next day. The next time I open my computer.

What do colleagues say when then you tell them you're going to join the Druge Report.

What do colleagues say when then you tell them you're going to join the Druge Report.

Well that's the interesting part too about Drudge is he's a bit like fight Club is you know, the first rule of working with Matt Drudge is you don't talk about working with Matt Drudge. I didn't tell a lot of people. Eventually, a friend of mine that I had known through you know, work friend, he ran a website about media in Washington, d C. Eventually he heard about it and he said, you know, can I post something about it? But at first I said no, and he's like, well, it's going to get out, you know. So he's like, just let me go ahead and post it. And I was like, I We'll just you know, keep it, keep it brief. And I also thought at the time that maybe it would not be a bad idea because you know, I know hundreds of journalists in Washington, so if they know I worked there, then they can send me their stuff right away. I'd get dozens and maybe one hundred emails a day from people just sending me their links. I mean, I got people from Reuter's in the Washington Post and the New York Times and all kinds of places just sending me their links in an effort to get in and post it on Drudge. I wouldn't post anything that wasn't drudge worthy. But there were a few handful reporters, including Daniel Helper, who was then at The Weekly Standard, and it got to the point where he was sending me ten twelve things a day, and if I saw something happen on MSNBC or CNN or Fox News or someplace, I could shoot him an email and say, hey, this just happened. Can you whip up a story? And he'd have a story to me in ten minutes. So you know, there were times too, and I did that with other reporters where I really sort of played editor in chief of a place or managing it or really by saying, you know, hey, I need this story. I just saw this. It just happened. There's no story out there yet. I could wait an hour until somebody posts it, or somebody puts it way down in a story where I wanted to be the lead, or I can just shoot an email to somebody and say, hey, can you zip out a story for me that I would get them the link on the page, and you know, it would get me immediate news coverage. So it was a value for both sides. It was also a not a very well kept secret that if you wanted to get a story on Drudges, you could write a story about how influential Matt Drudge is and that would get posted. And some of my colleagues have done that, and I would always shoot them a joking message saying, you know, kiss ass, you're just trying to get yourself on the Drudge Report.

Well that's the interesting part too about Drudge is he's a bit like fight Club is you know, the first rule of working with Matt Drudge is you don't talk about working with Matt Drudge. I didn't tell a lot of people. Eventually, a friend of mine that I had known through you know, work friend, he ran a website about media in Washington, d C. Eventually he heard about it and he said, you know, can I post something about it? But at first I said no, and he's like, well, it's going to get out, you know. So he's like, just let me go ahead and post it. And I was like, I We'll just you know, keep it, keep it brief. And I also thought at the time that maybe it would not be a bad idea because you know, I know hundreds of journalists in Washington, so if they know I worked there, then they can send me their stuff right away. I'd get dozens and maybe one hundred emails a day from people just sending me their links. I mean, I got people from Reuter's in the Washington Post and the New York Times and all kinds of places just sending me their links in an effort to get in and post it on Drudge. I wouldn't post anything that wasn't drudge worthy. But there were a few handful reporters, including Daniel Helper, who was then at The Weekly Standard, and it got to the point where he was sending me ten twelve things a day, and if I saw something happen on MSNBC or CNN or Fox News or someplace, I could shoot him an email and say, hey, this just happened. Can you whip up a story? And he'd have a story to me in ten minutes. So you know, there were times too, and I did that with other reporters where I really sort of played editor in chief of a place or managing it or really by saying, you know, hey, I need this story. I just saw this. It just happened. There's no story out there yet. I could wait an hour until somebody posts it, or somebody puts it way down in a story where I wanted to be the lead, or I can just shoot an email to somebody and say, hey, can you zip out a story for me that I would get them the link on the page, and you know, it would get me immediate news coverage. So it was a value for both sides. It was also a not a very well kept secret that if you wanted to get a story on Drudges, you could write a story about how influential Matt Drudge is and that would get posted. And some of my colleagues have done that, and I would always shoot them a joking message saying, you know, kiss ass, you're just trying to get yourself on the Drudge Report.

As the editor of the Drudge Report, people want to find out how they can get in with Drudge or get their content onto Drudge. Tucker Carlson told me this story of him, you know, when he launched The Daily Caller. I was a reporter there in those early days. We couldn't get on the Drudge Report. It just wasn't happening for us. And I know that it bothered Tucker because he had you know, we were getting scoops. We were writing stories that were we thought were Drudge worthy. Can you tell me the story of your side of the story when when Tucker reached out to you to have a chat.

As the editor of the Drudge Report, people want to find out how they can get in with Drudge or get their content onto Drudge. Tucker Carlson told me this story of him, you know, when he launched The Daily Caller. I was a reporter there in those early days. We couldn't get on the Drudge Report. It just wasn't happening for us. And I know that it bothered Tucker because he had you know, we were getting scoops. We were writing stories that were we thought were Drudge worthy. Can you tell me the story of your side of the story when when Tucker reached out to you to have a chat.

Yeah, one time I got an email from Tucker saying, hey, let's, you know, let's meet up someplace. And he ended up coming out near my house and we met at a Starbucks and he he said, hey, man, I cannot get on the drug Report. I don't know what to do, and you know, we're trying to start this big opera. And obviously, again back in those days, Matt was really a kingmaker. I mean, if you got links on the page, you know, you might triple your page views for the day just by a single link. You know, if they were getting three hundred thousand, they might get a million page views by getting the top story on the Drugs Report. So it would be huge not only to the success of the of the web page, but also you know for money for advertising rates, what you can charge and things. I'm looking at an old notebook that I have kept ever since my Day's there that from when he told me things not to run, and this is interesting. He said no Newsmacks, no NewsBusters, no Daily Caller, no Talking Points memo, no business Insider, and no media hete He laughed at that last one because he was like, what a terrible name. You can't even say it media height. But if you'll look now, I mean, he runs several media stories every day, so obviously things keep changing. But that was back in the day when when The Daily Caller was was a banned site. So we met at at Starbucks and Tucker said, you know, what, what do I need to do here? What? Why why can't I get on there? So one time when I was talking to Matt, I said, you know, he's Tucker Carlson is distraught about not being able to go on the page, and and Mat goes, well, he knows what he did. And I said, well, what does that mean. He's like, he did something and he knows what it is, and I'm not running his stuff. And so I went back to Tucker and I said, hey, Tucker, it sounded like you had done something, and he was unhappy and he goes. Tucker goes, oh, man, that really still, he goes. We were both in the green room at Fox News one time and I said to Matt, what are you up to? He was getting ready to go on a foreign trip, and you know, then they parted ways, and Matt had been on the air and then left, and then Tucker goes on the air and I guess they said to Tucker, you know, hey, you were just you know, just chatting with Matt Drudge and he goes, yeah, here he's off to or Sweden or wherever he was going. And that made Matt so mad that he literally just was like, don't run anything from the Daily Caller. So after he Tucker told me that story, I said, look, just just give it a try, just you know, do a graveling apology to Matt and say you're really sorry, you didn't mean to do anything, and you'll never do it again, and can you please run me? And I got a message back from Tucker a few weeks later saying, boom, it happened. He's accepted it and he's posted our stuff. So I guess back out over it. And after a big formul apology, Hendr Breitbart told me a sort of a depressing story one time is he called me and said, this is after he had started Breitbart News and he said, you know, I can't get stuff up on Drudge. Matt had told me when before Breitbart left, he was concerned that Breitbart was trying to cash in on the cachet of the Drudge report. Breitbart was starting to get pretty famou. He was an outspoken conservative, really enjoyed mixing it up with people. And so Breitbart had started a new website and he was like, I can't get anything on the page. Matt said, you know, well, go ahead and get the wires and I'll try to link to you and through you to the wires, the associated press writers, those types of places. Breitbart called me and said, you know, I don't know why I can't get anything on the page. And a short time after that, I asked Matt about that and he said, don't run any Breitbart stuff. And I didn't say why. I just said okay, and he said, you know, just just don't run anything from Breitbart. Breitbart I think spent something like one hundred thousand dollars to get the wires, which are very expensive, and it was more than a year before Matt came back and said, okay, you can post Briitbart things. Now. I don't know what that was about, but Matt is kind of thin skin and somewhat vindictive, and so you know, it might have just been punishment. It's it's the way Matt deals with other people that you know, is unusual. Anyone who's been his friend and then found that they are a former friend that never speaks with him again knows what I'm talking about. Like the story with Tucker Carlson, I never would have guessed it was that until Tucker told me that story. But that can hold some grudges.

Yeah, one time I got an email from Tucker saying, hey, let's, you know, let's meet up someplace. And he ended up coming out near my house and we met at a Starbucks and he he said, hey, man, I cannot get on the drug Report. I don't know what to do, and you know, we're trying to start this big opera. And obviously, again back in those days, Matt was really a kingmaker. I mean, if you got links on the page, you know, you might triple your page views for the day just by a single link. You know, if they were getting three hundred thousand, they might get a million page views by getting the top story on the Drugs Report. So it would be huge not only to the success of the of the web page, but also you know for money for advertising rates, what you can charge and things. I'm looking at an old notebook that I have kept ever since my Day's there that from when he told me things not to run, and this is interesting. He said no Newsmacks, no NewsBusters, no Daily Caller, no Talking Points memo, no business Insider, and no media hete He laughed at that last one because he was like, what a terrible name. You can't even say it media height. But if you'll look now, I mean, he runs several media stories every day, so obviously things keep changing. But that was back in the day when when The Daily Caller was was a banned site. So we met at at Starbucks and Tucker said, you know, what, what do I need to do here? What? Why why can't I get on there? So one time when I was talking to Matt, I said, you know, he's Tucker Carlson is distraught about not being able to go on the page, and and Mat goes, well, he knows what he did. And I said, well, what does that mean. He's like, he did something and he knows what it is, and I'm not running his stuff. And so I went back to Tucker and I said, hey, Tucker, it sounded like you had done something, and he was unhappy and he goes. Tucker goes, oh, man, that really still, he goes. We were both in the green room at Fox News one time and I said to Matt, what are you up to? He was getting ready to go on a foreign trip, and you know, then they parted ways, and Matt had been on the air and then left, and then Tucker goes on the air and I guess they said to Tucker, you know, hey, you were just you know, just chatting with Matt Drudge and he goes, yeah, here he's off to or Sweden or wherever he was going. And that made Matt so mad that he literally just was like, don't run anything from the Daily Caller. So after he Tucker told me that story, I said, look, just just give it a try, just you know, do a graveling apology to Matt and say you're really sorry, you didn't mean to do anything, and you'll never do it again, and can you please run me? And I got a message back from Tucker a few weeks later saying, boom, it happened. He's accepted it and he's posted our stuff. So I guess back out over it. And after a big formul apology, Hendr Breitbart told me a sort of a depressing story one time is he called me and said, this is after he had started Breitbart News and he said, you know, I can't get stuff up on Drudge. Matt had told me when before Breitbart left, he was concerned that Breitbart was trying to cash in on the cachet of the Drudge report. Breitbart was starting to get pretty famou. He was an outspoken conservative, really enjoyed mixing it up with people. And so Breitbart had started a new website and he was like, I can't get anything on the page. Matt said, you know, well, go ahead and get the wires and I'll try to link to you and through you to the wires, the associated press writers, those types of places. Breitbart called me and said, you know, I don't know why I can't get anything on the page. And a short time after that, I asked Matt about that and he said, don't run any Breitbart stuff. And I didn't say why. I just said okay, and he said, you know, just just don't run anything from Breitbart. Breitbart I think spent something like one hundred thousand dollars to get the wires, which are very expensive, and it was more than a year before Matt came back and said, okay, you can post Briitbart things. Now. I don't know what that was about, but Matt is kind of thin skin and somewhat vindictive, and so you know, it might have just been punishment. It's it's the way Matt deals with other people that you know, is unusual. Anyone who's been his friend and then found that they are a former friend that never speaks with him again knows what I'm talking about. Like the story with Tucker Carlson, I never would have guessed it was that until Tucker told me that story. But that can hold some grudges.

Take me through your average morning and when you were working, and just kind of how it operated. How does the Drudge Report operate behind the scenes.

Take me through your average morning and when you were working, and just kind of how it operated. How does the Drudge Report operate behind the scenes.

I'd get up at six o'clock here's I always did when I was covering the White House, and just start looking at things. In seven o'clock I would start posting it. I would post out straight until eleven o'clock. A lot of times after I got the hang of it, and Matt would stay off and not come on until eleven o'clock. And what other times he would send me a story here or there and say, you know here post this or post that, or but yeah I would. I would then just spend my five hours, you know, coming the Internet and my emails and the tip box, through the Drudge Report emails and just you know, finding the stories that I wanted. The drudg Report is the simplest code you can imagine. It's actually just nineteen ninety eight code. Anybody who's seen it then knows that it's exactly the same way today, which is twenty five years later. So it was a very simple process to put something on. You grabbed a oky, you copy in the earl, and you went into something that's called an FTP, which is where the code goes, and you would just drop it in there and then you'd either put a picture on it or not. It's a bizarre job because I remember talking about this one time with Andrew Breitbart, who had worked with Matt before that. We met at a sea Pack conference here in DC and I said, you know, hey, I'm going to be going to run the DRUDG Report and he was like, oh boy, that's going to be uninteresting job. And I said, well, how do I do it? Is it hard to do? And he said, this is the only job where you don't really know what your job is and your boss will never really tell you. So that's really how it turned out to be, is that Matt brought me on board because of the long history of sending him stories that he'd like, and he eventually just said to me the same thing that Andrews said is just keep doing what you're doing, because you know, the reason you're here is that I like what you've been sending and so just keep it up.

I'd get up at six o'clock here's I always did when I was covering the White House, and just start looking at things. In seven o'clock I would start posting it. I would post out straight until eleven o'clock. A lot of times after I got the hang of it, and Matt would stay off and not come on until eleven o'clock. And what other times he would send me a story here or there and say, you know here post this or post that, or but yeah I would. I would then just spend my five hours, you know, coming the Internet and my emails and the tip box, through the Drudge Report emails and just you know, finding the stories that I wanted. The drudg Report is the simplest code you can imagine. It's actually just nineteen ninety eight code. Anybody who's seen it then knows that it's exactly the same way today, which is twenty five years later. So it was a very simple process to put something on. You grabbed a oky, you copy in the earl, and you went into something that's called an FTP, which is where the code goes, and you would just drop it in there and then you'd either put a picture on it or not. It's a bizarre job because I remember talking about this one time with Andrew Breitbart, who had worked with Matt before that. We met at a sea Pack conference here in DC and I said, you know, hey, I'm going to be going to run the DRUDG Report and he was like, oh boy, that's going to be uninteresting job. And I said, well, how do I do it? Is it hard to do? And he said, this is the only job where you don't really know what your job is and your boss will never really tell you. So that's really how it turned out to be, is that Matt brought me on board because of the long history of sending him stories that he'd like, and he eventually just said to me the same thing that Andrews said is just keep doing what you're doing, because you know, the reason you're here is that I like what you've been sending and so just keep it up.

So you were not getting a lot of feedback as an employee.

So you were not getting a lot of feedback as an employee.

Oh, almost no feedback. I mean it was an unusual job. I mean the only time I would get feedback is if I ran something that was a day or two old. That would drive mad nuts, because you know, the whole idea behind the site is fresh and new. And he's told me one time that you know, if people see old stuff here, they'll stop coming back because they'll go I already know that they want to see stuff they didn't know.

Oh, almost no feedback. I mean it was an unusual job. I mean the only time I would get feedback is if I ran something that was a day or two old. That would drive mad nuts, because you know, the whole idea behind the site is fresh and new. And he's told me one time that you know, if people see old stuff here, they'll stop coming back because they'll go I already know that they want to see stuff they didn't know.

Would you talk to Matt just about like as a just your employees, you're working at the same company. Would you guys hang out, talk on the phone, anything like that.

Would you talk to Matt just about like as a just your employees, you're working at the same company. Would you guys hang out, talk on the phone, anything like that.

Now, I think in the four years that I work with Matt, I think we spoke less than ten times. We would probably speak about twice a year maybe, And it was funny because whenever we would speak, it was always during my shift on and we would talk for three or four hours because we just had so much stuff to talk about. It we just hadn't caught up. And you know, I'm plugged into the political world, He's plugged into every world there is, and we would just have really interesting, wide ranging talks. We never really talked about doing the job, or you know, hey, let's keep an eye on this story or that story. You know, those are interesting and let's stay away from this. We literally didn't talk shop hardly. Ever. I don't think he ever really gave me any specific direction on you know, let's not do this or let's do more of that.

Now, I think in the four years that I work with Matt, I think we spoke less than ten times. We would probably speak about twice a year maybe, And it was funny because whenever we would speak, it was always during my shift on and we would talk for three or four hours because we just had so much stuff to talk about. It we just hadn't caught up. And you know, I'm plugged into the political world, He's plugged into every world there is, and we would just have really interesting, wide ranging talks. We never really talked about doing the job, or you know, hey, let's keep an eye on this story or that story. You know, those are interesting and let's stay away from this. We literally didn't talk shop hardly. Ever. I don't think he ever really gave me any specific direction on you know, let's not do this or let's do more of that.

Would he just call you out of the blue, or I mean, where was he at this time?

Would he just call you out of the blue, or I mean, where was he at this time?

Did you know it's hugually in Miami. I mean we we and so, yeah, he would just call me and we would chat. We only met one time in a hotel in Virginia, just outside of DC. We were sitting in a booth and he said, kind of cryptically, He's like, this is where it all started. And I said, one all started, and he said, this is where Linda Tripp first gave me the tapes and the transcripts of Monica Lewinsky. He was like, I used to meet Linda right here at this table. That was the only time we ever met in person.

Did you know it's hugually in Miami. I mean we we and so, yeah, he would just call me and we would chat. We only met one time in a hotel in Virginia, just outside of DC. We were sitting in a booth and he said, kind of cryptically, He's like, this is where it all started. And I said, one all started, and he said, this is where Linda Tripp first gave me the tapes and the transcripts of Monica Lewinsky. He was like, I used to meet Linda right here at this table. That was the only time we ever met in person.

What was he doing in DC?

What was he doing in DC?

I don't know. He was very mysterious. Hey, he would send emails saying, you know, I'll be traveling from this time to that time. So can you, you know, just sit in on the page during my shift or and you know, I would, like anyone else, say oh good and cool, where are you going? And he would never respond. I never knew where he was going or where he was. You know, there were different times that I would suddenly start to see more stories about Israel, more stories about Australia, more stories about Mexico, and I would wonder, here's Matt there, because he's interested in this place all of a sudden. So but no, he was. He was very mysterious about that. He never talked about where he was. Again, maybe owing back to that story about Hillary Clinton, maybe it's you know, maybe he had a real fear about the Clintons and somebody doing something to him.

I don't know. He was very mysterious. Hey, he would send emails saying, you know, I'll be traveling from this time to that time. So can you, you know, just sit in on the page during my shift or and you know, I would, like anyone else, say oh good and cool, where are you going? And he would never respond. I never knew where he was going or where he was. You know, there were different times that I would suddenly start to see more stories about Israel, more stories about Australia, more stories about Mexico, and I would wonder, here's Matt there, because he's interested in this place all of a sudden. So but no, he was. He was very mysterious about that. He never talked about where he was. Again, maybe owing back to that story about Hillary Clinton, maybe it's you know, maybe he had a real fear about the Clintons and somebody doing something to him.

When you were working there, did you learn anything about the financial operation, like how much money the Drudge report makes.

When you were working there, did you learn anything about the financial operation, like how much money the Drudge report makes.

I know he paid me a lot, and so I was assuming he was making a lot more than that. It was an incredible operation. I mean it was literally just him and some servers and some company that did ads for him. And you know, not a lot of overad not a lot of staff, not a lot of anything. So by the time he started doing thirty million page views a day. I mean, I'm assuming he was making millions and millions, But I have no idea.

I know he paid me a lot, and so I was assuming he was making a lot more than that. It was an incredible operation. I mean it was literally just him and some servers and some company that did ads for him. And you know, not a lot of overad not a lot of staff, not a lot of anything. So by the time he started doing thirty million page views a day. I mean, I'm assuming he was making millions and millions, But I have no idea.

When and how did your tenure at the Drudge Report come to an end.

When and how did your tenure at the Drudge Report come to an end.

Well, I guess it was the end of twenty thirteen or early twenty fourteen that we met again here just outside of DC in Virginia, and he talked about wanting to come back on to the page and run the page in the morning. I had been running the page in the morning for probably three three and a half years at that point, and what I started it was also interesting because Matt said, you know, I don't know how much longer I can do this. Maybe a couple of years, you know, maybe longer. My opinion was just that he was kind of burned out, and anyone would be. I mean, he works every day, three hundred and sixty five days a year, and he's been doing that for, you know, twenty five years, and so at that point, I think he was just kind of getting to the point of being burned out. He's you know, how long can you do that? So I think by me spelling him for all that time in the mornings and kind of giving him some of his life back. He got out of his burnout and wanted to come back, and he wanted to know if I wanted to, you know, work the afternoon shift and kind of just post down page, so I wouldn't really be running the page. I would just sort of be putting some links on it. And I had been posting the main stories and really just completely running the entire page for a long time, and I just didn't want to do that. And and again it was a pay cup, but it was also shorter hours. But I just figured, you know, well it's another experience I've done, and I'll just go and do something else.

Well, I guess it was the end of twenty thirteen or early twenty fourteen that we met again here just outside of DC in Virginia, and he talked about wanting to come back on to the page and run the page in the morning. I had been running the page in the morning for probably three three and a half years at that point, and what I started it was also interesting because Matt said, you know, I don't know how much longer I can do this. Maybe a couple of years, you know, maybe longer. My opinion was just that he was kind of burned out, and anyone would be. I mean, he works every day, three hundred and sixty five days a year, and he's been doing that for, you know, twenty five years, and so at that point, I think he was just kind of getting to the point of being burned out. He's you know, how long can you do that? So I think by me spelling him for all that time in the mornings and kind of giving him some of his life back. He got out of his burnout and wanted to come back, and he wanted to know if I wanted to, you know, work the afternoon shift and kind of just post down page, so I wouldn't really be running the page. I would just sort of be putting some links on it. And I had been posting the main stories and really just completely running the entire page for a long time, and I just didn't want to do that. And and again it was a pay cup, but it was also shorter hours. But I just figured, you know, well it's another experience I've done, and I'll just go and do something else.

And so it was just kind of an amicable fading away.

And so it was just kind of an amicable fading away.

Yeah, yeah, it really was. I mean it was funny because I was, you know, in some ways being fired, and you know, I didn't really you know, say I want to stay and do things. But again, we ended up speaking for five hours. We were at this restaurant, and I remember we were there, you know, for like a late breakfast and they were still there in mid afternoon, late afternoon, and I remember the waiters and waitresses were not that happy with us just sitting there and talking. But yeah, we spoke for like four hours, which was unusual. I said, hey, I don't even have a picture of the two us of us, and he said, you know, no, no pictures. I don't do pictures anymore, so we couldn't take a selfie.

Yeah, yeah, it really was. I mean it was funny because I was, you know, in some ways being fired, and you know, I didn't really you know, say I want to stay and do things. But again, we ended up speaking for five hours. We were at this restaurant, and I remember we were there, you know, for like a late breakfast and they were still there in mid afternoon, late afternoon, and I remember the waiters and waitresses were not that happy with us just sitting there and talking. But yeah, we spoke for like four hours, which was unusual. I said, hey, I don't even have a picture of the two us of us, and he said, you know, no, no pictures. I don't do pictures anymore, so we couldn't take a selfie.

Was that the last time you spoke to him?

Was that the last time you spoke to him?

Yeah, it was definitely the last time I spoke with him. I don't know if we had any emails or text back and forth after that, but if we did, it was it was for a very short period. And that I've never spoken with him or emailed or communicated with him in any way since then.

Yeah, it was definitely the last time I spoke with him. I don't know if we had any emails or text back and forth after that, but if we did, it was it was for a very short period. And that I've never spoken with him or emailed or communicated with him in any way since then.

That's remarkable. Just just like that, it's just gone.

That's remarkable. Just just like that, it's just gone.

Yeah, it was. It was a shame for me, because you know, I liked talking with him and he was a he was a good friend. He did say something unusual one time too, when I what I I guess it was when we were first talking before he hired me on. I said, well, I'm surprised that you're making this move and that you would pick me for and he said, well, you're one of my oldest friends. And it was unusual because we hardly knew each other. I mean I would see him maybe once a year at the White Hoss correspondence dinner. I would send him emails, but he would very rarely, if ever, send anything back, because again he's so busy and he's reading one hundred emails an hour, so he's not going to send you back a message and says, hey, I've posted the thing you have sent me the thanks very much. He didn't do that. His thank you was he posted it. That was was enough. So it was just unusual that he was calling you one of his oldest friends when you know, I kind of thought we barely knew each other.

Yeah, it was. It was a shame for me, because you know, I liked talking with him and he was a he was a good friend. He did say something unusual one time too, when I what I I guess it was when we were first talking before he hired me on. I said, well, I'm surprised that you're making this move and that you would pick me for and he said, well, you're one of my oldest friends. And it was unusual because we hardly knew each other. I mean I would see him maybe once a year at the White Hoss correspondence dinner. I would send him emails, but he would very rarely, if ever, send anything back, because again he's so busy and he's reading one hundred emails an hour, so he's not going to send you back a message and says, hey, I've posted the thing you have sent me the thanks very much. He didn't do that. His thank you was he posted it. That was was enough. So it was just unusual that he was calling you one of his oldest friends when you know, I kind of thought we barely knew each other.

Who were Matt Drudge's friends. Obviously he considered you a friend.

Who were Matt Drudge's friends. Obviously he considered you a friend.

I don't know who any of his friends are. I know that, and Culture was a friend of his. But again, he kind of goes through his friends and then if they have a falling out, it's just over. I don't think very many former friends of Matt Drudge ever came back, like Tucker Carlson did. I think once he had a falling out, you were just done. That's the thing about Matt Drudge is nobody really knows anything about him. I don't know any of his friends. We never met with anybody, hung out with anyone. I never met him someplace where there are a bunch of people. I just he's very isolated, and he's and again he's down close to the to the Everglades, so he's, you know, really away from everything.

I don't know who any of his friends are. I know that, and Culture was a friend of his. But again, he kind of goes through his friends and then if they have a falling out, it's just over. I don't think very many former friends of Matt Drudge ever came back, like Tucker Carlson did. I think once he had a falling out, you were just done. That's the thing about Matt Drudge is nobody really knows anything about him. I don't know any of his friends. We never met with anybody, hung out with anyone. I never met him someplace where there are a bunch of people. I just he's very isolated, and he's and again he's down close to the to the Everglades, so he's, you know, really away from everything.

The reporter tried to write a story about him and go to he actually went to that compound and went to the house and spoke to Drudge only on the telephone. But Drudge was not happy that this reporter went to his house.

The reporter tried to write a story about him and go to he actually went to that compound and went to the house and spoke to Drudge only on the telephone. But Drudge was not happy that this reporter went to his house.

Well, that's really the only way that you would ever see him. I think if he's exercising, he's not going to a gym. I think if he's shopping, he's going to the local grocery store or maybe even just having that stuff brought to him. And I guess that's maybe a lifestyle that you might need to live here in America. But I think that's also why he likes foreign travel. He can kind of go anywhere he wants and no one's going to recognize him. I think most people around Washington, d C. Would know who Mad Drudge is. But I don't think, you know, if he popped up in Tapeka, Kansas, that anyone would have any idea that he's a major player in the political world.

Well, that's really the only way that you would ever see him. I think if he's exercising, he's not going to a gym. I think if he's shopping, he's going to the local grocery store or maybe even just having that stuff brought to him. And I guess that's maybe a lifestyle that you might need to live here in America. But I think that's also why he likes foreign travel. He can kind of go anywhere he wants and no one's going to recognize him. I think most people around Washington, d C. Would know who Mad Drudge is. But I don't think, you know, if he popped up in Tapeka, Kansas, that anyone would have any idea that he's a major player in the political world.

What do you think about the reporting or I guess we should say the rumors that he sold the Dredge Report and is no longer a part of it, Well.

What do you think about the reporting or I guess we should say the rumors that he sold the Dredge Report and is no longer a part of it, Well.

I think that's totally wrong, and I'll tell you why, because number one, having run it and watched it for not only the years that I ran the actual site, but for pretty much his entire from the day he started breaking these stories in nineteen ninety eight, everybody read Drudge, and I got to know, you know, a Drudge headline. He's a master of headline writing, and he's written tens of thousands of headlines. And you know, people think the guys that the New York Daily News and the New York Post are clever. Matt's even more than that. And I have seen plenty of headlines since all of those rumors that I think right away, that's a headline that only Matt Drudge could have written. But here's another thing that is definitive proof. I had really kind of decided that the page needed to have, you know, three, four pictures per column, and so what I would be doing my page. I tried not to go more than five links or so before I had another picture, because it would just turn into a big black and white mess. So when I told him that one time, he was like, oh, man, I wish I could just go back to the bi old days where I had no pictures. I don't even want pictures. And I said, well, you know, I mean, it's twenty ten and everything's changing and people like pictures and a picture can sometimes draw you into the story. And he said, well, if I had by way, I would do it like a newspaper. I would just do only black and white pictures. And if you've been reading his page for the last few months, that's what it is now. It's just black and white pictures, which means he's got to either have some sort of filter to take a picture from color and turn it into black and white, or he's spending an awful lot of time finding black and white pictures. But it's only black and white pictures on the page now, And to me, that just means Matt Drudge is still running the page.

I think that's totally wrong, and I'll tell you why, because number one, having run it and watched it for not only the years that I ran the actual site, but for pretty much his entire from the day he started breaking these stories in nineteen ninety eight, everybody read Drudge, and I got to know, you know, a Drudge headline. He's a master of headline writing, and he's written tens of thousands of headlines. And you know, people think the guys that the New York Daily News and the New York Post are clever. Matt's even more than that. And I have seen plenty of headlines since all of those rumors that I think right away, that's a headline that only Matt Drudge could have written. But here's another thing that is definitive proof. I had really kind of decided that the page needed to have, you know, three, four pictures per column, and so what I would be doing my page. I tried not to go more than five links or so before I had another picture, because it would just turn into a big black and white mess. So when I told him that one time, he was like, oh, man, I wish I could just go back to the bi old days where I had no pictures. I don't even want pictures. And I said, well, you know, I mean, it's twenty ten and everything's changing and people like pictures and a picture can sometimes draw you into the story. And he said, well, if I had by way, I would do it like a newspaper. I would just do only black and white pictures. And if you've been reading his page for the last few months, that's what it is now. It's just black and white pictures, which means he's got to either have some sort of filter to take a picture from color and turn it into black and white, or he's spending an awful lot of time finding black and white pictures. But it's only black and white pictures on the page now, And to me, that just means Matt Drudge is still running the page.

Do you think he would have directed the current editor to just do that.

Do you think he would have directed the current editor to just do that.

That's possible, in which case he'd still be involved in it. If that were the case, he had told me at one point that he had been offered either he had been offered or he thought he could sell the page for one hundred million dollars, and I think he told me he'd been offered that for the page. Because it's just so massive that you could really change the politics of the page if you wanted to. Matt would sign something that said, you know, he wouldn't disclose that he's no longer even involved in the page. And you know that would be huge because then you would just be coming out of the page thinking you're reading that Drudge. But again, with the stories that I see on the page and the black and white and the occasional headline that I just think is absolutely brilliant, That's why I think Matt Drudge is still running it. But when I was running it, I ran it from six or seven am to eleven eleven am. Charlie Hurt, who was also an editor at the Washington Times, he was eventually hired on. He did it from eleven to four. Then Matt would come on four or five o'clock run until ten o'clock. In those days, the British papers were putting out their good stuff in the evening, so he would come on and run the page, and so he could have somebody There are some rumors of different people that I've heard of that are running the page now, but I still think Matt's definitely involved in the page. And whether he's coming on once a day and putting on some things he likes and taking off some other things and setting it up. Whether he runs an actual shift, whether he does the mornings and somebody does the evenings, I don't know about that, but it's just from my experience, I think he's still on there in some capacity.

That's possible, in which case he'd still be involved in it. If that were the case, he had told me at one point that he had been offered either he had been offered or he thought he could sell the page for one hundred million dollars, and I think he told me he'd been offered that for the page. Because it's just so massive that you could really change the politics of the page if you wanted to. Matt would sign something that said, you know, he wouldn't disclose that he's no longer even involved in the page. And you know that would be huge because then you would just be coming out of the page thinking you're reading that Drudge. But again, with the stories that I see on the page and the black and white and the occasional headline that I just think is absolutely brilliant, That's why I think Matt Drudge is still running it. But when I was running it, I ran it from six or seven am to eleven eleven am. Charlie Hurt, who was also an editor at the Washington Times, he was eventually hired on. He did it from eleven to four. Then Matt would come on four or five o'clock run until ten o'clock. In those days, the British papers were putting out their good stuff in the evening, so he would come on and run the page, and so he could have somebody There are some rumors of different people that I've heard of that are running the page now, but I still think Matt's definitely involved in the page. And whether he's coming on once a day and putting on some things he likes and taking off some other things and setting it up. Whether he runs an actual shift, whether he does the mornings and somebody does the evenings, I don't know about that, but it's just from my experience, I think he's still on there in some capacity.

Why do you think Matt Drudge turned against Donald Trump? In twenty twenty?

Why do you think Matt Drudge turned against Donald Trump? In twenty twenty?

There were rumors and stories that came out from the Trump camp that Drudge had gotten very angry at either Donald Trump himself or Jared Kushno or somebody else in there. Matt used to go to the White House every once in a while when Trump was in and Matt was again. He's so astute on things that he saw the viability of Donald Trump. Drudge actually did have, I think, a role in the election of Donald Trump. So what I've heard from various sources is that the we had a falling out with Donald Trump and Jared Kushta. In one version that I've heard, apparently coming out of the Trump White House was the fact that Drudge said, you know, before the twenty twenty election, you need me, and the Trumper said, we don't need you. We don't need we don't need anybody. We sure don't need some blogger.

There were rumors and stories that came out from the Trump camp that Drudge had gotten very angry at either Donald Trump himself or Jared Kushno or somebody else in there. Matt used to go to the White House every once in a while when Trump was in and Matt was again. He's so astute on things that he saw the viability of Donald Trump. Drudge actually did have, I think, a role in the election of Donald Trump. So what I've heard from various sources is that the we had a falling out with Donald Trump and Jared Kushta. In one version that I've heard, apparently coming out of the Trump White House was the fact that Drudge said, you know, before the twenty twenty election, you need me, and the Trumper said, we don't need you. We don't need we don't need anybody. We sure don't need some blogger.

So what does Joseph Kerl think about Matt Drudge in the current era?

So what does Joseph Kerl think about Matt Drudge in the current era?

Well, I think the page has definitely changed. When me and Matt and Charlie were running the page, it was super dynamic. I mean I was posting upwards of twenty five thirty stories during my shift. I was taking off a lot of things that were on the page from the I was taking everything off that I had posted the morning before, and I was taking some things that had been on for a bunch of hours. And then Charlie would come on and do the same thing, and then Matt would do it. So we were cycling in and out, you know, upwards of one hundred stories per day. And now when you look at the page, Matt might have the main story up there all day and never changes, and there's far fewer links. I think that's another conscious decision he's made. You know, sometimes there used to be twenty five thirty links per column. You now have ten or twelve links per colum unless something really big is going on, so there's not a lot of content on the page. It doesn't change very often, and his politics are really different.

Well, I think the page has definitely changed. When me and Matt and Charlie were running the page, it was super dynamic. I mean I was posting upwards of twenty five thirty stories during my shift. I was taking off a lot of things that were on the page from the I was taking everything off that I had posted the morning before, and I was taking some things that had been on for a bunch of hours. And then Charlie would come on and do the same thing, and then Matt would do it. So we were cycling in and out, you know, upwards of one hundred stories per day. And now when you look at the page, Matt might have the main story up there all day and never changes, and there's far fewer links. I think that's another conscious decision he's made. You know, sometimes there used to be twenty five thirty links per column. You now have ten or twelve links per colum unless something really big is going on, so there's not a lot of content on the page. It doesn't change very often, and his politics are really different.

You've done a few interviews appeared in books about Matt Drudge. Have you heard anything about what Matt thinks of you talking about working on the site when it was so secretive when you were working there.

You've done a few interviews appeared in books about Matt Drudge. Have you heard anything about what Matt thinks of you talking about working on the site when it was so secretive when you were working there.

The weird conundrum for me is that you know, Matt's so secretive, you don't talk about Matt Drudge. And but I'm really proud of the work that I did at the Drudge Report. I had a blast doing it, and I think it's cool to tell some stories about such an influential place that I actually got to be a part of at one point. But I worry sometimes if the story is going to be lost, and I always have the tiniest part of a story to tell. But you know, I just think it's so weird to to not be able to talk about something. I'm proud of the work I did at the Drudge Report, and I'm proud of the page and just being associated with it. It has been a very cool thing. I was a very tiny part of a big history of you know, Drudge broke one of the biggest stories ever, certainly in modern journalism, and I had some eventual role in that site, is all I claim to fame too. But the other reason is that, you know, I worry Matt had said at one point that he was going to write a book, and you know, maybe he was going to help participate and aid somebody else who writes a book. And I just worry that some of this will get lost.