Chapter 1: How did Aaron Parnas transition from law to becoming a TikTok star?
From lawyer to TikTok star, Aaron Parnas' career path has been anything but typical. He was already attending college at 14. By 18, he was in law school. Parnas is now an independent reporter with the most popular news sub-stack and nearly 8 million followers on Instagram and TikTok. With a variation of his signature tagline, we have some news right now.
He's also managed to do something that the mainstream media has truly struggled with, getting Gen Z invested in politics and current affairs. So what's his secret? Hello and welcome to USA Today's The Excerpt. I'm USA Today senior reporter Jay Stahl. Today is Tuesday, March 10th, 2026. Here to talk about politics and its personal rise, I'm joined by Aaron Parnas right now.
Thanks so much for joining me, Aaron. I'm super excited. So one of the things I wanted to ask you that we've discussed before is why do you think so many people trust you? I mean, I think I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong. I think that's number one. I think number two is the way you see me online is the way you see me in real life. The authenticity factor is really there.
And then I think number three is that it's... It's a relatable kind of way of presenting information and presenting information from my bed, from an airport bathroom, from the couch in a Snuggie. As a matter of where I am, what I look like, what I sound like, I'm just giving you news and giving you information.
And then kind of going back to the first point is I'm not afraid to admit when I get things wrong. I think that... It's important in this day and age to ensure that you're not only providing accurate information, but that also when you get something wrong, when you misinform your audience, that you tell them that and you share how it happened, why it happened and fix your mistakes.
Can you kind of talk about the authenticity factor? I think for people our age, we're both 26, you're turning 27 in April. I think one of the things that people our age have really struggled with with news intake is that it just doesn't feel real. And the difference between seeing someone online from their couch versus seeing someone in a chair at that anchor desk.
Listen, I think that at the end of the day, something that I, growing up over the past like five, six years, something that really irked me was that when I turned on TV or when I turned on streaming services, I would often see news anchors that didn't look like me, sound like me, or talk about issues that matter to me.
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Chapter 2: What strategies did Aaron use to engage Gen Z in politics?
You had folks who are much older, who have been in this space for a much longer period of time, who didn't really ever speak to the issues that Gen Z cared about. And so I always thought that any major media company to reach audiences that are younger should hire younger anchors.
And some have in recent years, but still to this day, the average age of someone on television is probably 40 to 50 years old. That's 20 years older than me. And I also think part of it is also kind of where I'm sharing this information. The average 26 year old these days, you know this as well as anyone, is that we don't have cable, right?
Like we're not watching CNN, MSNOW, Fox News regularly to get information. We have TikTok, we have Instagram. And so the platforms that we're on, that young people are on, are simply, we're looking for a new place to get news and new people to get news from. And so it's kind of just like the perfect storm in a way. I think it's interesting.
You've seen the memes and you've also seen all the TikToks about your work ethic. You basically are a one-man machine who's working all day long. Can you kind of talk about that and what it takes? Because I don't have that in me at all. Okay. Yeah, I mean, it's kind of I tell everyone that I've been perpetually burnt out since starting law school.
The way I kind of do this work is the way I did this work as a lawyer working nonstop on like a big case. So I wake up every morning somewhere between 730 and 8 a.m. I'm at my desk usually by 8 a.m. and I'm working nonstop until I go to bed, which is 10 p.m., 11 p.m. I sleep eight to nine hours a night comfortably, but between the 16 hours during the day, I don't stop working.
I think for me, kind of my workflow is very different from the average person in the sense that I'm so hyperactive. I have multiple screens in my house where I'm getting constantly watching C-SPAN and other news organizations. I have tips coming into my inbox every day. I have the notifications of every member of Congress and world leader on on their social media platform.
So it's like this constant Like you won't ever see the New York Stock Exchange like floor where there's like 10 screens and like a bunch of different tickers going on. That's kind of what my life is like. And that's what my brain is like. And that's why I mean, I don't ever focus on one thing more than like five minutes at a time. It's just like a constant stream of information. Is it healthy?
Definitely not. But is it kind of key to success? Yeah. Yeah.
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Chapter 3: Why do younger audiences prefer creators over traditional news?
Speaking of success, last year you had a big year. You were named to Forbes 50 Under 30. You moderated the first night of former Vice President Kamala Harris's book tour. And you also spoke at a roundtable discussion with former President Obama. And I wanted to ask you what that felt like for you. How did your 2025 feel for you? Yeah, I mean, I think 2025 was amazing.
I mean, I truly to this day still haven't let it kind of set in of like the rise of the past year and especially even like the success of 2026 already. I think for me, the accolades are just a recognition of the work that I'm doing. They're not something that I'm working toward, if that makes sense. I think Forbes is great, but I would have been fine without it.
I think the Kamala book tour was great, but I also would have been fine without it. But it is a recognition that we're doing something good. And to me, at the end of the day, my goal in all of this is... to kind of bridge the gap that's been left in the fact that civics education and media literacy hasn't been taught to kids across the country.
And if I can educate some folks, then I'm doing my job. You told me that your goal really wasn't to be famous, but your goal... with something deeper. Can you kind of talk about that, about wanting to start a nonprofit and the criminal justice work that you care about? My dream growing up, my dream job ever since I was, the reason I went to law school was to be in a courtroom, right?
Like I wanted to be truly a public defender fighting for people who couldn't fight for themselves, who couldn't afford to fight for themselves. That was always the goal. Right now, one of the biggest problems in our justice system, in my opinion, is the fact that public defense is overworked, underpaid.
The starting salary back when I was leaving law school in Florida, I believe it was $36,000 or $40,000 a year. In Miami, that is an unlivable wage for many folks in a town like Miami. And so my dream in all of this one day is to start some type of foundation or nonprofit where I can take that burden off of public defenders across the country and do that work for free.
Public defense work, public defenders shouldn't have hundreds of cases on their workload. And they're some of the best lawyers in the country. They should be able to provide adequate legal representation without being constantly overworked. So that's like kind of a pipe dream of mine. I don't plan on doing the work that I'm doing now forever. I want to be back in a courtroom one day. You do?
I do, yeah. I don't think you've ever told me that before. Yeah, I mean, I think there's truly nothing more exhilarating than getting in front of a jury of six or 12 or a judge and making arguments. I mean, it really is just exciting. Really? I try to stay out of courtrooms, Erin. I think everyone tries to stay out of a courtroom unless they want to be up there arguing. Your dad is...
Lev Parnas, who is involved in campaign finance crimes related to Rudy Giuliani, who he's a former associate of. And you were thrust into the public spotlight a few years ago. A lot of people at RH don't really even know that. And so I wanted to ask you if it's affirming for you to be known first as yourself. It is.
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Chapter 4: What role does authenticity play in Aaron's reporting style?
I kind of take every opportunity to when they come each day at a time. If you asked me 10 years ago, would I be here today? I would say, you're crazy. And so as someone who grew up always planning out their lives of like at 20, I'm gonna do this, at 30, I'm gonna do this for the first time ever, I'm able to kind of just say,
I'm just going to have fun and I'm just going to do this work and enjoy it. And then once I stop enjoying it, I know that there'll be a time where kind of my clock in this industry runs out. I'll know that I'll recognize that and I'll move on to greater pastures. So whether that's at the end of this year, whether that's at the end of 2028 or in 30 years from now, I don't know.
So just kind of taking each day as it comes. Aaron, thank you so much. We really appreciate you taking the time. This was great. Thanks to our senior producer, Kaylee Monahan, for her production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts at usatoday.com. Thanks for listening.
I'm USA Today's senior reporter, Jay Stahl. We'll be back tomorrow with another episode of USA Today's The Excerpt. Draft season means millions of fans are refreshing their team's pages on USA Today Network right now. Returning to sports content they trust again and again. During that surge, the brand customers see most is the one they remember.
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