Did commentator Ben Shapiro criticize the work of American painter Georgia O'Keeffe for "not looking like anything"? No, that's not true: quotations attributed to Shapiro actually originated in a 2021 article by the self-described satire website The Hard Times, and were re-shared again in March 2025. Similarly, Shapiro never posted a video to YouTube with the title "Ben Shapiro DESTROYS Georgia O'Keeffe in this clip."
The headline "Ben Shapiro Criticizes Georgia O'Keeffe Paintings for Not Looking Like Anything" appeared in a March 21, 2025 Instagram post (archived here). This is what the post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Instagram screenshot)
The post was shared widely on Instagram, and screenshots of it were re-posted, including on other platforms like X and Facebook.
Many of those who shared the claim did not appear to be aware that it originated on a website that describes its output as satirical in nature, The Hard Times.
On March 9, 2021, the website published an article (archived here) with the headline "Ben Shapiro Criticizes Georgia O'Keeffe Paintings for Not Looking Like Anything," which began as follows:
Political commentator Ben Shapiro admitted today that he doesn't like the paintings of renowned artist Georgia O'Keeffe because her works "look like absolutely nothing."
"This is what's considered art?" Shapiro commented, in his self-published YouTube video titled, "Ben Shapiro DESTROYS Georgia O'Keeffe in this clip.'' "It's just flowers. I have some in my backyard. Supposedly they're supposed to look like something else, but honestly, it looks like nothing I've ever seen before -- it's just a collection of plants and desertscapes that, for some reason, make me feel anxious and extremely confused. If I want to see real art, I'll look at something deep, like a Civil War painting or Dr. Seuss' old stuff."
In the "About" section of its website, The Hard Times describes itself as a "satire site."
Contrary to the contents of the satirical 2021 article, Shapiro has never posted a video centered around the artist Georgia O'Keeffe or her work. A search of Shapiro's YouTube channel for the phrase "Georgia O'Keeffe" yielded no relevant results.
