Joshua Feuerstein

Feuerstein first received media attention in April 2015 after he posted a video where he denounced Cut the Cake, a bakery in Longwood, Florida.[7] In the video, Feuerstein stated that he had called the bakery on April 1, 2015 and asked them to make a cake with an anti-gay marriage message on it. After the owner refused Feuerstein posted the video and encouraged his followers to call the bakery themselves and show what he said was hypocrisy. This resulted in his followers attacking the bakery's Facebook page, including posting one-star reviews.[7] Feuerstein later removed the video and stated that he had done this as part of a social experiment on religious freedom.[8] Cut the Cake commented on his video, stating that his video had hurt their business and that they had received death threats over his actions.[9] The bakery held an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, through which they raised over $13,000.[10]

He received more media attention in July 2015 after uploading a video that some media outlets such as Salon and Logo TV implied that Feuerstein was encouraging followers to use violent actions against backers of anti-discrimination measures and legalized same-sex marriage.[11][12] In the video Feuerstein cited several media cases to back up claims were attacks on Christianity, such as claims that owners of the Hitching Post Wedding Chapel were going to face jail time and fines if they did not perform same-sex marriages. Towards the end of the video Feuerstein stated “They are coming after our First Amendment constitutional rights. Well, check this out. This is one pastor that will not bow. Why? Because my First Amendment right is guaranteed by my Second Amendment right.”[13] The Advocate heavily criticized Feuerstein, calling the video "disturbing".[14] Writers for The Advocate and HuffPost also asserted that several of his claims were inaccurate.[13][14]

On July 29, 2015, Feuerstein also uploaded a video onto the video-sharing website Vimeo, in which he is shown saying, "I say, tonight, we punish Planned Parenthood. I think it’s time that abortion doctors should have to run and hide and be afraid for their life.” [sic] The original video was taken down on November 30, 2015, in the aftermath of the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting but it was saved and reposted onto YouTube by several others.[15]

In November 2015 Feuerstein posted a video on Facebook criticizing Starbucks for removing Christmas-related symbols from its holiday cups in favor of a solid red design.[16] The video made national headlines and Feuerstein appeared on CNN that same month. In his appearance, he stated that his post was not just about the Starbucks cup, adding, “The silent majority is sick and tired of consistently being bullied to be quiet about our beliefs and trying to remove Christ out of Christmas."[17] He appeared alongside radio personality Pete Dominick, who heavily criticized Feuerstein and stated that his energy would have been better spent feeding the homeless, which he stated would accomplish Feuerstein's point "without all the hatred and bigotry and cynical self-promotion”.[3][18][19] After his appearance on CNN, Feuerstein posted a second video on the subject where he called for a boycott against Starbucks and accused Starbucks of putting fetuses in their coffee and supporting Planned Parenthood. The video was quickly taken down.[20]

In July 2020, Feuerstein had his Facebook account suspended for posting a false story of Black Lives Matter supporters murdering an elderly white woman. After having his Facebook page restored, he was immediately met with public scorn for posting a video where he accused people who wear masks as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic of being sheep. Around this time, Feuerstein made several posts where he promoted anti-COVID conspiracy theories and claimed the whole pandemic was a hoax.[21] In October 2020, Feurerstein made a second COVID related video that gained notoriety. The video, which was posted on his wife's Facebook (as he had been banned from the site at this point), showed Feurstein holding sheep food up to a civilian's face and calling them a sheep because they were wearing a mask as a response to the pandemic.[22]