Why, Max, Why?

Max Lugavere, and his podcast “The Genius Life” has garnered a following of 1.2 million followers on Instagram (IG). His podcasts are listened to by hundreds of thousands of people on most podcast platforms and YouTube. In a few short years, he has become a leading authority on longevity, brain health, nutrition science, fitness and wellness. I have been a follower for years and have learned an astonishing amount about my body and how to improve its performance and resilience by listening to his podcast.

Up until recently, his social media has been solely directed at his health research, breaking down complex studies and interviewing the top scientists and experts in the health and wellness field. In the last few months, I have seen at least 3 IG stories with political right-wing images and content. Since IG stories only appear for 24 hours, I was only able to capture two images regarding his right-wing inflammatory politics.

I don’t believe these posts are appropriate for Lugavere’s feed. The reason creators use IG stories is because they are a perfect way to experiment with different kinds of content. Unlike the permanent IG feed, stories disappear in 24 hours. (“Instagram Stories”) Lugavere does not reference any type of politics or personal positions on inflammatory topics on his regular feed or within his podcasts. I suspect that others have been equally surprised by this sudden display of political views because Lugavere had written a comment suggesting that this was the case (the comment has since been removed) and that he had some blowback from the first negative IG story about transgender sex change surgery.

If I were to be responsible for his social feed, I would have him discuss his political beliefs on a personal account if he feels the need to do so. The messages received by his followers are suddenly confusing. For those who disagree with him, his excellent work in the health field has been tarnished. I noted though, that his follower count has not been affected and his guests are still among the top educators and specialists in the field. I could not find any negative comments or a change in the number of likes or comments in the posts on his feed around the time of the inflammatory stories.

This is a difficult and dividing time in American politics, so I’m hoping that this type of posting will stop once the election has passed and everyone can get back to what they do best.

Left: This image was taken from his IG Story depicting pages of a children’s book that is teaching LGBTQ terms. While this is certainly a hot debate topic, it has nothing to do with his life’s work. https://www.instagram.com/maxlugavere/

Right: This was also taken from his more recent IG story and sends a derogatory message about the American Vice President candidate Tim Walz. https://www.instagram.com/maxlugavere/

Works Cited

“Instagram Stories: The Complete Guide to Creating Standout Stories.” Buffer Library, 17 June 2024, https://buffer.com/library/instagram-stories/.