Um, It Looks Like The Real-Life Monopoly Man Just Crashed A Senate Hearing

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On Tuesday, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Warner Bros Discovery Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer Bruce Campbell testified earlier a Senate Judiciary subcommittee. Netflix has a pending $83 billion woody to acquisition Warner Bros Discovery.

Ted Sarandos and Bruce Campbell astatine a ceremonial legislature hearing, seated astatine a agelong array with nameplates. Audience members disposable successful the background

The proceeding was ostensibly to sermon the perchance monolithic merger, but Republican lawmakers besides grilled the executives astir the "overwhelmingly woke" contented offered connected their streaming platforms.

Logos of Warner Bros. and Netflix broadside by side, suggesting a media-related examination oregon collaboration

But a batch of viewers noticed...something else.

Two men astatine a Senate hearing; 1 speaks astir Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros, arsenic shown connected a TV quality caption

Let's zoom successful and enhance:

Two men successful suits astatine a firm hearing. A antheral with a ample achromatic mustache is successful the background. Text mentions Warner Bros. Discovery

Yes, that appears to beryllium Rich Uncle Pennybags from the committee crippled Monopoly.

"Do Not Pass Go."

Senator Ted Cruz adjacent took a interruption from grilling the CEOs astir "wokeness" oregon immoderate to code the Monopoly Man successful the room. Cruz said, "The man sitting down you successful the Monopoly outfit. Um, successful your view, are monopolies a bully happening successful America?" Sarandos replied, "No, sir, they're not."

A man, perchance an executive, is sitting astatine a proceeding with a nameplate. People are seated down him, indicating a ceremonial setting

He besides attracted the attraction of Republican Senator Mike Lee.

Courtroom with panelists astatine an antitrust proceeding connected a projected Netflix and Warner Brothers merger; a idiosyncratic successful costume is present

Incredibly, the Monopoly Man, aka Ian Madrigal, responded to the Senator and fto him cognize precisely what they were doing astatine that hearing:

"Hello, Senator! For the record, I’m anti-monopoly, but pro-LGTBQ, DEI, and immoderate different scaremongering buzzwords y’all are connected about."

Ian is simply a trans and queer activistic who has been popping up successful the inheritance of Senate hearings for years, seen present successful 2017 stealing the spotlight arsenic Richard Smith, erstwhile president and main enforcement serviceman of Equifax Inc., testified.

Person dressed arsenic Monopoly quality successful audience, holding wealth to forehead. Business-suited individuals are seated astir them successful a ceremonial setting

And present they are again successful 2018, attending a Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee proceeding with Mick Mulvaney.

A idiosyncratic successful a monocle and apical chapeau sits down officials astatine a ceremonial event, drafting attraction with their distinctive appearance

In 2019, Ian told the Washington Post, "Surprisingly, I’ve ne'er been arrested for thing I’ve done. It’s similar a achromatic idiosyncratic superpower."

Person dressed arsenic a banker with a mustache, apical hat, and wealth bag, speaking to a information defender and different idiosyncratic successful a suit

Here, Ian stuns successful a photograph astatine the 2023 antitrust suit brought against Google.

Man dressed arsenic Monopoly quality with apical hat, achromatic mustache, and reddish bow necktie extracurricular a car. Another idiosyncratic is entering the car

In July 2025, Ian took their Rich Uncle Pennybags look to the streets to protestation the Federal Trade Commission during a workshop targeting gender-affirming attraction for children.

Man dressed arsenic Monopoly quality holds a protestation motion saying "Pick connected families not billionaires!" extracurricular a authorities gathering with authoritative seals

Check the memo connected this elephantine check:

Person dressed arsenic the Monopoly Man holds a novelty cheque for 1 cardinal dollars to Trump and Vance with the memo a invited distraction successful beforehand of a authorities building

If you're funny successful stealing their look, Ian has besides shared a breakdown of the outgo of the afloat Monopoly Man ensemble successful a post connected Tumblr:

Summary of a humorous database detailing the costs of a meme-inspired Halloween costume, combining assorted inexpensive items and concluding with "Going viral? Priceless."

And successful lawsuit you didn't know, the crippled Monopoly has anti-capitalist origins. It was originally invented successful 1903 by a progressive activistic named Elizabeth Magie. She called it "The Landlord's Game." The crippled was aboriginal adapted to the mentation we combat with our siblings astir contiguous by Charles Darrow, seen below:

An older antheral successful a suit smiles portion playing Monopoly, exchanging wealth with different subordinate astatine a table

After processing the game, Magie wrote, "It is simply a applicable objection of the contiguous strategy of land-grabbing with each its accustomed outcomes and consequences."

Board crippled Monopoly with cards, dice, and pieces positioned mid-game

I conjecture it's existent what they say: The much things change, the much they enactment the same.

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