dpPodcaster Jennifer Welch described homeschooling as a “Crazy Christian problem” and said it is “Trickle down stupidity” and “MAGA on steroids.”
Her remarks prompted backlash and a response from the Department of Education, which wrote on X: “The proven value of homeschooling should never be dismissed as ‘trickle-down stupidity.’ The only thing that is stupid is your ignorance.”
Welch is a liberal podcaster and host of the I’ve Had It podcast, alongside Angie Sullivan. The format of the podcast involves Welch and Sullivan discussing things that they are frustrated with.
The discussion about homeschooling came in response to a call-in from a listener, who said: “What I have absolutely had it with is watching some of the stupidest people I went to school with decide they’re qualified to homeschool their children.”
Welch said: “This is MAHA, this is trad wife, this is unvaxxed and unjacked and all that s***. This is the worst worst worst. And this s*** is, America has a crazy Christian problem. We have a fundamental crazy Christian problem.
“I’m talking about the freaks of the mega church. I’m talking about the ones that have schools that are these crazy indoctrination factories. Hate academies. And then when that hit isn’t strong enough, they go to homeschooling, and I just think it’s a huge problem.”
It’s not the first time Welch’s comments have sparked criticism, having previously come under fire for calling Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a grifter. The podcast is known for sharing outspoken left-wing takes on politics and using profane language.
Newsweek has contacted a representative for the I’ve Had It podcast via email for comment.
The comments have sparked backlash from educational institutions and homeschoolers, among others. The Department of Education wrote in a post on X: “Homeschoolers, like the winner of the Presidential 1776 Award, have demonstrated their ability to succeed at the highest level time and time again.”
Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also weighed in, writing: “Not true. Also, in my experience homeschool students tend to be noticeably well-behaved.”
Ivan LaBianca, who was homeschooled until his final years of high school, told Newsweek that homeschoolers “are definitely not a monolith.”
He noted that while there may be people who chose to homeschool for a specific political or religion reason, many do it for other reasons, such as his family, which he said decided to homeschool him and his older brother for a combination of factors, including flexibility.
LaBianca has fond memories of his homeschool years, particularly with how many other things he was able to do outside of traditional school curriculum, such as woodworking, ceramics and even building remote control airplanes.
“I think homeschooling allows you to do a lot of side quests at a very early age,” he told Newsweek.
LaBianca was largely taught by his mother, who was a teacher and has a master’s degree in English, with his father, an archeologist with a Ph.D. helping out.
He said much of his learning was “self-directed,” which he credits with helping him adapt throughout his career, rather than having to learn things in a “structured way.”
In terms of socialization, LaBianca said there was a strong community of homeschooled children that he would often hang out with and play sports together.
“When you’re homeschooled, you end up spending time with a wider range of kids, rather than being always in your exact cohort,” he said, adding that you often get more comfortable talking to adults at a younger age.
“For me, the outcome as very positive, but I can only speak for me,” he told Newsweek.
Daily Wire opinion editor Benjamin Domenech wrote in a post on X: “In fairness my siblings and I were all homeschooled and all we did was get full rides to college, write speeches for presidents, become senior admin officials and decorated war heroes while on the other hand Jennifer Welch has a podcast.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, homeschooling has been on the rise. The pandemic sparked a surge in the number of households homeschooling their children, but research shows that many families have chosen to keep homeschooling their children.
An analysis of U.S. Census data by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy found that 5.92 percent of school-aged children were reported as homeschooled during the 2023-24 school year—up from 5.82 percent the previous school year and almost double the amount of 2.8 percent who were homeschooled in 2019 before the pandemic.
Studies Show Homeschooling Benefits
Most published research has found homeschooled students performing as well as or better than traditionally schooled peers on standardized tests and college outcomes.
A study from the University of Minnesota examined 732 homeschooled students across 140 colleges and universities, matching them with traditionally educated students on SAT scores, GPA, socioeconomic status, gender and ethnicity.
Researchers found that homeschoolers entered college with higher average SAT scores and high school GPAs, and once matched to similar traditional students, homeschoolers showed no significant difference in first-year college GPA.
Analyses by homeschooling researcher Brian Ray and the National Home Education Research Institute found that homeschool students score 15 to 25 (or 15 to 30) percentile points above public-school students on standardized achievement tests.
Researchers, though, disagree on how much of that advantage stems from homeschooling itself rather than family characteristics such as parental involvement, income and education.
More broadly, critics say many homeschooling studies rely on voluntary participation, meaning families that choose to submit test scores may be more academically engaged than the overall homeschooling population.
Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Edward Pearcey.
