CHAOS THEORY

Mitchell Jackson, a once-canceled journalist, is comfortable with controversy—his own and that of his incendiary clients

- By Natalie Korach

MITCHELL JACKSON arrived at The Odeon 10 minutes early for our photo shoot, getting out of his Uber with headphones on for a phone call. With a large coffee in hand and an L.L. Bean tote embroidered with “Cancelled” over his shoulder, the PR strategist and crisis consultant took a lap around the block, finishing his phone call privately, before meeting in front of the Tribeca restaurant. “I hate this,” he says of the attention, before politely introducing himself to the photographer, whom he towered over in black Doc Martens boots.

Being in front of the camera and the subject of a story is uncomfortable for Jackson. A self-described “interloper,” the 33-year-old PR pro is accustomed to working behind the scenes on behalf of high-profile and provocative clients such as Candace Owens, Brett Cooper, Adam Friedland, Caroline Calloway, and Adam22.

Jackson occupies a unique space in today’s combustible internet news cycle, where reams of outrage can cut short a budding media career—or propel one to new heights. A journalist once canceled for consorting with members of the far-right media, with a voting record that includes backing Ron DeSantis and Joe Biden, Jackson is thriving in the chaos that comes with repping conservative podcasters and contrarian comedians while also managing various A-list crises.

Though he generally sticks to the shadows, a recent New York Times profile of Cooper, the conservative YouTube star and Fox News contributor, noted how her “publicist” had “enticed a whole row of reporters” to watch her perform at a New York comedy club earlier this year.