Jessica Reed Kraus
| Jessica Reed Kraus | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kraus speaking at a Turning Point USA event in June 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Spouse | Mike Kraus |
| Children | 4 |
| Instagram information | |
| Also known as | House Inhabit |
| Page | |
| Followers | 1,336,000 |
Updated: October 25, 2024 | |
Jessica Reed Kraus is an American writer, Instagram influencer, and former mommyblogger who writes the newsletter House Inhabit. The newsletter covers celebrity gossip, conspiracy theories, and American politics.[1][2] Kraus describes her writing as an "alternative approach to reporting" which with "the basic quest for truth, paired with a flexible narrative, I think speaks to people in a real way."[3]
Early life
[edit]Kraus grew up in Corona, California, as the third of four children. Her father had died by suicide when she was six, after he struggled with a drug addiction. As a teenager, Kraus aspired to be a gossip columnist, but then later wanted to become an English teacher. The plans to go to teaching college were derailed when she became pregnant with her then-boyfriend Mike, who was a touring musician.[4]
Career
[edit]Kraus grew her Instagram account as a home improvement and lifestyle influencer, using the username @houseinhabit.[5] Her ex husband Mike got a construction job, and began remodeling their home in San Clemente, California, which she would write about.[4] Her home had been featured on Martha Stewart's Instagram page, and Kraus and her husband sold items on Etsy like teepees for kids.[6]
The Britney Spears conservatorship case interested Kraus, so she began posting about it to a receptive audience. Using Venmo, Kraus solicited donations to fund travel, often staying with friends.[5][7] She attended the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell[3] in 2021, and the Harvey Weinstein abuse case in 2022, posting about them on Instagram Stories and in her newsletter.[5] After an expensive week of being at the Maxwell trial, she flew back home to California, where she says an owl's appearance convinced her to return, funded by audience donations.[4] When Catherine, Princess of Wales, was not seen in public for an extended period of time, she published in her newsletter various conspiracies about the Princess.[4]
When actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation, Kraus said that Depp was unfairly presumed to have abused Heard.[4] Kraus says that, before the trial began, Depp's lawyer called her and had Depp speak to her[4] for an hour and a half at the beginning of the trial after being connected to him through an "old friend of Johnny's" Kraus met on Instagram.[8] During the Depp v. Heard defamation trial, Kraus posted daily updates on Instagram, often siding with Depp and criticizing Heard.[3][8] Posting about the trial netted Kraus hundreds of thousands of followers.[3][5] During the trial, Kraus called Heard a liar, accusing her of "making a mockery of the #MeToo movement",[3] and posted stories about Heard's personal life.[2] After the trial ended, Kraus wrote that she met Depp in person at a cocktail party, who thanked her for her writing.[3]
The House Inhabit newsletter has 452,000 total subscribers, with The Times estimating it generates $1–2 million in annual revenue. Mike quit his job to look after their children.[4]
Political views
[edit]Kraus, previously considering herself "super liberal", became disillusioned with the Democratic party from COVID-19 lockdowns,[5] a change in what Mother Jones describes as Kraus becoming "increasingly conspiratorial".[6] She disliked the vaccination and masking policies enacted, and felt the media coverage of Donald Trump during this time was unfair.[4] Kraus moved to Substack during the COVID-19 pandemic, because of the lack of moderation.[1] She was later critical of the platform for removing five Nazi newsletters, which did so after pushback from users.[1]
Kraus has posted in approval of both Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump,[9] describing her own coverage of the two as less biased compared to mainstream media.[6] She was initially not interested in Kennedy, but grew to like him.[4] Eventually, she regularly posted in support of him on her Instagram account and encouraged people to attend his campaign events.[5] She praised the MAGA movement for being "always a good time" saying, "They drink well, dress up, get loud, bedazzle the hell outta their accessories, love this country unapologetically, and believe that Donald Trump’s reign is a God-granted gift to save us from woke infestation and communism."[5] She views Trump as a father figure, and thinks he's "brilliant".[4]
She pitched to a Trump campaign aide to be a useful outlet, as her readership is primarily female and Trump's campaign had been seeking more influence in that demographic, which was accepted. The campaign, weeks later, invited Kraus to a Super Bowl party at Mar-a-Lago, where she posted dozens of times positively. According to Kraus, a Trump staffer commended her for her work in helping Trump win over women, compared to the mainstream media.[5] She is a regular at the Trump resort.[4]
Personal life
[edit]Kraus is not religious. She has four children.[5][2] She is based in San Clemente, California and is married to a man named Mike.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Oremus, Will; Lorenz, Taylor (January 10, 2024). "Substack wanted to be neutral. Its tolerance of Nazis proved divisive". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c d O'Brien, Sara Ashley (March 3, 2024). "She Was a Mommy Blogger. Now She's Covering Trump and Kennedy on the Trail—and Making a Fortune". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Jacob, Shamsian (June 2022). "Instagram influencer says Johnny Depp talked about 'death of journalistic integrity' in a phone call with her ahead of his defamation trial". Business Insider. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Pavia, Will (January 17, 2025). "Jessica Reed Kraus: the mommy blogger Donald Trump loves". The Times. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Tani, Max (February 25, 2024). "Why Trump and Kennedy are chasing Jessica Reed Kraus". Semafor. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c Merlan, Anna (October 15, 2024). "Meet the Conspiracy-Peddling Gossip Blogger Who's Cast Herself as a Trump-RFK Player". Mother Jones. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ Darrach, December (December 22, 2021). "'I want to go to the Ghislaine Maxwell trial'". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Ritschel, Chelsea (June 24, 2022). "Instagram influencer claims Johnny Depp confided in her during Amber Heard trial". The Independent. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
- ^ Parker, Ashley; Kornfield, Meryl (May 21, 2024). "'I ran into her yesterday': RFK's strange non-relationship with his VP pick". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 13, 2024.