After tapping Beyoncé as headliner, Coachella owner exposed for funding hate groups

Philip Anschutz has historically been one of the biggest Republican donors in the United States.

Jan 5, 2017

Coachella 2017 sold out all its tickets in just three hours after the news broke that Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Radiohead would be headlining the California festival.

But just where is all that money going?

The ticket profits go to benefit AEG, a company founded by oil and entertainment magnate Philip Anschutz, who has historically been one of the biggest Republican donors in the United States. What’s more, Anschutz has donated plenty of money over the years to groups that have been called extremist hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The Anschutz Foundation gave a combined $190,000 to Alliance Defending Freedom, the National Christian Foundation, and the Family Research Council between 2010 and 2013. For reference, the LGBT organization Freedom For All Americans has reported that ADF “has equated being LGBT with committing incest and beastiality.”

While Anschutz has not donated any money to Donald Trump, he did give $2,000 to Vice President-elect Mike Pence in 2006. But he was part of the infamous think tank of Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Paul Ryan, and Karl Rove, all of whom came together to try to brainstorm how best to prevent Trump from getting the Republican nomination.

Representatives for Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and Radiohead have not yet commented on Anschutz’s donation history, which stands in stark contrast to the liberal stands that these artists have made in the political sphere.