Ben Hoffman
Benjamin Isaac Hoffman (born December 13, 1974) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and musician. Hoffman is well known by his country musician alter ego Wheeler Walker Jr., as whom he has released five studio albums.
Ben Hoffman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Benjamin Isaac Hoffman December 13, 1974 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Other names | Wheeler Walker, Jr. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres |
|
| Instrument(s) |
|
| Labels |
|
| Website | wheelerwalkerjr |
YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Subscribers | 728K |
Last updated: Tuesday April 9, 2024 | |
His first album as Wheeler Walker Jr., Redneck Shit, debuted in 2016 at number nine on the Billboard Hot Country Albums chart and number one on the Billboard Top Comedy Albums chart, making it the first album in over a decade to debut in the top ten on both those charts simultaneously. Despite no FM radio play, Hoffman found success with streaming and social media.
Reception to Hoffman's music has been mixed, largely due to the raunchiness of his lyrics and themes. Some have called the Wheeler Walker Jr. character an "experiment in free speech" and "a platform to speak out against censorship and bias in the music industry". Hoffman has been vocal about his use of the character as a means to express his displeasure with the modern state of the country music industry, particularly the rise of the bro-country subgenre.