Matt Forney

Matt Forney
mattforney.jpg mattforney.jpg
Born	Matthew Forney 1988 (age 37–38) Rome, New York, U.S.
🏳️ Nationality	American
🏫 Education	Christian Brothers Academy; SUNY Plattsburgh; University at Albany
💼 Occupation	Writer, journalist, editor, podcaster, publisher
Known for	Alt-right and manosphere writings; founding Terror House Press; H-1B visa controversies
🌐 Website	https://mattforney.com/

Matthew Forney (born 1988), known professionally as Matt Forney, is an American writer, journalist, editor, podcaster and publisher. He founded the independent literary publisher Terror House Press on May 14, 2018, in Budapest, Hungary, and served as its editor-in-chief until 2024.

Forney first gained attention in the early 2010s blogging under the pseudonym Ferdinand Bardamu on the now-defunct site In Mala Fide and contributing to manosphere and alt-right platforms. He has self-published at least eight books on topics including online hustling, travel, dating advice and memoir, while maintaining the Substack newsletter The Visa Files and hosting the retro video game review show Society of Sensation.

In 2025 Forney briefly reported for conservative outlets including The Blaze and The Spectator before being terminated amid backlash over anti-Indian X posts advocating “DEI: Deport Every Indian.”

Early life and education

Forney was born in 1988 in Rome, New York, to a Catholic family and raised in nearby Syracuse. He graduated from Christian Brothers Academy and later attended SUNY Plattsburgh and the University at Albany, SUNY, majoring in English and journalism.

Prior to his full-time writing career, Forney worked in retail, as a bureaucrat and in manual labor. He has publicly discussed his Catholic upbringing in online posts and interviews.

Early online career and manosphere phase

Forney launched his writing career under the pseudonym Ferdinand Bardamu on the blog In Mala Fide (2009–2012). He contributed to numerous manosphere and alt-right sites including Return of Kings, The Spearhead, Taki's Magazine and Alternative Right. Notable early articles include the controversial “The Necessity of Domestic Violence” (2012) and “5 Reasons Why You Should Not Date Indian Girls.”

Self-published books and hustling guides

Forney self-published multiple books in the 2010s reflecting themes of freelance entrepreneurship, travel and dating advice. Key titles include Confessions of an Online Hustler (2013), Trolling for a Living (2013), and Big Lovin': The Guide to Picking Up Fat Chicks (2014).

Founding of Terror House Press and literary output

In 2018 Forney founded Terror House Press in Budapest, Hungary, an independent publisher dedicated to outsider literary fiction and artwork. He served as editor-in-chief until 2024 and published his own essays and reviews through Terror House Magazine.

Cultural and literary criticism

Forney has produced extensive film and literary criticism, often through an alt-right lens. Notable reviews include “Fear of an Incel Planet” (2018) and “Thunder from the Gods,” a review of Bronze Age Mindset.

Podcasting, Substack and media appearances

Forney hosts the monthly retro video game review show Society of Sensation. He authors the investigative Substack The Visa Files, focusing on H-1B visa abuse and Indian ethnic nepotism.

2025 journalism career and H-1B visa controversies

In November 2025 Forney was hired by The Blaze as a reporter covering H-1B visas. He was terminated days later for “concerning” social media activity. Forney was subsequently dismissed from The Spectator after additional remarks targeting Indian-origin executives. The controversy centered on X posts using the slogan “DEI: Deport Every Indian.”

Views and controversies

Forney’s writings have been characterized as misogynistic and racist by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center. The ADL has described him as a “white nationalist and misogynist” citing rants against women and interracial relationships.

Forney's writings and posts have been widely described as misogynistic, racist, and aligned with white nationalist and alt-right ideologies. The Anti-Defamation League has labeled him a "white nationalist, anti-Semite, and misogynist" for content including Holocaust denial references and statements such as “Blacks do nothing but murder cops, rob and rape people...” The Southern Poverty Law Center has quoted his 2012 post “The Necessity of Domestic Violence.”Forney has authored pieces such as “5 Reasons Why You Should Not Date Indian Girls” and “How to Beat Your Girlfriend or Wife and Get Away with It.”In late 2025, Forney faced widespread condemnation for X posts calling for the mass deportation of Indian Americans under the slogan “DEI: Deport Every Indian,” criticizing Indian CEOs like Kruti Patel Goyal of Etsy and Balaji Srinivasan, and predicting violence against Indian communities and temples in 2026.Forney has continued similar rhetoric on X into 2026, criticizing Indian politicians, truckers, and monetization scammers on the platform.He has also criticized the Catholic Church as a “Marxist child rape cult” while acknowledging his own Catholic upbringing.Critics have noted the irony of Forney, who has held an H-1B visa himself, advocating against the program.

Personal life

Forney is originally from Syracuse, New York, and as of 2026 resides in New York City. He previously lived in Budapest, Hungary, and Lviv, Ukraine.

Bibliography

• Confessions of an Online Hustler: How to Make Money and Become an Internet Superstar (2013)
• Trolling for a Living: The Best of Matt Forney, Volume One (2013)
• Big Lovin': The Guide to Picking Up Fat Chicks (2014)
• Life During Peacetime (2014 memoir)
• The Hitchhiking Crash Course
• Do the Philippines: How to Make Love with Filipino Girls in the Philippines (2015)
• Three Years of Hate: The Very Best of In Mala Fide (collection)
• Writing for Peanuts

References

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• Matt Hunt (journalist)
• John Weisbarth
• Henry McPherrar
• Jarett Kobek
• Abhi Golhar
• Joe O'Connor (journalist)
• Ralph Sutton (host)

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