Everything's Going Wrong for Conservative Dating App the Right Stuff

Kyle Barr
·4 min read
1k
On the left is an screenshot of The Right Stuff app, on the left John Mcentee walks and listens to Dan Scavino on the White House lawn.
On the left is an screenshot of The Right Stuff app, on the left John Mcentee walks and listens to Dan Scavino on the White House lawn.
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Former aide to President Donald Trump John McEntee has been promoting his so-called conservative dating app The Right Stuff since its release in September, but two analytics firms have reported few people have actually downloaded it.

The Right Stuff, the dating app that offers an alternative to all those other “woke” apps, is reportedly experiencing a dearth of users and new downloads three months after release. The Daily Beast first reported that two separate analytics companies have seen a staggering drop off in downloads since the app came online back in September.

The Beast cited the firm Sensor Tower, which noted that the app generated 40,000 downloads in September. That number has dropped to an underwhelming 11,000 downloads from Nov. 1 to Dec. 20. Another analytics firm, Appfigures, reported that there were 44,000 downloads in October, but it’s racked up a measly 17,000 in the months since.

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Gizmodo reached out to The Right Stuff for comment on the download numbers but we did not immediately hear back.

The app was first revealed earlier this year as a venture co-founded by John McEntee, a former aid to President Donald Trump, and promoted by Ryann McEnany, the sister to former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. McEntee was joined by forgotten faces of the Trump age, including Daniel Huff and Isaac Staltzer. The app’s been financially backed by conservative tech billionaire Peter Thiel. This is, of course, incredibly ironic since Thiel is an openly gay man, and the app restricts any mention of gay relationships.

McEntee recently told Fox Business that in its first six weeks the app had 40,000 downloads and 5,000 active users. That’s consistent with the figures cited by the analytics firms.

The Daily Beast reported that conservative staffers in Washington seem about as interested as anyone else in this restrictive app. One unnamed aide reportedly said she didn’t know anyone in her circle of friends and confidants who was using the app. Another D.C. staffer told the outlet that they know of a liberal who managed to get an invite and was able to troll what few users were around. The app limits the people you meet to a 100-mile radius, according to its app store page.

The limitations inherent in both the targeted audience and its design would obviously limit user growth. Its focus on courting the far right could easily turn off anybody who’s even slightly more moderate. The first image you’re greeted with when loading The Right Stuff’s website is a popup to pre-order “Dump Your Liberal Boyfriend Oversized hoodies.” The main marketing push for the app is centered on being an alternative to all those “crazy liberal” apps like Hinge, Bumble, Tinder, or any number of conservative-minded dating sites, but it’s still limited to iOS.

Of course, that hasn’t stopped the app from promoting itself at the recent winter conference for conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA where they reportedly handed out their “dump your liberal boyfriend” merch. The much-mocked Turning Point is geared toward spreading conservative ideology among young people, but it’s a hard bargain if the only people advertising the brand are controversial figures like Kyle Rittenhouse.

The app has a rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars on App Store and somewhere around 1,200 reviews. Reviews have complained there is a general lack of women using it. This is despite the app incentivizing women to join by offering a free premium subscription if they invite their friends. McEntee claimed to Fox Business that the ratios between men and women are “close” to half. He also claimed most users are between the ages of 23 and 35.

Of course, in order to maintain its politically restrictive nature, The Right Stuff is invite-only. According to user reviews, it doesn’t reveal its restrictions until after you upload a picture and post user info. Not to mention, as Gizmodo has previously reported, at least one user complained he answered a prompt about whether he was at the Jan. 6 insurrection and got a visit from the police. An app spokesperson previously denied that they forwarded any user info to law enforcement.

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