TL;DR
- Ben McKenzie, the actor known for The O.C., traveled to Washington to pressure senators to vote against the CLARITY Act.
- The bill seeks to establish a clearer regulatory framework for digital assets in the United States.
- Stuart Alderoty, Chief Legal Officer at Ripple, criticized the actor’s documentary for presenting a one-sided view of the industry.
The actor and cryptocurrency critic Ben McKenzie took his campaign against digital assets directly to Capitol Hill.
As reported by journalist Eleanor Terrett, the former star of The O.C. met with lawmakers in Washington to persuade them to reject the CLARITY Act, a crypto market structure bill that is at a decisive stage within the United States Congress.
McKenzie and His Crusade Against the CLARITY Act
The legislation in question seeks to establish a clear regulatory framework for digital assets in the country. Its backers argue that it would provide long-awaited regulatory certainty for the industry, but McKenzie contends that its approval would represent a risk for consumers. Since around 2020, the actor developed a strong skepticism toward cryptocurrencies, initially driven by the massive celebrity endorsements and the accelerated flow of money into the sector.
“If you vote against Clarity, you will be on the right side of the history. If you vote for Clarity, you can be damn sure we will not forget the truth,” The OC actor added.
“Voting against Clarity offers every senator an opportunity to go on the record and do the right thing.”
— Julia Shapero (@JuliaShapero) July 14, 2026
That journey led to the documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, which examines the industry through interviews with critics, retail investors who suffered losses, and former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.
While promoting the film on The Daily Show, McKenzie argued that investors place too much trust in software rather than in the people who control it. As an example, he cited his interview with Bankman-Fried: “He instructed one of his employees to change a single line of code, which allowed him to borrow his clients’ assets.”
Cross Criticism: Ripple Fires Back
McKenzie’s activism has not gone unnoticed. In April, Stuart Alderoty, Chief Legal Officer at Ripple, challenged the documentary and dismissed it as a worn-out narrative. Alderoty noted that the piece overgeneralizes and overlooks the fact that tens of millions of Americans use these assets in practical ways to diversify income, manage businesses, and access new financial opportunities.
McKenzie, for his part, has insisted that his goal is not to ban cryptocurrencies but to protect consumers, especially young men who, according to the actor, are the disproportionate target of speculative and aggressive advertising.
