Dennis Prager, Far-Right Talk Show Host Who Founded PragerU, Hospitalized with Serious Back Injury from Fall

Dennis Prager, founder of the far-right media company PragerU, has been hospitalized after suffering a serious back injury.

On Wednesday, Nov. 13, the company announced in a statement shared to X (formerly Twitter) that Prager, 76, fell and was recovering in a Los Angeles hospital.

"On Tuesday morning, PragerU founder and our dear friend, Dennis Prager, suffered a serious back injury following a fall. He's resting in a local Los Angeles hospital as doctors assess treatment options. We will keep you informed of his condition. In the meantime, Dennis welcomes the healing power of your prayers," the statement reads.

Social Media Freedom Foundation founder Jason Fyk also wrote in a post on X that he had spoken with Prager's wife, Susan Reed, and wrote that the media executive's "condition is far worse than I thought."

"My thoughts and prayers go out to the Prager family, friends and loved ones," Fyk wrote.

Prager, who also hosts the conservative radio talk show The Dennis Prager Show in Los Angeles, co-founded PragerU in 2009. The nonprofit has made millions since then, with NPR reporting that 2022 tax records showed that it pulled in more than $65 million in donations that year.

The Dennis Prager Show website touts PragerU as "the most viewed conservative video site in the world, with one billion views a year, more than half by people under the age of 35."

PragerU — which produces videos, both animated and live-action aimed at children to young adults — has been at the center of controversies over the past few years as conservative states have used its content in educational settings, according to NPR.

Prager and the nonprofit's teachings and political views are staunchly right-wing. Some of its content videos aimed at younger children made headlines last year when video lessons portraying Christopher Columbus and Frederick Douglass defending slavery went viral on social media.

That video and more PragerU Kids collection content — including one that compares protesters in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement "to Mexican cartel members" — have been used in public school classrooms in Florida, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, Montana and more, according to NBC News.

According to NPR, Prager along with producer and his co-founder Allen Estrin came up with the idea for a "university" while holding a cruise for his radio show listeners. Because the project was deemed expensive and would only reach a small amount of people, the pair opted to start creating video content.

Prager has always been candid about his conservative views, coming out against lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, first endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2016 and has called concerns over climate change "idiotic."

He also garnered criticism in 2021 when he said during a Newsmax appearance that people who have not received the COVID vaccine are considered "pariahs" more than gay men during the AIDS crisis, according to The Independent.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

In 2023, during a conference in Philadelphia, Prager addressed critics who called PragerU "indoctrination."

“I really wanted to hear what evidence do you have that I am despicable?" he recalled telling protesters. "And all I heard was, ‘Well, because you indoctrinate kids.’ Which is true. We bring doctrines to children. That is a very fair statement. I said, ‘But what is the bad of our indoctrination?’ "