Ben McKenzie: Crypto Is Lying to You for Money

NEW YORK — Ben McKenzie, best known for his roles in The O.C. and Gotham, has traded Hollywood for a very different kind of spotlight — and he sat down with New York Live's The Forge to talk about it.

McKenzie is the co-author of Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, a scathing takedown of the cryptocurrency industry that draws on his years of investigating the crypto world alongside journalist Jacob Silverman. The book pulls no punches, arguing that the crypto boom was built on hype, fraud, and the exploitation of ordinary investors.

"I got interested in crypto the way a lot of people did — I started hearing about it everywhere," McKenzie has said. "But the more I looked into it, the more I realized something was deeply wrong."

McKenzie became one of the most prominent celebrity critics of cryptocurrency at a time when many of his fellow celebrities were enthusiastically promoting digital coins and NFTs. While others were cashing endorsement checks, McKenzie was sounding the alarm — a stance that earned him both admirers and enemies in the crypto community.

The book covers the collapse of FTX and the conviction of founder Sam Bankman-Fried, the broader culture of celebrity crypto promotion, and what McKenzie calls a systemic failure of financial media and regulators to protect everyday investors.

Since the book's release, McKenzie has become a sought-after voice on financial fraud and consumer protection, testifying before Congress and appearing on major news programs.

Everyone Is Lying to You for Money is available now wherever books are sold.