"[15] In this vein, he highlighted mass incarceration and high homicide victimization rates as problems affecting Black Americans today.

"[13] In addition to writing for Quillette,[16] Hughes has contributed to publications including The Spectator,[17] The New York Times,[18] The Wall Street Journal,[19] National Review,[20] the Washington Examiner,[21] and the Heterodox Academy blog.

Defending the idea of racial color blindness, he explained his perspective on treating people without regard to their race as individuals and in public policy.

TED proposed an unusual release strategy, combining his talk with a moderated debate, to which Hughes reluctantly agreed in order to ensure his message was heard.

His opponent in the discussion, Jamelle Bouie, agreed with Hughes that race neutrality (i.e., racial color blindness) was preferable for personal interactions but argued that public policy should be more race-conscious.

"[2] Nick Gillespie wrote in Reason in 2019 that Hughes had "emerged over the past year as one of the most prolific and insightful commentators on race and class in the United States.

"[26] In September 2020, Stéphanie Chayet, writing in the French newspaper Le Monde, identified Hughes as one of four "anti-conformists of anti-racism," along with Glenn Loury, Thomas Chatterton Williams, and John McWhorter.

[34] He is a hobbyist rapper—in 2021 and 2022, he released several rap singles on YouTube and Spotify, using the moniker COLDXMAN, including a music video for a track titled "Blasphemy",[35] which appeared in January 2022.