The Babylon Bee, a satirical outlet long known for lampooning political and media figures from a right-of-center perspective, deleted a post late Thursday after some readers interpreted its joke about Megyn Kelly as a veiled incitement of violence. The since-removed headline, “Megyn Kelly Gets Rid Of Old Pager Just To Be Safe,” drew immediate scrutiny online and prompted a sharp reaction from Kelly herself.
The headline appeared to reference Kelly’s recent public support for Tucker Carlson, who has faced sustained criticism from segments of the political right following his interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
The joke also invoked last year’s Israeli military strike in which thousands of Hezbollah pagers were remotely detonated in Lebanon and Syria, an incident that remains a vivid touchpoint in discussions about targeted operations and electronic surveillance.
While the Bee’s intent was satirical, its juxtaposition of Kelly—an outspoken commentator often aligned with President Trump—and the explosive imagery was enough to trigger concern among some conservatives who typically form the Bee’s core audience. Kelly herself reacted swiftly, posting “WTF” on social media and tagging Seth Dillon, the Bee’s CEO and a well-known figure in conservative media circles.
The Bee deleted the post shortly after Kelly’s comment, though it did not issue a public explanation before removal. For a site that regularly pushes the boundaries of political comedy, the deletion underscored the tensions that can arise when satire intersects with intra-conservative debate—especially at a moment when divisions within the movement remain pronounced.
Carlson, once a nearly unassailable figure among conservative commentators, has drawn notable pushback from “many on the right” due to his decision to give Fuentes a high-profile interview. Kelly, for her part, has been careful in her positioning. Although she has “stopped short of criticizing Carlson,” she has also clarified that she has no desire to serve as his “defender” on the matter.
The Bee’s headline attempted to play off this dynamic, touching on Kelly’s continued willingness to stand apart from certain conservative media pile-ons while also referencing a military incident that carries serious real-world implications.
But the resulting confusion and concern highlighted the challenge of balancing sharp satire with the sensitivities of a political environment in which accusations of fomenting violence are frequently deployed—and often weaponized—by opponents.
For Kelly, who has cultivated a reputation as a firebrand willing to challenge both progressives and members of her own ideological camp, the post landed as an unwelcome insinuation. Her curt “WTF” response suggested not only disapproval of the joke itself, but frustration at being cast, even humorously, in the shadow of a deadly military tactic.
For the Bee, the episode served as a reminder that even among audiences predisposed to appreciate irreverent conservative satire, there remain boundaries—particularly when commentary touches on issues of political violence or when it involves prominent figures navigating already-fraught debates on the right.
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