On Wednesday, Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro became embroiled in a Twitter feud with conspiracy theorist extraordinaire Alex Jones over the prospect of Kanye West and Candace Owens appearing on Jones’ Infowars podcast. Shapiro concisely urged the two not to go on Jones’ crazy show, advice Jones took as proof that Shapiro has been officially deputized by the Thought Police. The result was classic Jones, with his increasingly hysterical responses, vs. classic Shapiro, with his sharp, rational rebuttals. In other words, it was a good time for all.
The epic back and forth began humbly enough, with a simple tweet from Shapiro advising West and Owens not to go on Jones’ kooky show:
Owens responded with a listicle:
1) I am not on Infowars today.
2) Disrespecting any platform watched by millions is silly.
3) Please stop telling me and/or Kanye “no”, “can’t” or “shouldn’t”.Advice appreciated. Commands shut down.
To which Shapiro replied with his own list:
1) I’m glad.
2) That’s absurd. There are tons of crappy outlets with big numbers who watch them.
3) It’s not a command. It’s an encouragement. Do what you like, it’s a free country. But that would have been a baaaad move.
That’s when Jones chimed in by accusing Shapiro of being a member of the “Thought Police”:
Shapiro retorted, “Nope! He can go on with you, [he’d] just be supremely foolish to do so because you are a kook.”
Jones apparently then pulled out the biggest insult he could muster against Shapiro on his show: he’s the “ultimate intellectual”:
At this point, Jones began blasting out insults at Shapiro, including an image with Shapiro-as-Big Brother. Some examples:
Shapiro offered Jones some clarity on his advice to West and Owens in case it might help: “Dude, they shouldn’t come on your show because you are awful. Have I been unclear about this in any way?”
Jones then challenged Shapiro to a debate, which, if Shapiro doesn’t accept, means that “he’s a neocon coward just like Glenn Beck,” or something:
Shapiro responded by giving Jones some reasons he’d never agree to debating him:
Jones, of course, called that “fake news” and then accused Shapiro of supposedly wanting him to be “banned from the internet”:
Shapiro, who’s never called for Jones to be banned, replied, “On the contrary — I want you to remain on the internet, so we can all see your crazy firsthand!”
Jones responded with more unhinged ad hominem attacks and again demanded that Shapiro debate him. In maybe the most hysterical line Jones uttered yet, he described Shapiro, Harvard-educated and famous for his debating ability, as a “teleprompt-reading, pseudo-intellectual, fake conservative fop”:
In the middle of the madness, Shapiro tweeted this perfect post:
National Review’s David French replied:
Update: As for Shapiro and Owens, the two have since made clear that all’s good between them:
Bonus material: For all those who have never tuned into Jones’ insane show, here he is really showing off his method acting chops. Presenting “The Tears of Alex Jones“:
Related: Reporters Complain About Trump ‘Undoing Journalism.’ Shapiro Gives Them Reality Check.