Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon made it clear Tuesday that he stood with the woman behind the often-viral Libs of TikTok account — and that he believed she would weather the storm brought on by a Washington Post article attacking her and revealing her identity.
The article was written by Taylor Lorenz — who, in an ironic twist, broke down during a recent MSNBC interview while complaining about threats and online bullying she claimed had targeted her. She argued that it was necessary to expose the woman behind Libs of TikTok.
“@LibsofTikTok has become a powerful cross-platform social media influencer, spreading anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and fueling the right wing media’s outrage machine. I wrote [about] the account, the woman behind it, and why it matters,” she tweeted.
.@LibsofTikTok has become a powerful cross-platform social media influencer, spreading anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and fueling the right wing media's outrage machine.
I wrote abt the account, the woman behind it, and why it matters 🧵https://t.co/p5dNT7Li1B
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) April 19, 2022
But Dillon wasn’t buying Lorenz’s argument, and he pushed back in a Twitter thread of his own.
“The exposure of @libsoftiktok isn’t journalism; it’s pure intimidation. They’re threatened by her effectiveness, so they hope to silence her by making her too afraid to continue,” Dillon began. “They want to raise the cost of doing her work so high that she has no choice but to quit.”
“But I think they’ll be surprised by her resolve,” he continued. “She’s afraid, as anyone would be in these circumstances, but she’s also determined to not be bullied, threatened, or harassed into silence. That takes remarkable courage that few people possess.”
2/ But I think they'll be surprised by her resolve. She's afraid, as anyone would be in these circumstances, but she's also determined to not be bullied, threatened, or harassed into silence. That takes remarkable courage that few people possess.
— Seth Dillon (@SethDillon) April 19, 2022
Dillon went on to say that he expected to see a lot of people rallying to support her as well, adding that he had worked out a deal with her to make sure that she could continue her work.
“I think they’ll also be surprised by the support she receives. I want them to know that she won’t be canceled from her job because this *is* her job now. I’ve worked out a deal with her that will turn her heroic, high-risk work into a career,” he said.
“They may have exposed her, but they’ll never stop her. Long live @libsoftiktok,” he concluded.
4/ They may have exposed her, but they'll never stop her.
Long live @libsoftiktok.
— Seth Dillon (@SethDillon) April 19, 2022
“Breaking Points” co-host Saagar Enjeti commented on the situation as well, noting that there was a story surrounding Libs of TikTok — it just wasn’t the one that Lorenz had chosen to focus on.
“There’s a real story about how @libsoftiktok by simply posting videos became objectively one of the most important conservative activists in the entire country Taylor Lorenz refuses to engage with the actual content/why it resonates and chooses to try and destroy her instead,” he said.
The woman at the center of the storm appears to be weathering it as well as Dillon predicted, however.
She posted a statement saying that she was “holed up in a safe location.”
“Words cannot express how appreciative I am of the support I’m receiving right now. Thankfully I’m currently holed up in a safe location. I’m confident we will get through this and come out even stronger. Grateful for all the thoughts and prayers,” she said.