Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro ‘had a tantrum’ and stormed out of a BBC interview with Andrew Neil after repeatedly complaining ‘I’ve never heard of you’.
Shapiro, 35, was taken to task by the veteran broadcaster over his support for Georgia’s abortion clampdown and previous comments that ‘Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage’.
He accused the former Sunday Times editor of showing his bias by calling the law, which will ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, ‘barbaric’ and asked: ‘Why don’t you just say that you’re on the left?’
The 69-year-old journalist chuckled at the accusation and told Shapiro: ‘If you only knew how ridiculous that statement is you wouldn’t have said it.’
Neil is well-known for his right-leaning views, has previously worked for the Conservative party and is currently chairman of the Tory-supporting Spectator.
As the experienced interviewer continued to grill Shapiro on his positions, Shapiro became visibly annoyed and instead of answering questions began to launch personal attacks.
At one point, a flustered Shapiro ranted: ‘You can think whatever you want of me, frankly I don’t care, I don’t frankly give a damn what you think of me since I’ve never heard of you.’
Neil later admitted he too had not heard of Shapiro – who was editor-at-large of Breitbart News between 2012 and 2016 – until he began researching him for the interview.
But that didn’t stop him from riling up the pundit who rose to fame as an author and columnist, previously arguing in his work that ‘the Palestinian-Arab population is rotten to the core’ and that abortion should be banned completely.
Shapiro added shortly before storming out: ‘It seems to me, that simply going through and finding lone things that sound bad out of context and hitting people with them is a way for you to make a quick buck on the BBC off the fact that I’m popular and no one has ever heard of you.’
Eventually, Shapiro said that the “whole thing was a waste of time” and he didn’t “give a damn” what Neil thought of him, declaring, “I am not inclined to continue an interview with someone as badly motivated as you,” before taking off his microphone and declaring “we’re done here.”
“Thank you for your time and for showing that anger is not part of American political discourse,” Neil cheekily replied.
Clips from the awkward interview were widely shared across social media, with many mocking Shapiro for his overreaction.
“I am not inclined to continue an interview with someone as badly motivated as you”
US conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro ends spiky interview with @afneil
Watch #politicslive interview in full: https://t.co/tXVdNWnXWi pic.twitter.com/WEO2UKOc79
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) May 10, 2019
Ben Shapiro is the product of an American media that rewards cheap soundbites and sensationalism over actual substance. That’s why it took Andrew Neil of the BBC to reveal Ben as the petulant snowflake he’s been this entire time. Ben is a troll who masqueraded as an intellectual.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) May 10, 2019
You weren’t prepared…to discuss…a book…you fucking wrote?
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) May 10, 2019
Watching Ben Shapiro completely lose his shit on BCC television makes me wonder if no one has ever challenged him ever? Owning Ben Shapiro seems like a huge victory for the market place of ideas.
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) May 10, 2019
*Ben Shapiro walking confidently into interview armed with facts and logic
BBC: pic.twitter.com/66rIQxcR9t
— Gabe (@GStepback) May 10, 2019
The only one who should be more embarrassed than Ben Shapiro about that BBC interview is every American TV host who’s ever had him on.
— Matt Duss (@mattduss) May 10, 2019
Hey, @benshapiro. This is what real journalism looks like outside of your slanted FOX news. You sound whinier than my seven year old when I tell him he can’t have another piece of candy. pic.twitter.com/PHnltldFNl
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 10, 2019
If Ben Shapiro couldn't handle milquetoast policy questions from a half dead conservative journalist in the UK it's no wonder he ducked a debate with me at last years Politicon. If you think any part of that interview was a 'got ya', you need to take off the partisan blinders.
— Secular Talk (@KyleKulinski) May 10, 2019
People try to prop up suspected white supremacist Ben Shapiro as if he is some kind of advanced intellectual, but when confronted with logic, he starts trolling and running like the fraud he is. https://t.co/F4dpke8Zvm
— Tariq Nasheed ?? (@tariqnasheed) May 10, 2019
You remind me of Ben Shapiro. You think you are popular but you aren't.
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) May 10, 2019
u ran away dude. u ran away
— m i t h (@ManInTheHoody) May 10, 2019
Imagine being lectured on women’s health by someone with the medical understanding of 12 year-old boy. That’s Ben Shapiro. https://t.co/D89yMJ6Xju
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) May 10, 2019
Ben Shapiro is like that kid who wasn’t popular in high school and instead of learning to work with what he has, he’s taking that anger out on women for the rest of his life.
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) May 10, 2019
Ouch. Ben Shapiro just got his ass handed to him on @BBC by @afneil, who all he did was question the guy about his own book.
Guess @benshapiro didn't know that feigning insult when a persistent and educated questioner picks your argument apart looks bad. pic.twitter.com/i9F0iPGFFo
— Grant Stern (@grantstern) May 10, 2019
Your true character came out in that interview you’re clearly a douchbag
— Alexander Gutierrez (@alexmgr) May 10, 2019
Shapiro himself admitted his mistake on social media shortly before the interview aired, tweeting:
Just pre-taped an interview with BBC’s @afneil. As I’m not familiar with him or his work, I misinterpreted his antagonism as political Leftism (he termed the pro-life position in America “barbaric”) – and that was apparently inaccurate. For that, I apologize.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 9, 2019
There was no tantrum. The interviewer was a jerk.
Andrew Neil is a conservative politician with years of experience asking tough questions. Shapiro was way in over his head it appeared.
Amusing that Shapiro (even in his apology) doesn’t correct his allegation that “Neil called pro-life barbaric”. Actually, as I understand it, Neil was talking about the idea that women who miscarry (never mind choose to have abortions) could be subject to criminal prosecution – this is being proposed e.g. in Georgia. Sounds pretty barbaric to me.