Bulwark Takes
Episode: The Trio Breaks Down the Trad Right’s Freakiest Scandal Yet
Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Tim Miller
Panelists: Will Sommer, Sam
(Note: Transcript omits detailed identification for “Sam” but he is an integral Bulwark panelist.)
Overview
This episode centers on the extraordinary and scandalous unraveling of online far-right personality Elijah Schaefer. The Bulwark’s “Potato Boys”—Tim Miller, Will Sommer, and Sam—delve deep into the intersecting personal dramas, conspiratorial paranoia, and performative traditionalism of the “trad right” influencer ecosystem. Spanning alleged affairs, nervous breakdowns, secret recordings, online feuds, bizarre side characters, and the endless hypocrisy at the heart of this subculture, the hosts unpack why this story matters for understanding the current state of right-wing internet culture.
Key Discussion Topics & Insights
1. The Main Players and Their Backgrounds
[02:31-04:14]
- Elijah Schaefer: Once Glenn Beck’s protégé, gained notoriety for chaotic on-the-ground coverage of the George Floyd riots. After being ousted from more mainstream conservative circles, recast himself as a hard-line Christian “trad” (traditionalist) family man—only to now become the focus of a sex scandal.
- Sarah Stock: A once-prominent “trad Cath” influencer, famous for her hardline anti-diversity views and online spats, including cattiness over her “comically small” engagement ring.
- Milo Yiannopoulos: The infamous provocateur returns as a key player, disseminating leaked audio and stoking the flames under the guise of traditional Catholic concern.
- Other supporting cast members: Appearances include Jean François Gariépy (disgraced Canadian YouTuber embroiled in his own wife’s disappearance), and far-right personalities like Nick Fuentes. Christian Walker (Herschel Walker’s son) also factor in the online call-outs.
Quote: Tim Miller, [02:31]
“He reinvented himself as this Christian family man. He’s always saying, you know, you losers on the right, you got to get married. … And then, you know, let’s see how that goes.”
2. Background on the “Fingering” Saga
[03:51-04:39]
- The trio recap a prior, notorious right-wing micro-scandal involving a public sex act, online infighting, and Sarah Stock’s peripheral, but notable, role.
Quote: Will Sommer, [03:55]
“Various… started fighting with each other. … One who was defending the ring accused another woman… you don’t know about trad values… because you got, you know, this sex act happened to you in the lobby…”
3. Elijah Schaefer’s Meltdown
[07:09-10:44]
- Elijah disappears for a month, returns with bizarre, paranoid, and rambling Rumble videos: black eye, claims of family threats, accusations against enemies in media and on staff, and allusions to conspiracies targeting him.
- Posts a surreal video of himself in a flooded hotel (“Shining-like” [09:45]), looking disheveled and describing being “on the verge of a nervous breakdown.”
Quote: Will Sommer, [09:23]
“He looks like a guy on the verge of a nervous breakdown. … I mean, it was looking grim, I guess, and then, you know, over the weekend…”
4. Rumors of Family Annihilation & Paranoia
[11:49-14:25]
- Elijah publicly claims that his wife and children are “missing,” prompting people in the right-wing ecosystem to fear a domestic violence tragedy. Rumors (quickly refuted) fly about “family annihilation” (“wifeicide”).
- Discussion of Jean François Gariépy, who is himself surrounded by sinister rumors involving his missing wife and Jeffrey Epstein payments.
Quote: Will Sommer, [14:25]
“He said, yeah, my wife asked me to take her to like, this highway and drop her off. … I mean, it seems like it’s this. I don’t think that’s true…”
5. The Secret Recording and the Affair
[16:51-20:42]
- A covertly made audio recording appears: Sarah Stock is heard referencing a sexual encounter with Elijah at CPAC 2025, claiming she was intoxicated on Benadryl and alcohol (“I blacked out… some sexual thing took place” [20:59]).
- Milo Yiannopoulos circulates the tape on social media, weaponizing it against both Sarah and Elijah.
- The hosts discuss how the recording feels “James O’Keefe-like”—the male interlocutor seems to be fishing for dirt, leading and goading the subject.
Quote: Tim Miller/Will Sommer, [18:03, 20:59]
[Tim]: “Elijah and like obviously like I deeply regret that but also like I’m not a slut.”
[Will]: “She says basically that… she was sick, and Elijah gave her Benadryl and some alcohol and she blacked out… and then, we don’t get the details, essentially, but something, some sexual thing took place…”
6. Milo’s Motivations & Social Fallout
[22:10-23:41]
- Milo claims his Catholic faith compels him to reveal the story, especially since Sarah’s wedding was allegedly blessed by “Pope Leo” (a right-wing influencer, not a real pope, but satirically deployed as “the Bulwark Pope”).
- Sarah quickly deletes her social media after an attempted “apology.”
7. Persistent Allegations, Cheating, and More
[24:06-26:06]
- Broader record of Elijah’s rumored infidelities: Christian Walker, son of Herschel, called him out years ago for cheating (“…he did my friend four times in one night, unprotected, while he was married.” [24:35–25:15]).
- The hypocrisy of the “trad” right: While projecting family values, the men most loudly denouncing gay and non-traditional lifestyles are caught in personal failings.
Quote: Christian Walker, [24:35]
“Elijah wants to act like he’s some moral high and mighty better than everyone… Go get your family life and your morality together, adulterer.”
8. The ‘Thirst Trap’ and Rumors About Drugs
[26:06-28:44]
- Schaefer posts a shirtless “thirst trap” during a purported exile in El Salvador, flaunting orthodox Christian symbols and a buff, possibly enhanced physique.
- Speculation flies: Has he been using “peptides” (weight-loss drugs) that may cause orange skin? Meth?
- The hosts lean into the absurd tabloid energy, mixing rumor, satire, and fact-checking.
Quote: Will Sommer, [28:03]
"Just to give you an idea of the rumor mill around this… someone said, 'Yes, he’s on a peptide that makes your skin look orange. Now, apparently this does exist…'"
9. Community Notes and Right-Wing Reaction
[28:51-30:26]
- Elijah’s increasingly unhinged content is met with brutal Community Notes (Twitter’s fact-check tool).
- He continues posting bigoted smears until at least Feb 1.
- Notably, after the peak of the scandal, Elijah deletes posts about his “missing” family; his current status (employment, marital, mental health) is ambiguous but not, as far as known, criminal.
10. The “Trad” Gender Wars and Hypocrisy
[32:42-34:11]
- The panel unpacks the generational and gender divide among right-wing women: Young female influencers preach a hyper-patriarchal, “get married at 20” line—but then are often themselves embroiled in drama with the community’s men.
- Older “trad” women question this worldview’s viability, noting that the system fails women even when they play by its rules.
Quote: Will Sommer, [34:11]
“Within the world of right wing women, there’s been this battle… over, you know, we have women like Sarah Stock who look at older women—by older, I mean like 26, 27—and they say, you know, you’re a girl boss thought, you need to get married and kind of settle down… But then, so a lot of those women were saying, well, look… she wasn’t living that life, really, they allege… look at Eliza Schaefer’s wife… she actually was very trad… and he ran off with… a much younger woman. And that’s why older, you know, really older right wing women in their, say, 30s or 40s are saying often, you know, hey, maybe things are a little more complex.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
“He reinvented himself as this Christian family man. He’s always saying, you know, you losers on the right, you got to get married. … And then, you know, let’s see how that goes.”
—Will Sommer, [02:31] -
“He looks like a guy on the verge of a nervous breakdown.”
—Will Sommer, [09:23] -
“Every single time, these guys are fucking the pool boy. Every time. And in this case, maybe e-girl. But, you know, the principle’s still the same.”
—Tim Miller, [31:21] -
“Imagine being that fucked in the head that you tweet these jokes. You have to have real problems.”
—Sam, [14:25], on JFG’s macabre humor about his missing wife. -
“Allegedly, possibly meth. Allegedly.”
—Sam, [26:52], satirizing the legal minefield of innuendo. -
“Milo is not a reputable source for anything. … Nothing in this is us trusting Milo.”
—Sam, [32:27]
Timestamps for Major Segments
- Introductions / Background on Key Players: [01:19–04:14]
- Recap of Previous “Fingering” Scandal: [03:51–04:39]
- Elijah’s Public Meltdown: [07:09–10:44]
- Rumors, Paranoia, Family Worries: [11:49–14:25]
- Secret Recordings / Affair Allegations Surface: [16:51–20:42]
- Milo’s Role and Social Fallout: [22:10–23:41]
- Broader Cheating Allegations: [24:06–26:06]
- Physical Transformation, Peptide/Meth Rumors: [26:06–28:44]
- Right-Wing Community’s Response: [28:51–30:26]
- Trad Gender Politics, Closing Thoughts: [32:42–34:11]
Closing Reflections
- The hosts emphasize this saga as a “tale as old as time”: the most performatively “traditional” right-wing men, often violently opposed to non-normative sexuality, are the first to get caught up in sexual hypocrisy.
- There’s a new twist, however: these aren’t Falwell or Robertson types—today’s trad right is jacked, hyperactive, and deeply online. But the underlying dynamics of moral panic, projection, and intra-community schadenfreude haven’t changed.
- The “trad wife” script fails even its most eager participants, and the trio’s analysis is as much culture critique as tabloid deep-dive.
Quote: Tim Miller, [31:21]
“I do think that it’s important… that it’s almost always a doth protest too much situation.”
Final Legal/Fact-Checking Caveats
- Many allegations remain unconfirmed, based on rumors and unreliable narrators (like Milo Yiannopoulos).
- The hosts clarify that while Sarah Stock denies some claims, she’s made ambiguous public statements and deleted her accounts.
- No evidence supports accusations of domestic violence or murder—the “family annihilation” scare was merely rumor.
- Speculation on drug use, physical changes, and the infamous “electric dildo” is based on unverified chatter.
The Bulwark’s Signature Take
Irreverent, sharply skeptical, and uninhibited by the decorum of legacy media, this episode brings a brisk, gossipy yet thoroughly sourced dissection of trad right melodrama—exposing the fragility and performativity at its core.
If you care about the state of conservative media, internet culture, and the eternal gap between performance and reality, this episode is a must.