You probably remember the headline. Back in 2020, then-Representative Ted Yoho allegedly called Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a "f---ing b---h" on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. He denied it. He gave a speech about his "two daughters" and his "45 years of marriage" to explain why he’d never use that language. He claimed he just said "bullshit."
The press moved on. But a comedian named Ben Palmer didn't.
What followed was a months-long, slow-burn prank that sounds like a plot from a Sacha Baron Cohen movie. Ben Palmer basically became Ted Yoho’s "right-hand man" by pretending to work for the right-wing social media site Parler. It is one of the weirdest digital age stories about how easy it is to trick powerful people if you just tell them exactly what they want to hear.
The Setup: How Ben Palmer Got Ted Yoho’s Number
It started with a parody website. Someone who followed Ben Palmer bought the domain "parler.social"—a play on the then-booming "free speech" app Parler. They set up a contact form. Most people would ignore a random form on a fake site, but Ted Yoho didn't. He filled it out.
He didn't just fill it out; he left his personal cell phone number.
Ben Palmer saw the opportunity and took it. He called Yoho, pretending to be an executive named "Eric" from Parler. He told the Congressman that Parler wanted to help him launch a podcast. Yoho, who was on his way out of Congress and looking for his next big platform, bit. Hard.
Three Months of "God, Country, Family"
For three months, Palmer and fellow comedian Walter Masterson stayed in character. They didn't just exchange a few emails. They held recorded strategy sessions and production meetings. They even created a fake podcast for him called God Country Family.
Honestly, the level of commitment here is staggering. Palmer was essentially acting as Yoho’s consultant. They discussed branding. They discussed guests. And because Yoho thought he was talking to "friendly" conservatives, he let his guard down in ways he never would with a journalist.
This is where the Ted Yoho Ben Palmer connection gets truly wild. During one of these recorded sessions, the topic of the AOC incident came up. Away from the microphones of C-SPAN and the scrutiny of the House floor, Yoho’s story changed.
"Truth is, as I walked away by myself, I said what an F’in B," Yoho admitted on tape.
That single sentence completely nuked his official Congressional apology. He had stood before the American people and claimed those words were "never spoken." But here he was, laughing about it with a guy he thought was his new business partner.
The Liberty University Summit
The prank didn't end with phone calls. Ben Palmer and his team eventually met Ted Yoho in person at a summit at Liberty University. Imagine the scene: you’ve been lying to a U.S. Congressman for months, and now you’re standing in a room with him, former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, and even the President of Ghana.
Palmer and Masterson showed up with cameras, still pretending to be the production crew. They spent hours interacting with these high-profile figures.
The tension in the footage Palmer later released is thick. You can see the moment the "staffers" start pushing the boundaries. They ask increasingly ridiculous questions. They lean into the absurdity. Eventually, the ruse had to break. When the truth finally came out, Yoho wasn't exactly laughing. He threatened legal action, telling Palmer that if any of the footage was used without his agreement, "you're gonna be sued."
Why This Interaction Still Matters
A lot of people dismiss this as just another internet troll. But it’s more than that. The Ted Yoho Ben Palmer saga highlights two massive vulnerabilities in modern politics:
- Confirmation Bias: Yoho was so eager to have a platform on a site he perceived as "his side" that he didn't do basic due diligence on who he was talking to.
- The Death of Accountability: It took a comedian with a fake website to get a politician to admit to a lie he told on the floor of Congress.
Palmer eventually released the footage as part of a comedy special in 2024. It served as a grimly hilarious reminder that the "professional" veneer of Washington D.C. is often held together by nothing more than a few staffers and a lot of assumptions.
Lessons for the Digital Age
If there is anything to take away from this mess, it's that the internet has leveled the playing field between the powerful and the pranksters. You don't need a press pass to get a confession; you just need a $15 domain name and a lot of patience.
What you should do next:
- Audit your digital footprint: If a U.S. Congressman can get tricked by a contact form, so can you. Never give out your personal cell number to unverified sites.
- Check the "About" page: Before engaging with a new "platform" or service, look for physical addresses, LinkedIn profiles of employees, and official registration.
- Watch the source material: Ben Palmer’s The Politician Story is available on YouTube. It’s worth watching the raw interactions to see exactly how the "Eric from Parler" persona worked so effectively.
- Question the "Official" story: When a public figure gives a highly curated apology, look for the inconsistencies. Often, the truth comes out not in the press release, but in the moments they think the cameras are off.
The story of Ted Yoho Ben Palmer isn't just a joke. It's a case study in how the lack of digital literacy at the highest levels of government can lead to total reputation collapse.