Readers of the Bee,

As most of you know by now, we've been locked out of Twitter for the past couple of months because we allegedly violated their "hateful conduct" policy with this joke. We appealed Twitter's ruling, but they denied our appeal. The only way they'll restore our account is if we admit we engaged in hateful conduct and delete our violative tweet.

We've steadfastly refused.

There was nothing hateful about our joke. In fact, our joke was reinforcing an important, objective truth -  and truth is not hate speech.

We haven't tweeted in two months. There's a chance we'll never tweet again. It's certainly not a given at this point that Musk's acquisition of Twitter will go through. But we'll be alright either way. We understood that our refusal to delete the tweet could result in the forfeiture of our Twitter account. We were willing to take that risk because someone, at some point, had to be willing to. We have to stop letting woke tyrants bully us into silence and submission. We have to be willing to push back on them and insist that 2 and 2 make 4. We have to be willing to defend reality and our right to accurately describe it. We have to be willing to defend our right to speak freely and tell jokes.

But there's another reason we were willing to take this risk. That reason is you, our loyal readers and subscribers.

If it weren't for our paid subscribers, we wouldn't have the financial footing to take this stand. We'd be too dependent on Big Tech to drive traffic and revenue. But with thousands of loyal supporters in our corner, we'll have the revenue we need to cover our costs and keep going - with or without Twitter.

When the Babylon Bee launched, our goal was to make people laugh. We never expected to find ourselves on the frontlines of a battle for the preservation of freedom and the restoration of sanity. But here we are, and we're asking you to join us. If you value freedom, truth, and sanity, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Babylon Bee. Humor is a vehicle for truth delivery; we need your help to keep that vehicle moving.

We're so fortunate to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that our readers have our back. Because of our subscribers' willingness to chip in and stand with us, we're in a much stronger position than we would be otherwise. Because of their support, we don't need to worry so much about our dependence on Twitter and the other Big Tech platforms. Will you subscribe today and join the ranks of those who are making this possible?

It was true before and it's true now: The greatest accomplishment on Twitter isn't going viral, or building a huge following -  it's getting banned for saying something true. We're proud to stand up for the truth and for the right to speak freely in the public square, and we're deeply appreciative of each and every one of you who commits to standing with us.

I'll leave you with a favorite quote of mine that speaks to our mission here at the Babylon Bee:

"Make them laugh, and while their mouths are open, pour truth in." - Harold Clurman

With your help, we'll continue doing just that. Thank for your loyal readership and support.

Seth Dillon
CEO