Scoop: Gavin Wax lawyers up after Babylon Bee dismissal

Gavin Wax, the New York Young Republicans chairman who was publicly fired from the Babylon Bee last week for directing a curse word at a DeSantis campaign operative, is pursuing legal action against his former employer. A letter from Wax’s lawyers to Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon reveals that they are currently investigating potential employment law violations in preparation for a lawsuit, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Spectator.

“It is clear from what is known at this point that Mr. Wax has multiple statutory and common-law employment and tort claims against you and your company,” the letter says. “He has directed us to complete our investigation forthwith, and to pursue all his legal remedies in court to the extent this dispute cannot be quickly and efficiently resolved.”

Dillon appeared to fire Wax after a dispute with Christina Pushaw, the rapid response director for the DeSantis campaign. Pushaw liked tweets insinuating that Wax had a connection to a fraud case involving Chinese billionaire Miles Guo because he used to work for the Guo-backed social media site Gettr. Wax tweeted in response, “Hey @ChristinaPushaw what’s your fucking problem?”

Dillon objected to Wax’s tweet and told him to take his affiliation with the the Christian satire site out of his Twitter bio, suggesting that he was no longer employed with the company. Wax did not receive a termination letter until June 1 and was paid through May 31, though the company claimed his employment ended on May 26, the day of the public dispute. Other documentation reviewed by The Spectator indicates that Wax was not terminated until May 31. These discrepancies could come up during the legal dispute, as Dillon publicly denigrated Wax’s work performance while Wax may have still been employed by the Babylon Bee.

A source close to Wax told The Spectator that the very public circumstances of Wax’s firing should warrant a hefty settlement.

“If I were advising him, I’d tell him not to settle for less than half a mil,” the source said. “Maybe more to be honest, given the public humiliation he endured while clearly still an employee.”

Wax claims that he was fired for supporting Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primary. He notes that the Babylon Bee has previously received money from the DeSantis campaign for advertising and email services and that other Bee employees who used expletives in their tweets had not been admonished by Dillon or otherwise disciplined by the company. Dillon asserted that Wax was fired for a combination of insubordination, poor work product, and inappropriate language.

In addition to requesting various pieces of information and documentation related to the case, Wax’s lawyers advised the Bee that they “will be proceeding with the preparation of a lawsuit.”

The Babylon Bee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Spectator will include their response if provided.