THURSDAY: Is Candidate Talarico a demon?

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2026

One co-host says yes: Is there any such thing as a demon?

How are we supposed to know? When it comes to the existence of demons, we aren't the right people to ask.

That said, some people do believe in demons (as is their perfect right), "and not in the metaphorical sense." In this new report at The Atlantic, Stephanie McCrummen discusses a woman whose bookstore became the focus of a somewhat unusual fight. Dual headline included:

The Demon Next Door
A growing number of charismatic Christians see themselves as waging a spiritual battle against the forces of Satan. Sometimes those forces are right across the street.  

[...]  

The owner was Lisa Misosky, and she was chatting with customers one afternoon when she found out that people in town were accusing her of demonic activity, and not in a metaphorical way.

Over the course of three decades in Maryville, [Tennessee] Misosky had made Southland Books and Cafe into a local institution, a sprawling maze of old bookcases where people could find a leather-bound Mark Twain, a paperback Charles Bukowski, shelves of military history, and flyers for a local mah-jongg group. Misosky had a bar downstairs where she hosted trivia nights, readings, all-ages punk shows, and fundraisers that sometimes involved drag performances. She occasionally provided space to the local Democratic Party. But none of that had drawn public protest until a new church moved in across the street. 

 “You’re not gonna believe this shit,” a friend texted her, and then sent the first of several videos posted by a man who introduced himself as Mike Brewer, the leader of an “apostolic hub” called the Well. Sitting at a desk, he explained in a calm and methodical manner that the bookstore had been identified as a “regional demonic stronghold.” A high-ranking demon named Lilith was involved, Misosky would learn, and the bookstore was being targeted for something called “strategic-level spiritual warfare,” the goal of which was to “remove the enemy.”   

Misosky had been born and raised in Maryville. She was 58, Catholic, and gay, and told me she was used to living among conservative Christians. Still, demonic came as a surprise. “This is probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” she remembered thinking after seeing the first video, not yet realizing that the church was part of the fastest-growing segment of Christianity in the country, or that the language she was hearing in the fall of 2022 was spreading across the Christian right and the wider political landscape. 

McCrummen goes on to discuss this "fastest-growing segment of Christianity," linking by way of background to this report in the Atlantic from June 2025. As she continues, she cites some recent high-profile statements and events:  

[continuing directly]
In the years ahead, Donald Trump would accuse the entire Democratic Party of being demonic. Tucker Carlson would claim that he had been mauled by a demon in his sleep. Steve Bannon would call Lutheran and Catholic activists who help immigrants demonic. A federal emergency-management official would speak of being teleported to a Waffle House 50 miles away, elaborating that he was not sure whether the transporting forces were “good” or “evil.” J. D. Vance would say of UFOs, “I don’t think they’re aliens. I think they’re demons.” And the same apostles and prophets who’d claimed that God had anointed Trump to be president would encourage him to see his war with Iran as a cosmic showdown with a demonic entity known as the Prince of Persia.

We cited Tucker Carlson's vivid report in real time. The recent event involving the Waffle House has gained a fair amount of exposure.  But we were especially struck by McCrummen's report because of a recent assessment Emily Compagno offered on the daily Fox News Channel program, Outnumbered, where she serves as co-host.

At Mediaite, Michael Lucianbo was watching Outnumbered, and then he typed it up. Mediaite's headline says this:  

Fox’s Emily Compagno Unleashes Wild Attack on James Talarico: ‘This Person Is a Demon in Human Skin’  

And yes, that's what Compagno said. 

You can read Luciano's full report by clicking this. Videotape of the discussion is provided, but here's the transcript of the place where the rubber met the road:

COMPAGNO (7/3/26): This is why all of that money should be spent on the GOP’s messaging, because every single voter there needs to understand exactly who they would vote in office, which is an anti-business, anti-commerce, anti-capitalist, anti-Texas Texan. So, if [Republicans] know what's good for them, it’s to permeate that messaging deep into the red state of Texas, so that, "Oh, it’s not just some Democrat. No, no! This person is a demon in human skin.” 

To our ear, that highlighted statement sounds a bit strange, even by Fox News standards.

Aside from her regular spot on Outnumbered, Compagno is a frequent co-host on The Five and a frequent Gutfeld! panelist. The Five is the nation's most-watched "cable news" show. Gutfeld! is the grimiest and the most misogynistic.

To see the full segment on Talarico that day, you can start by clicking here. For the record, there were quite a few misstatements in that longer set of attacks. There's no way to get to all the failings which can be found on the American "cable news" dial.

For all we know, Compagno may be the world's nicest person. We've said before, in other contexts, that we don't think she should be working as a commentator on American "cable news" shows.