BBNBonkers Broadcasting NetworkTuesday, October 13, 2026Tue, Oct 13Watch live

U.S.BONK-O-METER

New evidence debunks Talarico psych hospital rumor

The campaign of Senate candidate James Talarico released security footage countering the Ohio rehab rumor; critics now question why it took so long to surface.

On air: Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock on The Bonk-o-Meter
Published
Photo: Antonioaesparza · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
▶ As it aired · U.S.

Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock on this story, from The Bonk-o-Meter at 3:29 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Fox News's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: James Talarico
Photo: Antonioaesparza · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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What BBN said about it

  1. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorTime for the Bonk-o-Meter. The claim: that Senate candidate James Talarico once stayed at an Ohio psychiatric facility.

  2. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorHis campaign released security footage that undercuts it, according to Fox News. So the rumor got a very public correction.

  3. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorCritics are asking why the footage wasn't released sooner, while the rumor was running around the internet in sneakers.

  4. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorMaybe the tape was shy. Some evidence needs a minute to find its confidence.

  5. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe tape had days.

  6. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorAnd now every rumor will want a camera crew and a lawyer before it's born, which sounds exhausting for the rumors.

  7. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe rumor rates Full Bonkers.

  8. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorCould we say Mostly Bonkers, with room to grow?

  9. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorFull Bonkers.

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