Dan Bongino and the Myth of the “Black-Pillers”

Dan Bongino Discovers A New Villain: “Black-Pillers” – Conservatives Who Question Him

Dan Bongino has decided that the real threat to the movement is not the Left, the media, or Washington bureaucrats. It is conservatives who refuse to clap on command. He has even given them a label: “black-pillers.” The term sounds serious, but the way he uses it says more about him than about the people he is attacking.

Dan Bongino kicked off his rehab tour by declaring war on anyone who noticed that he was a complete and utter failure inside the FBI. pic.twitter.com/dXplWBZsP5

— RyanMatta 🇺🇸 🦅 (@RyanMattaMedia) January 6, 2026

When Indignation Becomes the Whole Brand

Lately, Bongino has been picking fights online, blocking critics, and announcing that he has no patience for anyone who questions his version of events. The tone is familiar. He wraps everything in moral outrage, performs the indignation, and then positions himself as the last honest man in the room. It is less leadership and more stagecraft.

The phrase he keeps throwing around comes from internet culture. In the Matrix metaphor, the red pill means you “see the truth,” and the blue pill means you accept the comfortable version of reality. The “black pill” is different. It suggests that everything is broken beyond repair and that nothing is worth trying to fix. It is not skepticism. It is defeatism dressed up as insight.

The Real Enemy, Apparently, Is His Own Audience

Here is where Bongino twists it. He is not using the insult against progressives or media figures. He is using it against people on the Right who raise questions about grift, flawed strategies, or personalities who seem more interested in attention than results. In his world, criticism becomes nihilism. Accountability becomes disloyalty. Anyone who refuses to play along gets tossed into the “black-piller” bucket and shoved out of the conversation.

That would be irritating enough on its own, but the timing makes it even more revealing. Bongino left a serious role inside the FBI and immediately returned to the performance circuit. Instead of reflecting on the experience or making a thoughtful case for reform, he jumped straight back into internet feuds and dramatic monologues. It is hard to take all the talk about saving the country seriously when most of the energy is being burned on petty brawls with people on the same side.

🚨 JUST IN: Dan Bongino announces he’s DECLARED WAR on “grifters” and “black-pillers” attempting to hijack MAGA

There’s about to be some freaking HELL to pay. pic.twitter.com/RYUBlUVJSx

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 6, 2026

Outrage Sells

There is also a larger pattern here that goes beyond him. The “black-piller” label functions as a silencer. Do you question whether some conservative media figures are milking outrage for profit? Then you are a pessimist. Do you think movements benefit from self-critique and honesty? That apparently makes you a danger. It becomes a very convenient shield for people who never want to examine their own role in the mess.

In a strange way, Bongino’s evolution mirrors Megyn Kelly’s. Both moved from serious platforms into personalities defined by grievance and combat. The more heated the fight, the more “authentic” they claim to be. It works for clicks, but it leaves very little space for seriousness or persuasion. I wouldn’t be shocked if “Danno” eventually pops up under Megyn’s new media umbrella. He probably doesn’t need her platform, but lining up together gives the whole thing a veneer of credibility. It looks less like individual personalities chasing outrage and more like a “media organization” with a mission — which is exactly the impression they want.

Performing Strength, Producing Nothing

What makes this frustrating is that the country actually does need level-headed conservative voices who can argue, persuade, and build. Instead, we get theatrical warnings about enemies inside the gates, followed by another round of Twitter drama. The outrage keeps the clicks coming, but it does not move anything forward.

Oh my, “I guess you don’t have any choices left once you become a bitch!”

In the end, Bongino has not uncovered a new ideological threat. He has found a new insult that makes his critics easier to dismiss. Call them “black-pillers,” accuse them of giving up, and never address what they are actually saying. It is an efficient tactic, but it is also a dodge. Anyone paying attention can see the difference between principled disagreement and a personality who needs conflict the way a performer needs a stage.

And yes — the act is starting to feel tired.

Feature Image: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons/edited in Canva Pro