What started as a panel discussion about a viral playground incident quickly turned into a fiery confrontation on live TV—leaving even the outspoken Piers Morgan visibly stunned.
At the center of the storm?
A conservative influencer defending a white woman accused of calling a Black child a racial slur.
The Playground Incident That Set Everything Off
The controversy began in Minnesota, where Shiloh Hendrix, a white mother, was filmed being confronted for allegedly calling a 5-year-old Black boy the N-word.
According to reports, the child had taken a toy from her toddler’s diaper bag.
Instead of denying the accusation, Hendrix seemingly stood by her words—and has since become a symbol for some on the far-right rallying around “free speech.”
Enter Lilly Gaddis, the Self-Proclaimed Trad-Wife
Lilly Gaddis, a well-known traditionalist influencer with a history of controversial remarks, joined Piers Morgan’s show to defend Hendrix.
When Morgan asked why she would back someone who used a racial slur against a child, Gaddis gave a bold answer: “Because I want to support free speech.”
Morgan wasn’t having it.
“Free speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences,” he reminded her.
When he pressed Gaddis about whether she herself used the N-word, she shocked the panel by replying, “Yes, I do it quite frequently.”
“You’re Just an Unashamed Racist, Aren’t You?”
As the conversation escalated, Morgan—clearly taken aback—pressed further.
“Why? Other than the fact that you’re a despicable racist. Are you?”
Gaddis didn’t flinch.
She admitted that some would call her a white supremacist or neo-Nazi, and said she would “embrace” that label if it meant fighting for “white people’s freedom of speech.”
When asked about when it’s ever appropriate to use the N-word, Gaddis responded, “Any time I feel like it.” Morgan’s response?
“That makes you a despicable human being.”
Gaddis Redirects Attention Back to Hendrix
Despite the intense scrutiny, Gaddis kept trying to steer the conversation back to Shiloh Hendrix, calling her a victim of cancel culture.
She even brought up an unrelated murder case in a bizarre attempt to shift the narrative.
But Morgan stayed focused.
“You’re not just supporting her,” he said.
“You’re using this to platform your own racism.”
A Deeply Divisive Fundraising Campaign
Gaddis had already been promoting Hendrix online, urging her followers to donate to a fundraiser for the Minnesota mom.
On her social media, she framed the situation as an attack on white Americans.
“We’re sick of being bullied in our own country,” she said in one video.
In that same rant, she claimed the U.S. is “a white country for white people” and said immigrants and minorities were “trying to take away white people’s rights.”
Her inflammatory statements sparked outrage—and support from far-right followers.
$700,000 Raised for the Accused Mom
Despite the backlash, donations flooded in.
Hendrix’s crowdfunding page has now raised over $700,000.
In her fundraiser description, she claimed she was just standing up for her child and is now facing threats, doxxing, and harassment.
She says her Social Security number, phone number, and address have all been leaked.
“My family is under attack,” she wrote. “We may need to relocate. We cannot and will not live in fear.”
A Counter Campaign for the Child’s Family
In response, the local chapter of the NAACP launched its own fundraising campaign to support the young boy and his family.
Their goal: provide legal advocacy and push for broader social justice efforts.
As of Monday morning, that campaign had raised more than $341,000.
A Nation Divided—Again
The TV exchange and the fundraising tug-of-war have exposed deep divides in American society around race, speech, and accountability.
With both sides raising hundreds of thousands of dollars, the debate is far from over.