'I'm not sorry': Houston radio host who mocked Robotics tourney stands by his tweets

PHOTOS: Houston talk radio host catches heat for tweets mocking son's robotics competition Conservative radio host Jesse Kelly caught some heat on social media over the weekend for a series of tweets that apparently mocked his son's robotics tournament in the Houston area. He told Chron.com on Monday that he's "not sorry even a little bit" because he was joking. >>> See the backlash he faced online less Conservative radio host Jesse Kelly caught some heat on social media over the weekend for a series of tweets that apparently mocked his son's robotics tournament in the Houston area. He told Chron.com on Monday that he's "not sorry even a little bit" because he was joking. PHOTOS: Houston talk radio host catches heat for tweets mocking son's robotics competition Conservative radio host Jesse Kelly caught some heat on social media over the weekend for a series of tweets that Conservative radio host Jesse Kelly caught some heat on social media over the weekend for a series of tweets that ... more Photo: Twitter Photo: Twitter Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close 'I'm not sorry': Houston radio host who mocked Robotics tourney stands by his tweets 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

A conservative talk radio host in Houston caught some heat over the weekend for tweets that appeared to mock his son's Lego robotics tournament, saying "you've never seen this many depressed father's in one place."

"We're all thinking, 'Other kids play football'," read one tweet from Kelly, who hosts The Jesse Kelly Show on KPRC-AM 950.

Kelly, however, stood by his comments on Monday. He said he was joking and he's "not sorry even a little bit."

"I'll probably do it again," he told Chron.com on Monday. "I think it's hilarious, as does everyone with a sense of humor."

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Lego robotics is a competition for kids that involves programming autonomous robots to complete tasks, according to Buzzfeed.

Kelly's bio on the KPRC website describes him as a Marine Corps combat veteran and former congressional candidate in Arizona. He also contributes to The Federalist, a right-leaning web magazine focused on culture, politics and religion.

He said he was attending the robotics tournament for his 10-year-old son on Saturday when he fired off the string of tweets many found offensive, including comedian and writer Mike Drucker.

"I, too, hate the idea of my children one day having valuable career skills," Drucker tweeted.

Former FBI Special Agent and CNN Analyst Asha Rangappa also chimed in to defend the boy.

"I would be *over the moon* if my son was competing in Lego robotics tournament," her tweet said.

Some of Kelly's comments included gifs of men drinking, such as one tweet saying "Oh goody. They're setting up a stage for an awards ceremony." In another tweet, he said "I don't belong here."

Kelly seemed to bask in the backlash online, retweeting insults toward him on Twitter. One of two Buzzfeed articles about the ordeal called his comments a "troll job that got people angry."

"Every easily offended person out there has tried to attack me for various reasons," Kelly told Chron.com on Monday.

Click through the slideshow above to see some of the backlash he faced.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message

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