If my experience is any indicator, problematic people from your past who have lost their hold on you, will say and do some really crazy things just to get a reaction out of you. Any reaction. Doesn’t matter how crazy they act or whether your reaction is positive or negative. It’s their sad way of trying to regain some sort of power over you even if it’s only in their minds. If I ever responded in even a small way, it was all the permission they thought they needed to worm their way back into wrecking my life. The only thing that has worked for me in such a situation is to ignore them and don’t respond or react in any way.