Fox News host walks back call to "just kill" homeless people
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Fox anchor Brian Kilmeade speaks on "Fox & Friends" in New York on Oct. 10, 2024. Photo: John Lamparski/Getty Images
Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade apologized Sunday for suggesting last week that mentally ill homeless people should be killed by "involuntary lethal injection."
The big picture: Kilmeade's original remarks, made last week on "Fox & Friends," came after the deadly stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina, which prompted widespread outrage from MAGA and far-right influencers.
Driving the news: "I wrongly said they should get lethal injections," Kilmeade said Sunday on the "Fox & Friends Weekend" program. "I apologize for that extremely callous remark."
- "I'm obviously aware that not all mentally ill, homeless people act as the perpetrator did in North Carolina and that so many homeless people deserve our empathy and compassion," he added.
- Fox News did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment Monday afternoon.
Catch up quick: Kilmeade's initial remarks came last week in a "Fox & Friends" segment with co-hosts Lawrence Jones and Ainsley Earhardt about Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee killed on a light-rail train in August.
- Authorities arrested Decarlos Brown Jr. and charged him with first-degree murder. He has a violent criminal history and was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia, Axios' Rebecca Falconer reports.
- Jones said homeless people who refuse services and programs could face prison time. "Or involuntary lethal injection, or something," Kilmeade added. "Just kill 'em."
- Earhardt added, "Why did it have to get to this point?" Kilmeade replied, "I will say this, we're not voting for the right people."
Zoom out: Zarutska's killing fueled online debate about urban crime, with MAGA-aligned influencers turning it into a national flashpoint, Axios' Marc Caputo writes.
- In North Carolina, the attack raised questions about the state's criminal justice oversight and mental health system.
Kilmeade's apology followed the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, which intensified the focus on mental health concerns and media reactions to news events.
- MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd and Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah said they were fired over their reactions to Kirk's death.
Go deeper: Stabbing video fuels MAGA's crime message
