Fox News host Brian Kilmeade apologized Sunday for advocating the execution of mentally ill homeless people during a discussion on the network last week, calling the remark “extremely callous.”
Kilmeade made the comment Wednesday while discussing the Aug. 22 stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, a case that drew extensive attention after security video of the attack circulated online. A homeless man with reported mental-health issues, Decarlos Brown Jr., was arrested in the killing.
Co-host Lawrence Jones was discussing public spending on services for people experiencing homelessness and suggested that people who refused offered services should be jailed. Kilmeade responded, according to a recording of the show, “Or involuntary lethal injection, or something. Just kill 'em.” Co-host Ainsley Earhardt interjected, “Why did it have to get to this point?” Kilmeade added, “I will say this, we're not voting for the right people.”
On the network's weekend edition of Fox & Friends, Kilmeade said he had “wrongly said they should get lethal injection” and apologized for the comment. He said he was “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.”
Fox News management did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
The clip from Kilmeade's morning show began circulating widely online over the weekend and prompted criticism from advocates for people experiencing homelessness. Christine Quinn, president and CEO of Win, which provides shelter and services for homeless children in New York City, called the remark “completely devoid of all humanity” and invited Kilmeade to volunteer at one of the organization's shelters.
Kilmeade's initial comment came hours before the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, an event that intensified attention on on-air rhetoric. That same afternoon, an MSNBC analyst, Matthew Dowd, was fired after saying on the air that hateful rhetoric can lead to hateful actions.
The exchange and Kilmeade's subsequent apology underscore tensions in media coverage of violent crimes involving people with mental illness and homelessness, and they add to ongoing debates about broadcast standards and the responsibilities of hosts when discussing criminal acts. News organizations have increasingly faced scrutiny over how live commentary can amplify inflammatory remarks and the potential real-world consequences of that speech.
Kilmeade, a long-time Fox & Friends host, has previously been at the center of on-air controversy but remains a prominent figure on the network's morning lineup. The network's response to the latest incident and whether further action will be taken were not immediately clear Sunday.