Brian Kilmeade, a co-host of Fox News’s Fox & Friends, suggested during a live broadcast that people struggling with homelessness and mental illness should be killed, comments that drew swift criticism and widespread attention.
The remarks came during a panel discussion about the August 22 murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina, and were captured on video that subsequently went viral. Kilmeade, appearing alongside co-hosts Lawrence Jones and Ainsley Earhardt, responded to Jones’s suggestion that some people not accepting help for mental-health or housing issues should be locked up by saying, "Or involuntary lethal or something, just kill them." Earhardt replied, "Yeah, Brian, why did it have to get to this point?" without addressing Kilmeade’s suggestion.
Kilmeade also criticized Democratic leadership in cities with large homeless populations, invoked cases involving district attorneys such as Chesa Boudin and Alvin Bragg, and urged North Carolinians to support Republican Michael Whatley in the 2026 Senate race. The suspect in Zarutska’s killing, Decarlos Brown, has been accused of stabbing her in the neck, authorities have said.
The clip prompted condemnations from elected officials and commentators across the political spectrum. California Governor Gavin Newsom posted a Bible verse, Proverbs 21:13, on X in response to the segment. Virginia Representative Don Beyer described the remarks as "sick," noting in a post that "America’s homeless population includes over a million children and tens of thousands of veterans" and adding, "Nobody deserves to be murdered by the government for mental illness or poverty. These Fox hosts are calling for mass murder—it's sick."
Conservative commentator and Bulwark publisher Sarah Longwell posted, "My god. What is happening?" Other social media users, including people identifying themselves as family members of veterans, expressed shock and dismay that a public figure would suggest killing people who are homeless or mentally ill.
Fox News did not immediately issue a response in the clip’s immediate aftermath; the Daily Mail reported it had approached the network for comment. The segment remains available in clips shared online and has been widely circulated across platforms.
The exchange has added to broader national debates over homelessness, mental-health services and criminal justice policy. Advocates and lawmakers have pointed to complex causes of homelessness, including mental illness, substance use disorders, lack of affordable housing and gaps in health care, and have called for increased services and funding rather than punitive measures.
Kilmeade is a longtime Fox News personality and frequent commentator on national politics. Fox & Friends is one of the network’s flagship morning programs and often features commentary on high-profile crimes and policy debates. The show’s tone and the remarks from its hosts have in the past drawn scrutiny and criticism from opponents and viewers.
The Zarutska case and the hosts’ comments are likely to be referenced in ongoing political discussions in North Carolina, where some local and national Republicans are organizing ahead of the 2026 Senate race. Officials in Charlotte, a city governed by Democrats, have faced scrutiny from critics who blame local leadership and prosecutorial approaches for crime trends, an argument echoed by Kilmeade during the segment.
Legal proceedings in the Zarutska murder case remain ongoing. Decarlos Brown has been identified by authorities as the accused in the killing. There has been no indication that the comments by Kilmeade or his co-hosts have affected those proceedings.
The incident underscores the heightened scrutiny of broadcast commentary on issues of homelessness, mental health and public safety and the rapid amplification of controversial remarks in the social media era.