On the morning of September 10, 2025, live on Fox & Friends, Brian Kilmeade crossed a line that no broadcaster in a civilized country should cross. Discussing the tragic killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, allegedly by a homeless man with mental illness, Kilmeade cut into the panel debate with this suggestion:
“Or involuntary lethal injection, or something. Just kill ’em.”
There it was — the mask fully off. A national television host, speaking not in satire or hyperbole but in apparent earnest, proposed that homeless Americans be executed by the state. A co-host sat in stunned silence. Kilmeade doubled down, blaming “voting for the wrong people.”
Four days later, under pressure, he apologized. He called his remark “extremely callous.” But apologies cannot erase the violence of what was said — or the permission it grants to treat society’s most vulnerable as subhuman.
Why This Is Not Just a Gaffe
Rhetoric like Kilmeade’s is not harmless. It doesn’t evaporate after a quick apology. It lodges in the discourse, legitimizing cruelty, emboldening vigilantes, and softening the ground for atrocity.
The National Coalition for the Homeless has documented nearly 2,000 attacks on homeless people since 1999, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Just last year, a woman in Brooklyn was set on fire in her sleep. In Chicago, four unhoused riders were murdered in a train shooting. In New York, a vandal spray-painted “Kill the Homeless” in a subway car.
This is not hypothetical. The violence is here. When a prime-time host says “just kill ’em,” he is not adding to a debate. He is joining the mob.
The Double Standard That Screams Hypocrisy
Compare this to how networks treat comedians. Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after Trump’s FCC whipped up outrage over a minor joke. A late-night satirist faced discipline; a news anchor calling for state-sanctioned murder faces none.
This grotesque imbalance reveals the truth: satire that challenges power is punished, while rhetoric that dehumanizes the powerless is excused. If Kimmel can be suspended for a harmless barb, why is Kilmeade still employed after openly endorsing extermination?
History Has Taught Us Where This Leads
History is merciless on this point. Before mass killings come the jokes, the slurs, the casual calls for elimination. The Nazis spoke of “useless eaters.” Rwandan radio called Tutsis “cockroaches.” Every atrocity begins with rhetoric that strips people of their humanity.
Kilmeade’s words were not just inappropriate. They were a test. A test of whether we will recognize dehumanization when it’s staring us in the face.
Why Fox Must Fire Kilmeade Immediately
- Retaining him is not neutrality; it is complicity.
- It sends the message that calls for state violence against marginalized people are permissible.
- It reinforces a system where cruelty is protected and dissent is punished.
If Fox claims any journalistic legitimacy, this is the moment to prove it. Fire him now.
Call to Action: Turn Outrage Into Power
Here’s how readers can force accountability — not just chatter.
1. Boycott and Advertiser Pressure
- Identify brands advertising on Fox & Friends.
- Boycott their products.
- Tweet them: “Stop funding a show whose host said ‘Just kill ’em’ about homeless people.”
2. Letters and Email Blitz
- Flood Fox corporate and local affiliates with demands to fire Kilmeade.
- Sample subject: Fire Brian Kilmeade immediately.
3. Phone Pressure
- Call advertisers: “Will your brand keep funding a program whose host suggested involuntary lethal injection as policy?”
4. Petitions and Social Campaigns
- Use hashtags like #FireKilmeade and #NoPlatformForViolence.
- Circulate petitions demanding advertiser withdrawal.
5. Public Protest
- Peacefully demonstrate at Fox affiliates.
- Carry signs with Kilmeade’s exact quote and stats about violence against the homeless.
6. Support Humane Solutions
- Donate to shelters, mental health clinics, and “housing first” programs.
- Pair protest with real compassion.
The Final Word
This is not about cancel culture. It is about civilization itself. If we tolerate a media figure advocating executions for the poor, we accept barbarism as normal politics.
Kilmeade’s quote — “Just kill ’em” — must be the last straw. For Fox, for advertisers, and for all of us. If America cannot draw the line here, then we are already well on our way down a road history has warned us about countless times.
Fire him. Boycott his sponsors. Demand accountability. Anything less is complicity.