The U.S. Capitol building provides a backdrop for a homeless man resting on a steam vent on the National Mall, Dec. 18, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Photo: CFP)
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade has apologized after suggesting on-air that homeless people with mental illness should be executed, drawing widespread condemnation and calls for his removal.
The remarks occurred during a September 10 "Fox & Friends" episode discussing the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train in North Carolina. The accused, Decarlos Brown Jr., reportedly had schizophrenia, a lengthy criminal record, and was living in a homeless shelter, according to his mother.
When co-host Lawrence Jones suggested jailing unhoused people who refuse aid, Kilmeade interjected: "Involuntary lethal injection or something. Just kill them."
California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the comment, and Kilmeade later apologized: "I apologize for that extremely callous remark. I am 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."
Homelessness and systemic failures
Experts say Kilmeade's comments reflect a broader perception among some right-wing circles that homeless people are nuisances rather than victims of systemic failures.
Zeeshan Aleem, MSNBC Daily writer, observed: "The non-reaction of Kilmeade's colleagues at the time illustrates how aligned Kilmeade's comment was with general right-wing attitudes toward the unhoused and the mentally ill. What Kilmeade said wasn't an aberration; it was a mask-off moment."
Data highlight the scale of the problem. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that over 770,000 Americans were homeless in 2024, up 18% from 2023—the sharpest rise since 2007.
Contributing factors include rising rents, substance abuse, and unaffordable healthcare, alongside weak social safety nets, lax public safety, rampant drug access, and job hurdles like address requirements.
AP writer Christopher Rugaber noted rising delinquency rates on credit cards and auto loans. Senator Bernie Sanders added: "Working Americans with decent-paying jobs simply can't afford a place to live. That sentence should not exist in the United States of America."
Compounding these struggles, a June 2024 U.S. Supreme Court ruling permits fines, arrests, or jail for unsheltered people sleeping outdoors.
Free speech for some
Kilmeade's remarks came just hours before conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a Utah event.
Critics of Kirk, including ABC talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd, faced swift suspensions or dismissals after commenting on Kirk's rhetoric.
Kilmeade, by contrast, faced no serious consequences, revealing a selective application of free speech: attacks on marginalized populations are tolerated, while dissenting voices challenging conservative figures are punished.
The Zarutska case has also been politicized. Brown's identity—Black, homeless, and mentally ill—was leveraged to reinforce racist narratives of "Black violence against whites."
Trump cited the case at a rally, faulting "blood is on the hands of the Democrats" for unleashing "career criminals" like Brown, while North Carolina Republicans proposed tougher repeat-offender penalties, which critics see as targeting marginalized groups.
Jeet Heer, a national affairs correspondent for The Nation, noted that Trump's rhetoric highlights the depth of U.S. polarization.
"In an era of deep polarization in American society, he rarely talks about healing," Heer said. "He acts as president of red America and the people who agree with him, while those who do not are portrayed as enemies and traitors deserving payback."
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Reporter | Liu Xiaodi, Chen Hanzhang (intern)
Editor | Yuan Zixiang, James Campion, Shen He
