Tensions escalated on Fox News’ The Five when co-host Greg Gutfeld strongly rejected Jessica Tarlov’s attempt to frame political violence as a “both sides” issue following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University. Authorities arrested 28-year-old Tyler Robinson of Provo, Utah, who confessed to the killing and now faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder.
On the program, Gutfeld began by highlighting a striking pattern. “What’s notable here is why this keeps happening on the left and not the right. That’s the central fact we need to focus on,” he stated.
Tarlov interjected, citing other recent political violence incidents, including the death of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and various attacks on Democrats.
Gutfeld immediately cut her off, raising his voice. “Nobody was spending every day talking about Mrs. Hortman. I didn’t even know about her until after she died. Don’t give me that nonsense. There was no demonization, no media amplification before her death. This was a specific crime targeting someone known to the assailant.”
The debate intensified as Gutfeld dismissed any notion of equivalence between Kirk’s assassination and other killings. “The ‘both sides’ argument doesn’t fly. We don’t care about it. That line of reasoning is dead,” he said.
He framed the disagreement as a clash between reality and rationalization. “Your side’s beliefs don’t align with reality, so you invent rationalizations: ‘What about this?’ or ‘What about that?’ We don’t do that. We saw what happened: a young, talented man was assassinated, and we know who did it. We remain calm, honest, and resolute. We are not defensive.”
Gutfeld argued that left-wing rhetoric had helped create an environment conducive to violence. “If you defend the mutilation of children, you’re not the good guys. If you tolerate hundreds of harassment cases against Republicans while saying, ‘But what about this or that?’ and then see a murderer acting after calling someone a fascist, you realize maybe you’re not the good guy.”
He further noted that Kirk’s assassin had been influenced by what he termed “direct-to-consumer nihilism” and radical ideologies. “He was a patsy, under the hypnotic sway of nihilism and trans radicalism,” Gutfeld explained. “Once you can deny biology, you can justify murder and treat human life as expendable.”
Tarlov tried to clarify that she was not minimizing Kirk’s death, but Gutfeld continued to press his point.
“The two-sides argument is irrelevant. Charlie had a conversation and he was shot. This reality is with us for good, and we must confront it. That means discarding the relativistic arguments often promoted in the media. It doesn’t matter—they’ve failed. We’re dealing with the facts and we will act. The ‘what-about-ism’ is over. That argument is dead.”