Fox News hosts Greg Gutfeld and Jessica Tarlov reportedly sparred Monday on “The Five” over whether America’s surge in political violence is primarily driven by the left, a debate reignited after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week.
“What is interesting here is, why is only this happening on the left and not the right?” Gutfeld asked his colleagues. “That’s all we need to know.”
Tarlov, the program’s resident liberal voice, quickly interjected. “What about Melissa Hortman?” she said, referring to the Minnesota state lawmaker who was assassinated earlier this year.
But Gutfeld dismissed the comparison. “You wanna talk about Melissa Hortman? Did you know her name before it happened? None of us did,” he said. “None of us were spending every single day talking about Mrs. Hortman. I never heard of her until after she died.”
Tarlov pressed him, visibly agitated. “So, it doesn’t matter?” she asked.
“Don’t play that bulls— with me,” Gutfeld shot back, raising his voice. “You know what I’m talking. … What I’m saying is there was no demonization, amplification about that woman before she died. It was a specific crime against her by somebody who knew her.”
Authorities, however, have not alleged that Vance Boelter — the man charged with killing Hortman and her husband — personally knew the Democratic lawmaker. The exact motive remains unclear.
The heated exchange reflects a larger national argument. Conservatives, including President Donald Trump, have said Kirk’s killing is emblematic of a dangerous trend of left-wing violence. Democrats, meanwhile, have accused the right of fueling extremism with their rhetoric.
Kirk’s assassination has been especially painful for conservatives because of his prominence as a young activist who had built a powerful grassroots following.
For years, he was a lightning rod for the left, targeted by progressive groups and frequently vilified online. His killing during a campus event at Utah Valley University has only deepened suspicions among conservatives that anti-conservative sentiment has turned deadly.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! Greg Gutfeld just EVISCERATED Jessica Tarlov for making the "both sides" argument about Charlie Kirk's kiIIing
"DON'T PLAY THAT BULLSHlT WITH ME!"
"We don't care about your 'both sides' argument. That shlt is DEAD!"
"On your side, your beliefs do not match… pic.twitter.com/tXAl6RGIQ4
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 15, 2025
To Gutfeld, that distinction matters. He argued that the difference between isolated tragedies and targeted political violence lies in how public figures are treated in the national discourse before their deaths. “There was no demonization, amplification about that woman before she died,” he repeated of Hortman. By contrast, Kirk, he said, had been vilified for years in the press and online.
The exchange also underscores a growing divide in how Americans interpret political violence. On the right, many see Kirk’s murder as the culmination of years of escalating hostility toward conservatives.
On the left, Democrats point to violent episodes, such as the January 6 Capitol riot, as evidence that right-wing rhetoric inspires bloodshed.
But to Gutfeld and many conservatives, the assassination of Kirk represents something more coordinated. “Why is only this happening on the left and not the right?” he asked again, suggesting that political targeting is now a phenomenon disproportionately carried out by those opposed to conservatives.
For Republicans, the issue is not only who pulls the trigger, but who sets the stage.
[READ MORE: Washington Post Ousts Columnist Over Posts Following Kirk Assassination]
