Fox’s Tarlov, Gutfeld Clash Over Political Violence After ICE Shooting

Fox News host Greg Gutfeld clashed with liberal co-host Jessica Tarlov this week on The Five over claims that political violence in America stems largely from the right — a narrative he forcefully rejected.

The heated debate came just a day after a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Texas that left several people injured and prompted a federal investigation.

Tarlov leaned on the left’s familiar talking point, citing what she called a Department of Justice study on “right-wing extremism” that had been pulled offline. “Why did the DOJ take down the study that showed how much right-wing extremism there is?” she asked.

Gutfeld immediately challenged the framing, pointing out examples of political violence committed by those aligned with the left, including the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk earlier this month.

“You have to understand, since Kirk’s death, there is no both sides,” Gutfeld shot back.

When Tarlov pressed the DOJ study, Gutfeld dismantled its credibility. “What study was that, which one? The one in The Economist that was sponsored by a group run by a guy in Antifa? That study? Jessica, I did the deep dive on that study. That study was authored by a project that was run by a guy who says he was in Antifa.”

For Gutfeld, the real danger is the left’s weaponization of labels. “It’s real simple. You label someone a fascist, or a racist, or a Nazi, it makes you free to attack them, and that has been the ideology from the start.”

As Tarlov tried to interject, Gutfeld doubled down: “They’ve called me a hate monger because I ridicule the left, I ridicule protesters, I ridicule academia, Hollywood, the news media. I make fun of The View every day. I make fun of the UN.”

The Fox host stressed that conservative criticism is not the same as incitement: “No one acts on the things that I say because my side doesn’t do that. We say people are stupid. We say people are wrong. But we don’t say they’re evil. That is your game.”

Gutfeld also noted the overlap between mental instability and political influence, pointing to recent targets: “Why pick ICE? Why pick Kirk? Why target TV stations, put bombs under Fox trucks? Why vandalize memorials? Why kill kids in Catholic schools? Two things can be true: A person can be mentally ill, and you can guide him to that place in his life. That is how brainwashing works.”

The fiery exchange highlighted the growing divide in how America’s political class frames violence — with the left quick to blame conservatives, while evidence shows left-wing rhetoric and radicalization have inspired deadly attacks of their own.