Fox viewers got a raw reminder this week that not all media moral equivalence deserves a seat at the table when Greg Gutfeld erupted at co-host Jessica Tarlov for peddling the tired “both sides” line after the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. The clip from The Five shows Gutfeld refusing to tolerate the false symmetry that treats left-wing terror and mainstream conservatism as interchangeable, and his outrage reflected what millions of Americans already feel — enough is enough.
The backdrop is grim and straightforward: Kirk was shot during a campus event and authorities arrested an alleged suspect amid reports that political motivations may have been involved, a reality that has sent shockwaves through our communities and campuses. Americans deserve clarity and accountability, not pundit performances that paper over ideological realities while innocent people lie dead.
When Tarlov tried to insist that political violence is a “both sides” problem, Gutfeld rightly called it out as absurd and unmoored from the facts, even quipping that on one side you have the hard left and on the other you have the left. That blunt refusal to normalize equivalence is not rude theater — it is required honesty in a moment when public safety and the reputations of millions hang in the balance.
Conservatives have watched for years as left-leaning activists and outlets demonize opponents relentlessly, only for that corrosive rhetoric to be shrugged off as “passionate debate” by the same people who scream when the shoe is on the other foot. Television panels that pretend this is some symmetrical, bipartisan disease are doing the public a disservice, and Gutfeld’s outburst was the kind of wake-up call the country needs.
Tarlov’s appeal to caution and “both sides” rhetoric conveniently ignores the context: repeated, dehumanizing language toward conservatives from influential corners of the left and the amplification of that vitriol across mainstream platforms. If we are to stop political violence, we must stop the double standards that excuse one side’s extremism while overstating the other’s. This is not partisan posturing — it is common-sense prevention.
The media establishment should be embarrassed that a co-host had to be publicly rebuked for trying to erase motive and minimize a pattern we can plainly see. It’s past time for journalists and hosts to stop performing moral equivalence and start doing their jobs: report the facts, name the truth, and hold those who fan the flames accountable.
Hardworking Americans are tired of being lectured by elites who treat every outrage as a balanced debate so they can avoid blame. Stand with those who call out hypocrisy and refuse the false moral symmetry that lets one side off the hook — because defending free speech and law and order means naming the problem honestly and acting to stop it.
