Date Presented

Spring 4-2026

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Dr. Chip Walton

Second Advisor

Dr. Catherine Stepniak

Third Advisor

Dr. Elizabeth Sharrett

Abstract

In September of 2025 “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade came under fire following remarks made in conversation with fellow co-host Lawrence Jones: JONES: They have given billions of dollars to mental health and the homeless population. A lot of them don’t want to take the programs, a lot of them don’t want to get the help that is necessary. You can’t give ‘em a choice. Either you take the resources that we’re gonna give you and—or, you decide, that you’re gonna be locked up in jail. That’s the way it has to be now. KILMEADE: Or, uh, involuntary lethal injection– JONES: Yep. KILMEADE: Or something. Just kill ‘em. (The Recount 2025) The discussion was prompted by the release of a video showing the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on August 22nd, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Decarlos Brown Jr., the homeless man charged with her murder, had a formal schizophrenia diagnosis and a criminal record, and was found incapable of standing trial following a health evaluation in December of 2025 (Morris, Forrester, and Drymon 2025; WRAL Staff 2026). Kilmeade would eventually make the following statement on FOX: I wrongly said [mentally ill, homeless people] should get lethal injections. 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. (Olivares 2025) Kilmeade kept his job, even in the face of many calls for his firing from individual petitioners to large organizations alike, and as of April of 2026 remains a frequent co-host on “Fox & Friends”

3 (National Alliance to End Homelessness [NAEH] 2025; Array Array and National Urban League [NAL] 2025).

It is important when recalling this debacle to remember that Kilmeade’s statement–and Jones’ agreement–did not arise from nowhere. It was predicated upon a pre-existing discourse on the worthiness of unhoused individuals–particularly those with mental illness–which has been ongoing since before the establishment of Jamestown. This history has played a role in notions of the homeless, including that which Kilmeade expressed, and have developed and changed over time throughout different representations of the homeless population in the media. As such, it is my goal here to provide a brief overview of representations published by the incredibly influential New York Times from the years 1920-99 so as to provide context for present-day discourse.

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