Jessica Tarlov returned to Fox News’ The Five on Wednesday and quickly found herself in a sharp back-and-forth with co-host Greg Gutfeld over the issue of political violence.

The exchange began when Tarlov suggested that violence was a problem on “both sides,” a claim Gutfeld immediately rejected.

“You, your rationalization of ‘both sides’ is—” Gutfeld began before Tarlov interjected, “I’m not rationalizing anything.” Gutfeld continued, “Since Kirk’s death there is no both sides anymore, Jessica.”

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Tarlov attempted to shift the focus by citing a Department of Justice study on right-wing extremism that she said had been withdrawn. Gutfeld pressed her to provide details.

“What, what, what study was that? Which one, the one in The Economist that was sponsored by a group run by a guy in Antifa?” he asked.

When Tarlov questioned his characterization, Gutfeld doubled down.

“That study that has been discredited—” he said. Tarlov responded, “Antifa?” Gutfeld replied,

“That study was authored by a project that was run by a guy who says he was in Antifa. That is why that whole thing has been scrubbed, okay? It’s real simple.”

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Gutfeld then outlined his view that labeling opponents with terms such as “fascist” or “Nazi” creates justification for violence.

“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. It’s weird,” he said.

Tarlov countered by asking about rhetoric from conservatives. “Is it okay when Donald Trump does it?” she asked.

Gutfeld responded by distinguishing between language and outcomes.

“The left calls Trump a hatemonger. They have called me a hatemonger 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. Guess what? No one acts on the things that I say because my side doesn’t do that.”

He continued, “We say people are stupid, we say people are wrong, but we don’t say they’re evil.”

From there, Gutfeld posed a series of pointed questions aimed at highlighting acts of violence he attributed to left-wing rhetoric.

“Who points them in that direction? Why pick ICE? Why pick Kirk? Why target TV stations and put bombs under Fox trucks, huh? Why, why vandalize memorials? Why kill kids in Catholic schools?” he asked.

Gutfeld then summed up his position by connecting mental health issues with political influence.

“Two things can be true. A person could be mentally ill, and you can be guiding him to that place in his life. That is how brainwashing works,” he said.

BREAKING: Greg Gutfeled NUKES FROM ORBIT Jessica Tarlov’s rant that political violence is “both sides.” HE JUST WENT OFF.

“Your rationalization of BOTH SIDES…you come and you say, ‘This is a mentally ill loner.’ Well, who do you think does this stuff? It’s not Ben Affleck,… pic.twitter.com/U5ssL3gBnt

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 24, 2025

The exchange drew attention as another example of ongoing disputes over how political rhetoric contributes to acts of violence.

While Tarlov sought to argue that the problem exists across the political spectrum, Gutfeld rejected the equivalence and cited recent high-profile incidents to make his case.

The conversation reflected the continuing national debate over accountability in political discourse and the extent to which language and labels influence violent actions.

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