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‘Fox & Friends’ Under Fire for Outrageous Joke Made About Ray Rice Punching His Fiancee in an Elevator

Sep 9, 2014  •  Post A Comment

Updated at 10:30 a.m. PT on Sept. 9, 2014, to include Brian Kilmeade’s comments from today’s show.

Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” was “lambasted on Twitter” after a co-host of the show joked Monday about the lesson to be learned from football player Ray Rice slugging his fiancee in an elevator, reports Ryan Parker at the Los Angeles Times’ Show Tracker blog.

The story reports: “The hosts were commenting on the cutting of Rice by the Baltimore Ravens after a video surfaced on TMZ that showed a person believed to be Rice punching a woman, who is believed to be his now-wife, unconscious in a casino elevator.”

Co-host Steve Doocy “commented on the couple still getting married even after the alleged attack and the message it sends when other high-profile couples stay together after similar incidents. Co-host Brian Kilmeade then added, ‘I think the message is to take the stairs.’

“The other hosts chuckled at the remark and said the lesson should also be that most elevators have cameras.”

According to the story, “A spokeswoman for [Fox News] told the Los Angeles Times the comments would be addressed by the show’s hosts [today], Tuesday.”

Here is what Kilmeade said on Tuesday’s show: “Comments that we made during this story yesterday made some feel that we were taking the situation too lightly. We are not. We were not. Domestic abuse is a very serious issue to us, I can assure you.”

Reaction to Kilmeade’s “take the stairs” remark on Monday was swift on Twitter yesterday.

For example, @AlisonShelesky tweeted:

“Take the stairs” is the message to get out of Ray Rice knocking out his wife in an elevator? Compassionate and classy as ever, @FoxNews.

7 Comments

  1. I wanna start off by saying i hate fox news and i’m a woman BUT these guys were being sarcastic and many people just don’t get it. sure its always tragic if a woman or anyone gets assaulted but the point is that Mr Rice was and is a complete idiot for committing a crime on camera and Mrs Rice is stupid for staying with him. When you’re in an abusive relation, leave and you won’t get beat again.

  2. Before I even read your story, I just knew that it would be that d-bag, Brian Kilmeade, who said something inappropriate. What a jerk!

  3. It is sad that our society has withered to this level – not because Kilmeade made that remark, but because so many people are so poised and ready to be offended by it. Are we really such emotionally fragile, weak-minded people? It was a sarcastic comment on a situation where both people acted ridiculously (Mr. Rice for committing the assault, and Mrs. Rice for marrying him). It was unmistakable that the Fox hosts denounced the actions of both, so why all the phony, sanctimonious outrage about Kilmeade’s joke?

  4. Edie,
    Such profound advice; I assume you’ve been in an abusive relationship and while dealing with the crippling fear, you found it very easy to (leave and not get beat again.) Of course he didn’t threaten you if you ever told anyone or left him right? He didn’t know where you worked, did he? Oh yes, he did, but you have plenty of time to take off from work to hide from him while you try to come up with an excuse for missing work.You had a nice warm or cool comfortable place to live didn’t you? Kids involved? You didn’t have to move them to another private school because he would never go there to find you or take the kids. Of course you would have time and help moving all your personal belongings to make life easy for you and your kids right? Your creditors will be sooo understanding that you can’t make this months payments because his money isn’t there anymore. Oh yes, I forgot, call the police and get a restraining order, that surely will take care of the abuse. Sure it will, when he gets out of jail that 8X10 piece of paper will stop a fist, a foot through your door and a bullet to the brain in some instances. Be sure to tell the women with the bruised cheeks, swollen eyes, and broken bones at the shelter, if there is one in your area, how easy it was for you to leave. I’m sure they will absolutely fall all over themselves to thank you!

  5. @Joseph, you are waaaay off topic. This is about Fox & Friends. If the hosts were stupid, then Ray Rice & his wife are a millions times “stupider”. It’s a sad day when there are talented overpaid athletes that have no common sense, abused wives that feel they need to stay in a relationship, calls for people getting fired for making a very funny and barely offensive joke, and the need to force people to apologize when they aren’t sorry for what they say but do it anyway to keep their jobs.

    Long live hosts like Kilmeade, Imus, Anthony Kumia, and others like them that are actually funny. This country is full of losers on social media hiding behind their computer that look for something to get angry at.

  6. I’m not saying what Rice did was appropriate in any way shape or form, but if a woman is going to start swinging her fists at a man, then she better get ready to get knocked the f*** out, or knock the f*** out of the dude that she’s fighting with. because I tell you what, if some women starts taking swings and me and punching me in the face, I’m going to do my best to knock that woman smooth out. Equal means just that, equal.

  7. ROFLMAO!!!!
    Take the stairs.

    That’s funny.
    Kilmeade may be a dumbass but really? This is newsworthy?

    Kilmeade is not the one who did the heinous woman beating.
    Seriously, if this really bothers you,
    Go sit quietly in your safe space.

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