As the world continues to be overcome with emotions over the violent death of Tyre Nichols, many were left stunned by recent comments made on Fox News regarding the tragedy. On Friday (Jan. 27), video clips of so-called journalist Jason Whitlock spewing hate for single Black women during an interview with Tucker Carlson began trending on social media.
“Holy s**t. Tucker Carlson’s guest just said the beating death of Tyre Nichols is what happens when you have ‘young Black men being supervised by a single Black woman.’ He said this is what happens in cities ‘run by single Black mothers’ and blamed a lack of ‘male authority,’” a shocked viewer tweeted. The post contained a portion of the interview where Whitlock used his platform to imply Nichols might still be alive if the supervisor of the Memphis Police Department wasn’t “some Black woman” in charge of the police force. “This is hands down one of the most offensive 60-seconds of television I’ve ever seen… I cannot believe what [I] just watched,” the woman added.
She was not alone in her sentiments. By Saturday (Jan. 28) afternoon, Ciara joined the discussion. “Jason Whitlock, as a Black man, to get on national TV and say something like this is irresponsible. A lot of amazing kids have come from single mothers. For you to also undermine single Black women in the midst of this tragedy is so sad. This woman just lost her son! Do better!” the Grammy-winning artist shared on Twitter. Actress Holly Robinson Peete agreed: “Thank you, Ciara. What a self-loathing, cold, reckless, stereotypical, insensitive clout chasing untruth to spew in front of millions. Tyre called out for his mama and this was his takeaway? Neither Tyre’s mother or [Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis] are single Black moms so WHY say that? Pathetic troll.”
One person wondered why Whitlock’s aggressions only targeted women of color: “White boys go into churches, supermarkets, schools, malls and nightclubs, and violently murder innocent people. Jason Whitlock never blamed white women for this.” Another tweet shared a famous quote along with a personal take: “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman -Malcolm X. Oh, and f**k you, Jason Whitlock.” While many expressed their opinions, one user summed things up by saying, “Dear Jason Whitlock, just shut the f**k up! You will never wake up white, and they only talk to you because YOU literally say the BS they want to say but can’t!”
As previously reported by REVOLT, on the night of Jan. 7, 29-year-old Nichols, a Black man, was pulled over for a traffic stop by five Black male Memphis police officers. With the young man abiding by their commands, the group of cops immediately began yelling and intimidating Nichols. They pulled him from his vehicle and beat him mercilessly. The young father died in a hospital days later due to his injuries. After the police-worn body camera footage was made public, protests and demands for justice ignited across the country. The five officers have since been fired and charged, and their police unit was disbanded.
See more responses to Whitlock’s statements below.