Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov is facing growing backlash after a shocking on-air exchange in which she belittled military veteran and network analyst Joey Jones — a man who lost both of his legs to an IED while serving in Afghanistan.
The disturbing moment occurred during a heated debate on *The Five* about last week’s tragic anti-Christian shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis. Two children were killed and 18 more wounded when a transgender attacker opened fire during Mass. While conservatives on the panel, including Jones, pressed the importance of addressing mental health and cultural rot, Tarlov went on the offensive, lashing out with remarks that viewers are now calling cruel, heartless, and grounds for termination.
Jones, a Purple Heart recipient who has never shied away from tough conversations about gun rights, made a simple point: Democrats consistently scapegoat AR-15s instead of focusing on root causes like untreated mental illness. “You want me to prove I’m not evil to own a gun, but I’m a bigot ’cause I want you to prove you’re not crazy because you want to change your identity? I don’t get that,” Jones said.
He went on to back up his argument with facts: “Only four percent of guns used in homicides are rifles, and that’s a much bigger category than ARs. So what you’re saying is you want me to ban five percent of the guns in this country that are used in four percent of the homicides.”
Instead of engaging with his reasoning, Tarlov lost her composure. “If your kid was one of that four percent, I think you’d be singing a different tune,” she snapped. When Jones calmly began to respond, she slammed her hand on the table and interjected, “Oh, so lucky you!”
That’s when things took a truly appalling turn. Jones, with remarkable grace, reminded viewers that he thanks God every night for his children’s safety, saying, “I’ll go to bed tonight and thank God on my knees that don’t exist anymore that my child is still alive.”
Rather than show the slightest respect for his sacrifice, Tarlov sneered, “Well, now you’ve played the leg card, and I can say no more.”
That jaw-dropping remark — mocking the very real sacrifice of a double-amputee veteran — sparked immediate outrage across social media. “She’s reprehensible. Fox will never get rid of her,” one furious viewer posted. Another wrote, “Jessica Tarlov needs to be fired for this. She’s mocking a disabled veteran who she can’t defeat in legitimate debate. Unacceptable.”
Others demanded accountability from the network itself: “Jessica Tarlov needs to make an on-air apology to Joey or get fired. She is beneath contempt.”
For many, this was the last straw. While Fox News prides itself on being the home of robust debate, Tarlov’s sneering dismissal of a wounded veteran struck millions as not just bad taste but morally indefensible. Joey Jones has paid dearly for this country. Jessica Tarlov couldn’t even pay him the basic respect of a civil debate.
Whether Fox News management will take action remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: viewers aren’t forgetting this ugly moment anytime soon.
