Fox News host Brian Kilmeade caused a few eyebrows to raise and became the subject of social media mockery on Thursday after he claimed that John Lennon would be unsafe in New York City due to the ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd. Lennon famously was shot by Mark David Chapman outside of The Dakota near New York’s Central Park in 1980.
Floyd was killed on May 25 after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes as he repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.” In response to his murder, protests have taken place across the globe, including New York City, where police and demonstrators have clashed.
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Brian Kilmeade tries to dunk on Bill de Blasio’s “Imagine” reference by saying that “John Lennon wouldn’t be safe in this city right now.” pic.twitter.com/bhM8OCCivi
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) June 4, 2020
The Fox & Friends co-host’s remarks came in response to New York mayor Bill de Blasio, who said Wednesday that he did not support defunding the NYPD, though he still found comfort in Lennon’s 1971 song “Imagine.” Responding to that, Kilmeade said that de Blasio “wants you to hum ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon… John Lennon wouldn’t be safe in this city right now. He’d be hiding in his apartment.”
As many social media users pointed out, Lennon’s murder in front of his Manhattan apartment building in 1980 made headlines and was a somber cultural landmark. Chapman shot Lennon four times with a .38 caliber revolver after approaching him for an autograph. He is still in prison for the murder. That fact, however, was seemingly missed by Kilmeade, who became the center of plenty of jokes and comments on social media. Keep scrolling to see how Twitter reacted to the comment.
Two things.
— Kenny Majid – A Kenny For Your Thoughts (@akfytwrestling) June 4, 2020
1. Ummm John Lennon was killed in NYC you dense fool
2. You obviously don’t know John Lennon. He’d be out there protesting himself lol pic.twitter.com/qLjqwLdEVw pic.twitter.com/woWKyky2zY
If there’s one thing we know about John Lennon, it’s that he was very safe in New York City. https://t.co/mMQ3nOU6lk
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) June 4, 2020
Well, this one hits home, because if there’s one thing I thing I associate with John Lennon it’s “being safe in New York” https://t.co/SdACNa4uEY
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) June 4, 2020
Yi-yi-yi. Awesomely hot take, even by Fox & Friends standards.
— Joe Hill (@joe_hill) June 4, 2020
Also, anyone who thinks Lennon would be hiding in his apartment — instead of out in the streets, right at the front of the protests with Yoko Ono — doesn’t know shit about John Lennon. https://t.co/5Y1ja9S6lY
John Lennon, most famous for being safe in nyc
— the jibe sharer (@Local__Idiot) June 4, 2020
Dude has like fifty pages of the Lennon biography left and he is in for a huge surprise
— molly, trash superstar (@chainchompist) June 4, 2020
Who’s gonna tell him?
— Shelby 🩸🦷 (@VoxShelby) June 4, 2020
yes because everyone knows how historically safe john lennon was in nyc
— jxn cln 🌹 (@jiackinclone) June 4, 2020
“He’d be hiding in his apartment”? Yeah, right… pic.twitter.com/QPrvza9CJv
— Rick Janssen 🇪🇺 (@TotalBB_RJ) June 4, 2020
Is he aware of anything about Lennon’s life and politics?
— Disaster Capitalist (@blubdoodle) June 4, 2020
The front steps of The Dakota have entered the chat…
— The Sassiest Semite (@LittleMissLizz) June 4, 2020
The thing we know to be true is that John Lennon was definitely safe in NYC
— Nicole, Chief Bunker Inspector (@NoNameGirl8686) June 4, 2020
Hey @kilmeade, NYC wasn’t very safe for John Lennon in 1980. BUT, if Lennon was alive right now, he’d be part of the protests and would likely write a song about it.
— Ron Clements (@Ron_Clements) June 4, 2020
You do know what happened to John Lennon in NYC don’t you….
— V͎O͎I͎Z͎E͎ ͎O͎F͎ ͎R͎E͎A͎Z͎O͎N͎ (@Voize_of_Reazon) June 4, 2020
