Larry Wilmore Takes Fox News To Task Over Charleston Church Shooting Coverage

Larry Wilmore Takes Fox News To Task Over Charleston Church Shooting Coverage

Larry Wilmore isn't too pleased with Fox News' coverage of the church massacre in Charleston, South Carolina. Then again, this shouldn't come as a surprise.

This time, the late night talk show host, who initially declared he wouldn't discuss the shooting on his comedy-based platform, later changed his mind and shared choice words about the network.

“I know we talk about race a lot on this show, but I think we can all agree this time that this is a racially motivated attack,” he said. “It couldn’t be clearer when it comes out of the killer’s mouth. But even with all of that evidence, on a day like today, Fox News just makes my f***king head explode.”

The host then played a series of clips from Fox News' coverage which questioned whether Roof’s motives were targeted towards black people or Christians.

“I know you guys don’t want to admit that racial stuff isn’t going on, but how can there be any doubt when it came out of the gunman’s mouth? He told his victims, ‘I want to shoot black people,’” Wilmore said. “I think when he says black people, he means black people – and not Christians.”

Wilmore also highlighted presidential candidate Rick Santorum calling the shooting an “assault on religious liberty” and Santorum's confusion of the shooter's motives other than it being a “crime of hate.” The comedian-writer cited the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama as one similarly horrific incident that didn’t require anyone to wonder the killers' intent.

“Let me give you an example,” Wilmore explained. “Four black girls were murdered in a church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. Back then, no one pretended to wonder what the motivation was. If you tried to say it was about religion, even the perpetrators back then would have corrected you.”

Check out more of Larry Wilmore’s thoughts in the clip above.

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