Montel Williams attempted to paint suspected assassin Tyler Robinson as an emotionally-driven “love-torn child” who felt like killing conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was his only option.
Williams joined host Abby Phillip and a panel of other commentators on CNN’s “NewsNight” to discuss the still unfolding story about Robinson, his gender-transitioning live-in boyfriend, and the text messages the two exchanged after Robinson allegedly shot Kirk at Utah Valley University — and he argued that Robinson likely shot Kirk out of desperation because of his views on the relationship in which he was involved.
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“There are people who are trying to pigeonhole this as a leftist thing and a Right thing, and what we’re really talking about — hear me, because I’m going to throw you when I say this, we’re talking about a love-torn child, a kid,” Williams said despite the fact that Robinson is 22 years old. “This is probably his first real relationship. And somebody was disparaging the person that he loved.”
“He sat on that building for 30 minutes before he took the shot. Why do you wait until the first word trans came up? Then he took the shot,” Williams said, arguing that Robinson had been listening to Kirk’s event live and had waited until the first mention of the word “transgender” intentionally. “I think he could hear it.”
Williams went on to say that he believed the shooting had been rooted in emotion rather than politics, failing to acknowledge that the two can indeed intersect. “I think he also — I don’t believe he was motivated politically. I think this was motivated emotionally. I think this was an emotionally stunted person who literally, when I say it this way, just hear me, tried to defend his significant other, not trying to defend some ideology.”
Williams’ assessment came just hours after ABC reporter Matt Gutman took a wave of backlash for saying that the texts between Robinson and his boyfriend — which appeared to include an admission of guilt as well as detailed information about the weapon he allegedly used and where he left it — were “very touching” because Robinson also used the phrase “my love” when addressing his partner. Gutman later apologized on X.
Montel Williams attempted to paint suspected assassin Tyler Robinson as an emotionally-driven “love-torn child” who felt like killing conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was his only option.
Williams joined host Abby Phillip and a panel of other commentators on CNN’s “NewsNight” to discuss the still unfolding story about Robinson, his gender-transitioning live-in boyfriend, and the text messages the two exchanged after Robinson allegedly shot Kirk at Utah Valley University — and he argued that Robinson likely shot Kirk out of desperation because of his views on the relationship in which he was involved.
WATCH:
“There are people who are trying to pigeonhole this as a leftist thing and a Right thing, and what we’re really talking about — hear me, because I’m going to throw you when I say this, we’re talking about a love-torn child, a kid,” Williams said despite the fact that Robinson is 22 years old. “This is probably his first real relationship. And somebody was disparaging the person that he loved.”
“He sat on that building for 30 minutes before he took the shot. Why do you wait until the first word trans came up? Then he took the shot,” Williams said, arguing that Robinson had been listening to Kirk’s event live and had waited until the first mention of the word “transgender” intentionally. “I think he could hear it.”
Williams went on to say that he believed the shooting had been rooted in emotion rather than politics, failing to acknowledge that the two can indeed intersect. “I think he also — I don’t believe he was motivated politically. I think this was motivated emotionally. I think this was an emotionally stunted person who literally, when I say it this way, just hear me, tried to defend his significant other, not trying to defend some ideology.”
Williams’ assessment came just hours after ABC reporter Matt Gutman took a wave of backlash for saying that the texts between Robinson and his boyfriend — which appeared to include an admission of guilt as well as detailed information about the weapon he allegedly used and where he left it — were “very touching” because Robinson also used the phrase “my love” when addressing his partner. Gutman later apologized on X.
