Right-wing commentator Benny Johnson and NewsNation host Chris Cuomo engaged in a heated debate on-air about the reactions to conservative activist Charlie Kirk's death. The verbal clash happened a day after Kirk was fatally shot while attending an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.The 31-year-old political commentator was answering a question about mass shootings when a single gunshot pierced the air, hitting the side of his neck. He was announced dead hours after the shooting, and his remains were flown to his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, for his funeral.On September 11, Benny Johnson appeared on News Nation's Cuomo for an interview with host Chris Cuomo. According to The Daily Beast, Johnson, aged 38, accused mainstream media houses such as MSNBC and CNN of instigating violence against the right-wing supporters. Cuomo argued against this remark, claiming that there was a lot of blame to go around.“I don’t really care how we got here so much, there is a lot of blame to go around, I do not see you guys as victims, you give as good as you get, there is a lot of anger, there is a lot of exaggeration, it is all hate for profit on the fringe of this battling binary political system. My question is, now what?” he questioned.Johnson, who seemed irate, immediately hit back at Cuomo in Charlie Kirk's defense, arguing that the late political commentator never advocated for violence against any group and only engaged in "non-violent, peaceful" debates in a kind and humane way.Charlie Kirk speaks at the Cambridge Union (Image via Getty)For his part, Cuomo clarified that he was not specifically referring to Charlie Kirk. He warned Johnson not to "play games with him," telling the latter that he was extending him grace he had lost a good friend.Benny Johnson retorted that Cuomo would never be able to "chew him out." He compared MAGA's reaction to former President Joe Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis ( in May 2025) to the left's response to Charlie Kirk's death, which he claimed included "celebration posts" allegedly glorifying Kirk's murder.In an X post in May 2025, Johnson had accused Biden and his administration of participating in a cover-up, calling the diagnosis "The Most Dangerous Cover-up in the History of the Presidency."Speaking to Cuomo at present, Johnson alleged that he and others prayed for Biden when his diagnosis was announced, saying:“If I hear that Joe Biden gets a terminal cancer diagnosis, I’ll say a prayer for him, I’ll say that I hope he lives the rest of his days painless. That’s exactly what I said and every person I know and respect in my ecosystem said the same thing. Not a single one of us celebrated Joe Biden’s terminal cancer diagnosis."Johnson continued:"I can show you an endless series of TikToks and celebration posts and T-shirts made celebrating this travesty. There is a fundamental difference of those who glorify death on the left, and it is demonic and it’s sick and it’s dark, and it needs to be disavowed,” he continued.Benny Johnson doubled down on his defense for Charlie Kirk on XIn his News Nation segment with Benny Johnson, Chris Cuomo clarified that he was not "coming for" Charlie Kirk. He added that, despite their many disagreements, he did not condone the shooting and was concerned whether Kirk's death would bring any change to the system."He [Charlie Kirk] and I disagreed all the time about things. I’m saying it doesn’t matter, because murder is never high ground. Period. It doesn’t matter what Charlie said to me. What I’m saying is, there’s plenty of blame to go around about how we got here. My concern is, will anything change for the better? I don’t believe that’s going to happen,” he said.The fiery debate between Chris Cuomo and Benny Johnson over Charlie Kirk's death carried over to social media. Johnson doubled down on his arguments in Charlis Kirk's defence in response to an X post about the News Nation segment, writing that he would not stand for anyone trying to "rewrite" Kirk's legacy.Furthermore, he added that he was "disgusted" by people trying to "both-side-ism" the situation, claiming that Cuomo apologized to both him and Charlie Kirk on-air before his segment ended."I will NEVER allow someone to rewrite Charlie’s legacy. I’m disgusted that they tried the both-sides-ism bulls**t. I will call it out every time. Do not make peace with evil. Also, Chris Cuomo ended his show tonight with an on-air apology to me and Charlie for this. Good," he wrote.Cuomo also addressed the situation in an X post, adding that Johnson was always welcome on his show.Christopher C. Cuomo @ChrisCuomoLINKMake no mistake, @bennyjohnson is welcome on my show and has a major platform for a reason. We don't agree on much except what matters most: we show respect to the other as men who love their families and worry for their well-being. Especially now.In a recent interview with Fox & Friends, President Donald Trump announced that the FBI arrested Charlie Kirk's shooter, adding that "someone very close" to the shooter turned him in. Kash Patel, the FBI's director, is scheduled to hold a press conference in Utah shortly to offer updates about the investigation.