Things got quite entertaining when former Fox News anchor Geraldo Rivera and conservative podcast host Benny Johnson got in an on-air debate about illegal immigration, with Rivera bizarrely insisting that breaking American immigration law by crossing the border illegally isn’t a crime. Rivera cursed and appeared to have a broken brain when Benny insisted that breaking the law is, actually, a crime.
The incident occurred during a live on-air debate on Piers Morgan’s “Uncensored” program, with the former Fox News host, who is notorious for his soft on illegal immigration views, debating more MAGA-minded Benny Johnson on the matter and appearing to shut down after his cursing didn’t work at getting Benny to recant.
During the epic and entertaining spat, Rivera insisted that illegal aliens aren’t really criminals because the “only” crime that they have committed is breaking American immigration law by crossing the border illegally, saying, “The only crime the vast majority of these people have committed is coming here illegally.”
Responding to that ridiculous assertion, Benny, who had a befuddled expression plastered to his face as Rivera made it, asked, “Do you understand the definition of the word ‘illegal’?” Rivera, furious at the remark, tersly insisted, “I understand everything.” Then, even more bizarrely than with his initial claim, Rivera said, “You just said they came here illegally,” and followed the remark with nearly ten full seconds of silence.
Then, after the long seconds of bonkers silence in with Geraldo glared off-camera, Rivera started shouting at Benny, snapping that he thinks it is unconscionable that illegal aliens from Central and South America could be living in fear of immigration raids, snapping, “I am absolutely dismayed by the attempts to sow terror in the homes of Latino people!”
Benny refused to back down on the matter, insisting that those who break American immigration law have indeed broken the law and acted illegally, which led to Geraldo moving on from just yelling at him to getting vulgar with his insults and snapping, “My contention — wiseass!” Geraldo also angrily insisted, “First of all, to categorize what they are doing as a crime insults real criminals!”
Entertainingly, Benny then decided to enrage and humiliate Rivera yet further, asking, “What do you mean by they’re not criminal aliens?” Rivera decided to answer the question with a question, asking Benny if he routinely carries his passport around with him, claiming that many Latinos in America must now do so. Adding a bit more entertainment, Benny replied, “I always carry an ID with me… and a gun.”
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Watch the two fight here
Benny later took to X to gloat about the incident, saying, “Watch me leave Geraldo Rivera in total stunned silence. Geraldo claimed illegal aliens are not criminals because the ‘only crime most of them commit is coming here illegally!’ I asked if Geraldo what the definition of “illegal” means. *** 7 seconds of silence *** How we win”
Commenters loved it, chiming in with comments like, “Entering the US illegally is a federal crime that warrants deportation. It’s that simple” and “The worst reporter ever! Geraldo was kicked out of Iraq for giving OPSEC up to the enemy on camera!”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video