Henry Winkler, Alyssa Farah Griffin and others decried the Pentagon’s plan to livestream Nidal Malik Hasan’s firing-squad execution, with some calling the decision “bad for the human soul.”
Earlier Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon would livestream Hasan’s execution, scheduled for Dec. 3 by firing squad. Hasan was convicted in the 2009 killing of 13 people at Fort Hood.
“He’s going get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be,” Hegseth shared with Jack Posobiec on Real America’s Voice. “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public — because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”
As word of the livestream began to spread online, Hegseth doubled down on the plan by simply writing on X, “Correct.”
While Hegseth appeared resolved to move forward with a livestream of Hasan’s execution, countless prominent figures spoke out against the plan. For instance, “Happy Days” and “Barry” star Henry Winkler took to X and commented, “Live execution?? Is this where we are now?”
“The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin also condemned the decision, writing in her own X post, “I support the death penalty, especially for terrorists. But I think it’s toxic for society to live-stream an execution. And bad for the human soul to tune in to watch.”
Prolific writer Joyce Carol Oates compared the livestream idea to “sadism,” noting on X: “The condemned man will die & have no memory of the event which will imprint itself in the memories of those who observe. Hoping that, at least, families will not allow young children to watch. Sadism may be like filth in water—with unintended consequences for many.”
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) also denounced the decision to conduct a public execution, noting that it was “disturbing and should be stopped.”
“The Army has not conducted an execution by firing squad since World War II and the U.S. has not had a public execution since 1936,” she wrote. “Nidal Hasan has been found guilty of his crimes and should be held accountable for them but turning a federal execution into a media spectacle is appalling and unbecoming of the U.S. military.”
For a full round up of reactions, keep reading. A representative for the Pentagon declined to comment.
