A guest on Fox News has come under fire for “insensitive” comments he made about Gabby Petito’s news coverage.
During a live television segment, Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo said that coverage of the case of the missing 22-year-old was “a huge distraction” from other issues taking place in the country. The clip was uploaded by @more_smores to TikTok, where it has been viewed over 1 million times.
In the video, Arroyo said: “With all that’s happening in the world, what’s happening in our southern border and abroad and at home, I think this entire story is a huge distraction. Forgive me.”
He added that Petito’s case was a “Lifetime movie”, an “ongoing mini-series” and “basically a local story – it’s a missing person”. @more_smores captioned the post, “How insensitive?????” and throughout the video wrote “how rude” his comments were.
The FBI confirmed on Sunday 19 September that they had discovered human remains in Wyoming, matching the description of the missing travel blogger. The body was discovered in an isolated part of Bridger-Teton National Forest. It is believed another YouTuber captured footage of Petito’s van parked on the side of the road.
Petito had been traveling across the country with Brian Laundrie in her Ford van. She was last heard from by her family in late August, but her boyfriend, Laundrie, had returned home to his parent’s house in Florida alone in Petito’s van on 1 September.
Laundrie refused to cooperate with authorities in search of Petito and has since vanished. On Fox News, where the clip aired before news of her death, Arroyo continued: “I hope they get to the bottom of it, but I do worry we’re spending way too much time on this case.”
He also compared Petito’s case to Natalee Holloway, who also disappeared in 2005. TikTok users voiced their dismay at Arroyo’s remarks in comments posted on the social media platform.
One person wrote: “He wouldn’t be saying that if that was his daughter missing!” Another reasoned: “If her story hadn’t blown up the way it did and people just didn’t know, they wouldn’t have found a body.”
Meanwhile, others seemed to agree with Arroyo despite how harsh his words were. One person said: “It’s heartbreaking! But he isn’t wrong!!!!!!”
Another said: “He’s not wrong tho… there are so many missing people… this one happened to go viral. I wish we treated every missing person like this.”