Recently, I wrote an article about Tomi Lahren, and my opinions on some of her arguably controversial opinions. However, there has been an update in Tomi Lahren’s career: she has been fired from her show, “Tomi.” Initially, her suspension was to only last a week, but since has been dismissed, and is now suing her former employer, Glenn Beck, for wrongful termination.
Why, you might ask, has she been fired? Which statement was actually offensive enough to require action from her employers?
Lahren was a guest on the television talk show, “The View,” where she stated that she is pro-choice, a statement that many of her conservative followers disagreed with. Lahren said: “I’m pro-choice and here’s why: I’m a constitutional, you know, someone that loves the Constitution. I am someone that’s for limited government, so I can’t sit here and be a hypocrite and say I’m for limited government but I think that the government should decide what women do with their bodies. I can sit here and say that as a Republican, and I can say, you know what, I’m for limited government, so stay out of my guns, and you can stay out of my body as well.”
Even though Lahren did not express these opinions on her own show, “Tomi,” “The Blaze” still let her go. They have not officially released a statement, but Lahren initially hinted about the suspension on her personal Twitter page. The only thing “The Blaze” has posted is a video of founder Glenn Beck responding to Lahren’s “The View” interview, but it did not mention their decision to terminate Lahren.
Tomi has been very vocal on social media, clarifying that she isn’t “glorifying abortion,” and doesn’t “personally advocate for it.” Rather, her overall stance is for limited government, which anti-abortion laws violate.
Perhaps some are upset since her position on the matter changed, previously referring to abortion as murder. But, overall, it seems that most are mad because her statement goes against traditional conservative ideology, which Lahren has largely stuck to before.
Lahren’s dismissal raises an important discussion on bipartisanship and polarization. Have our two main political parties become so distant and hateful toward one another that a member of a certain political party is unable to express any dissenting opinion? How will our country ever unite and get things done if we are unable to understand one another’s point of view, or have opinions associated with multiple parties? Does a person have to follow every single part of a political ideology to be valued?
Yes, her job, and popularity, does revolve around highly conservative and Republican viewpoints, yet did Lahren deserve to be suspended for this? Wasn’t she just stating her stance on an issue, something they literally pay her for? Lahren’s persona and fame have been dominated by her loud opinions, so why did “The Blaze” respond in such a manner? Because this statement went against the conservative viewpoints of her show, “Tomi,” and “The Blaze” as a conservative news source. Furthermore, it’s interesting that “The Blaze” suspended Lahren, as their motto is “Authentic. Unfiltered. Fearless.” This decision clearly filtered one of their most prominent voices, potentially out of fear of their viewers’ disagreement of her statement. Just because Lahren didn’t follow the typical conservative script shouldn’t mean that her voice deserves to be silenced.
While I don’t agree with most of what Tomi Lahren says or does, I do not believe her termination was deserved. Lahren has long been an advocate of free speech and being truthful, which she stuck to during her interview with “The View.” As a young woman with strong opinions about today’s political climate, I applaud Lahren for sticking up for herself, and expressing her opinions, especially when they went against what people expected her to say.