Former ESPN and MSNBC host Keith Olbermann is facing backlash after posting and then quickly deleting what appeared to be a direct threat against CNN’s conservative political commentator Scott Jennings.
Screenshots circulating online Monday evening show Olbermann replying to one of Jennings’ posts on X with the words, “You’re next, motherf***er.”
This was followed by, “But keep mugging to the camera.”
Amid the backlash, Olbermann appeared to panic as outrage quickly grew over his perceived threats.
The threatening remarks vanished from Olbermann’s account shortly after being posted.
However, the posts were deleted after screenshots were already taken of the remarks.
Jennings reposted the screenshots and tagged FBI Director Kash Patel.
Many are now calling for federal authorities to review the comments.
Cc: @FBIDirectorKash https://t.co/4bEXaWfAHv
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) September 22, 2025
It remains unclear exactly which post Olbermann was responding to.
However, Jennings recently weighed in on ABC’s decision to reinstate Jimmy Kimmel after the late-night host was suspended over inflammatory remarks made following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
“So basically, his employer suspended him for being an insensitive prick, and we don’t live in an authoritarian regime? Got it,” Jennings wrote.
Olbermann, long known for his incendiary rhetoric on cable news and social media, has not commented on the controversy.
As of Tuesday morning, he has ignored multiple tags and requests for an explanation.
The exchange comes amid heightened concern about political violence in the wake of Kirk’s September 10 political assassination during a campus speaking event.
Republicans have condemned the climate of escalating rhetoric, pointing to repeated efforts by Democrats and media figures to brand conservatives as “fascists” or “enemies of democracy.”
While Americans across the political spectrum expressed grief, left-wing activists online openly celebrated Kirk’s death, underscoring the nation’s deep divisions.
A recent Napolitan News Service poll highlighted just how severe those divisions have become.
According to the data, 26% of Americans aged 18 to 34 said they believed the country was “better off now that Charlie Kirk has been killed,” though most added the caveat that it is “always difficult to wish ill of another human being.”
Among Democrats overall, nearly one in four agreed with the statement.
The political climate has only worsened since the 2024 election, when corporate media and Kamala Harris’s failed campaign repeatedly cast President Donald Trump as a “fascist.”
Former President Joe Biden even suggested Trump should be “locked up.”
Critics argue that such rhetoric has normalized hostility against conservatives and made violent attacks more likely.
Olbermann’s post is the latest example of political discourse descending into threats and intimidation, an alarming escalation at a moment when calls for lowering the temperature are growing louder.
Whether federal authorities will take up Jennings’ referral of the incident to the FBI remains to be seen.
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