Bill Burr is one of the most popular and beloved comedians in America. He’s also a left-wing socialist who openly supports violence.

At least, that’s the inescapable takeaway from Burr’s recent viral remarks about billionaires. On an episode of his podcast, he called for wealthy Americans to be “put down like f***ing dogs.”

“I’m so tired of hearing about people going to bed worried about what’s going to happen next week,” Burr said. “There is so much f***ing money in this country. These f***ing billionaires … they need to be put down like f***ing rabid dogs. They’re like rabid with f***ing greed and just going out and dividing everybody.” 

EXPERTS WARN THAT TRUMP’S FOREIGN AID PIVOT COULD BE A BOON FOR CHINA

To be clear, this wasn’t a joke. It wasn’t said in jest or as part of a stand-up routine. It was simple, dry political commentary as part of his popular podcast where Burr gives his opinions on things. And this take was echoed and celebrated by left-wing political commentators such as Hasan Piker. So, we’re not talking about edgy humor here; we’re talking about left-wing celebrities openly calling for the murder of their fellow citizens.

That’s bad, to say the least. And it’s particularly ironic that in the same monologue, Burr laments the division and toxicity destroying American politics. He’s not wrong, but calling to kill people isn’t exactly helping the cause.

It’s also ironic that Burr, a multimillionaire celebrity, is leading the charge against “the 1%” when he’s not all that far from it. Is he living out his values and donating the bulk of his millions to help people? And are struggling people justified if they want to see him put to the guillotine? 

Of course, left-wing disdain for billionaires isn’t new. If all Burr was doing was saying tax the rich, or even tax billionaires out of existence, that would be wrong, innumerate, and economically misguided, but it wouldn’t be evil. But to actually want to murder Americans for the “crime” of being successful is genuinely vile and unhinged stuff. 

And, unfortunately, it’s part of a broader trend on the Left. After the accused vigilante killer Luigi Mangione made international headlines for allegedly murdering a healthcare CEO in cold blood, progressive media figures and social media influencers cheered on the killing and even lusted after Mangione. As a result, a plurality of young Americans supported this naked act of terrorism.

Meanwhile, many left-wing influencers cheered on the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump and continue to call for his death. Just recently, a TikTok star with 17 million followers, “Spencewuah,” put out a bizarre video suggesting that his followers follow in the footsteps of historical presidential assassins such as John Wilkes Booth.

Of course, some on the Right also support political violence or have been similarly glib and callous about attacks on left-of-center figures, such as the brutal attack on Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) husband. 

SNL GETS MASSIVE VIEWERSHIP SPIKE THANKS TO 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

But it ultimately doesn’t matter what side you’re on; this is a serious problem. A society where people resort to violence to settle their political and ideological disagreements is one that is on the express train to chaos, dissolution, and maybe even civil war.

If we want to avoid that catastrophic destination, Americans, from comedians to influencers to politicians, have to see their fellow citizens as human again and remember that in this country, we settle our differences with ballots, not bullets.

Brad Polumbo is an independent journalist and host of the Brad vs Everyone podcast.