‘Her response sounds like my mother’s’: Glenn reacts to the suspension of NFL running back Ray Rice

September 09, 2014

The Glenn Beck Program

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was released by the team on Monday and received an indefinite suspension from the NFL after TMZ Sports released a graphic video that appears to show Rice assaulting his then-fiancé Janay Palmer in a casino elevator.

The latest action from the Ravens and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell follows a two-game suspension Rice received from the NFL six months ago for the incident. At the time, there was only footage from February 15 of Rice dragging an unconscious Palmer from the Atlantic City, New Jersey elevator.

Palmer and Rice have since married, and Palmer spoke out about the situation on Tuesday morning in an Instagram post.

Janay-Rice-IG Image Source: Baltimore Sun

Palmer wrote:

I woke up this morning feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I’m mourning the death of my closest friend. But to have to accept the fact that it’s reality is a nightmare in itself. No one knows the pain that the media & unwanted options from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret everyday is a horrible thing. To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass off for all his life just to gain ratings is a horrific. THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don’t you all get. If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you’ve succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is! Ravensnation we love you!

Glenn has been quite open about his family’s history of abuse. On radio this morning, Glenn shared a very personal experience about his childhood in relation to Palmer's post.

Below is a edited transcript of Glenn's monologue:

Here's the thing. I am quick to judge these things, and it's not right of me to be so quick to judge these things. But I will tell you this: I have no soft spot in my heart for anybody who is abusing a woman. You also have to understand the women that are involved in this, and I say this from experience. I say this as a boy, who was 12 years old when my mother and father got a divorce.

My mother was an alcoholic. She was a mess. I didn't know what was going on in our family. I was just beginning to figure it out. This was the time when I was now starting to mark the liquor bottles in our kitchen cabinet because I had noticed that the vodka bottle was being drunk by the gallon. The vodka bottle was being lowered quickly every day. I would go in and get my breakfast cereal, so I would quietly mark the bottles to see how much was my mother drinking? What was happening here? Because my mother was a functioning alcoholic.

She started dating guy who was Navy captain. He was a really nice guy. Loved him. I thought he was a great guy. I was wrong. Didn't realize it until too late. He was a guy who had a serious drinking problem as well. Misery loves company. My mother would suddenly have a black eye. What happened? ‘What happened, mom?’ ‘Oh, I was out working and I did something and I feel down, and...’ ‘Really?’ She'd of a big black and blue spot on her arm. ‘What happened?’ ‘I just got caught...’ ‘Really?’

Until he came over one night, and I will never forgot it, I was sitting in the ground in our living room. Our living room was right near the back door. This house must have been 800 square feet. And he came in the back door. He had been drinking. And clearly my mother – at the time I didn't realize – but clearly it was at that time of night where my mother must have been drinking as well. And I'm just being that child of an alcoholic family trying to be invisible as whatever is transpiring is transpiring. I don't even remember what the argument was about. I have no idea. But I saw this barrel chested giant, a Navy captain, rear back and start to swing at my mother.

At this point I'm a kid who has no skills. I'm not a fighter. I'm not a guy who likes getting punched in the face. I have no idea what to do, but what I saw somebody rear back and get ready to swing at my mother, suddenly I found myself in between them. He grabbed my shirt collar, and he reared back, and everything in him wanted to hit me. And I think it was my naiveté, I think it was my stupidity that he saw that made him not hit me. I think it was, ‘This kid actually believes I'm a good guy.’

He didn't hit me, and I kicked him out of the house. Now, here's where the story gets interesting. This is why I have very little sympathy or very little belief because it is the same story over and over and over again. My mother apologized for him. I said, ‘Mom, please don't apologize for him. Please.’ ‘You don't know him honey. He's a really good guy.’ ‘Is he, Mom? Is he? He almost punched you in the face. Is he a good guy?’ ‘Honey, you don't know he's got so many pressures and so many troubles and so many things.’ ‘Really, Mom? Really?’

She convinced him to come over and apologize to me a week later. He stood sheepishly at the back door. ‘Glenn, I have no right to ask you this, and you are the man of the family. But I would like permission to come in. I would like permission to see your mother again. I'm a changed man.’ And I was dumb enough to believe him. The story ends with both my mother and this man dead.

So I find this a little close to home. I would say that we should pray for her. Her life has been wrecked. But her life has been wrecked long before she met this guy because there's something and someone in her life, there is some hole in her life that makes her think that she has deserves this, makes her think that it was a night that we both look back in horror. What did you do to deserve getting punched in the face? Were you coming at him with a knife?

I'm sorry. You don't punch a woman ever. Ever. Ever. I don't care what she has done. You don't punch a woman. You walk away from the situation. You leave it alone. You have much more control than that. And these two, God help the child that is born into this union.

Now, I don't know what happened to her in her life to make her think that it's okay. I can't judge. I don't know. I don't know him. I don't know her. I'm not judging them to hell or anything else. I wish them both happiness. But you're not going to find happiness as a recovering alcoholic. As a guy who understands some abuse, I will tell you now: There's no way you solve this by dismissing what happened in that elevator. There is no way you solve this by immediately coming to the defense and saying, ‘Oh, my gosh, he is so sorry.’

I'm sorry. Her response sounds a little like my mother's response. That's a woman who's in an abusive relationship. And he has convinced her and experiences in her life have convinced her that this is the way it should be. This is the way it can be. ‘He loves her.’ ‘He's just sometimes a little out of control, but it's because sometimes I do things that just really set him off.’

Sorry. I don't believe it.

Front page image courtesy of the AP

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

POLL: Is Gen Z’s anger over housing driving them toward socialism?

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

A recent poll conducted by Justin Haskins, a long-time friend of the show, has uncovered alarming trends among young Americans aged 18-39, revealing a generation grappling with deep frustrations over economic hardships, housing affordability, and a perceived rigged system that favors the wealthy, corporations, and older generations. While nearly half of these likely voters approve of President Trump, seeing him as an anti-establishment figure, over 70% support nationalizing major industries, such as healthcare, energy, and big tech, to promote "equity." Shockingly, 53% want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election, including a third of Trump voters and conservatives in this age group. Many cite skyrocketing housing costs, unfair taxation on the middle class, and a sense of being "stuck" or in crisis as driving forces, with 62% believing the economy is tilted against them and 55% backing laws to confiscate "excess wealth" like second homes or luxury items to help first-time buyers.

This blend of Trump support and socialist leanings suggests a volatile mix: admiration for disruptors who challenge the status quo, coupled with a desire for radical redistribution to address personal struggles. Yet, it raises profound questions about the roots of this discontent—Is it a failure of education on history's lessons about socialism's failures? Media indoctrination? Or genuine systemic barriers? And what does it portend for the nation’s trajectory—greater division, a shift toward authoritarian policies, or an opportunity for renewal through timeless values like hard work and individual responsibility?

Glenn wants to know what YOU think: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from? What does it mean for the future of America? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

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