Fox News Contributor Breaks Down in Tears Following Tragic Segment on Kids Lost to Suicide During Pandemic

Fox News contributor Leo Terrell had an emotional reaction to a segment on The Story With Martha MacCallum where Martha MacCallum interviewed parents of children who died by suicide during the pandemic.

Terrell, a former middle and high school economics teacher, was clearly moved from the beginning of the segment, telling MacCallum that it was “going to be tough” for him to get through this.

MacCallum remarked that Terrell had told her that teaching was “the most important work” he had ever done, and said his emotions were “very understandable.”

“What would you say to these kids out there who need to seek some help, Leo?” she asked.

Terrell replied that one of the hardest parts of the pandemic was how kids lost the opportunity to interact and communicate directly with teachers, “who sometimes provide an alternative in that transitional period” during the teen years. “Teachers can be a great resource,” he continued, and can provide valuable counseling that has been lost to kids during the pandemic. Terrell got choked up for a moment and had to pause a few times. “They lost that opportunity.”

MacCallum said that teachers have an ability to “pick up on things” and that’s one of the benefits of kids “hav[ing] different adults in their lives,” like parents, teachers, and coaches — “all these touch points that were denied these children over the course of this year.”

Both MacCallum and Terrell agreed that Covid was not the single factor in the struggles these kids faced, but it was clearly one factor.

“It was a factor and these kids lost that opportunity due to politics and all the games,” said Terrell, again briefly overcome by tears. “Those schools should have been open… teachers provide an alternative to kids to express their concerns, their sorrows, and that was taken away. That’s what’s so painful.”

MacCallum said the parents she spoke to were “so brave to speak out” and added that she thought they had given advice that would be helpful to other parents.

“It was hard to watch that program,” replied Terrell, fighting back tears.

“Leo, thank you so much,” MacCallum concluded. “Your tears I think speak for so many of us and the losses of this year and we need to focus on the mental health toll that has been wrought over the course of all of this. And I thank you very much for being here with us as a teacher and as a student and as a human being.”

You can watch MacCallum’s interview and the segment with Terrell above, via Fox News.

Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is suffering from suicidal thoughts or self-harm please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.