KDKA-AM's Wendy Bell's Coronavirus Comments Spark Controversy

PITTSBURGH, PA - KDKA-AM talk show host Wendy Bell has drawn considerable criticism - as well as support - for suggesting the country might want to consider lifting the coronavirus shutdown even if it means the loss of millions of lives.

Bell's comments were made during her show on Sunday and a video was posted on her KDKA Facebook page.

"Everything shuts down, but to what end?" Bell asked.

"Yes, every life lost is one too many. Yes, that's the talking point, that's what we're going to say. But ultimately, dollars and cents boil down to - are you going to bankrupt America and the future for less than one percent of our population, many of whom are already ill or aged?

"I'm on a fence. Do you see? The struggle. Internal. Struggle."

Those comments were made about six minute into the video.

The nation's current population is 329.4 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. So Bell's internal struggle concerns whether restarting the economy is potentially worth costing approximately 3.2 million people their lives.

Bell has been blasted on various social media platforms since making those remarks.

"Wow. This is disgusting," Danielle Deitrich wrote on Twitter. "Let's kill 1 percent of the population so the rest of us can make the $$$. @KDKARadio how can you allow this to air? Advocating killing people so others can make money?"

"You need to get rid of Wendy Bell," Michael Capozzoli tweeted to the radio station. "She'd prefer that my child dies (and me, I might add) for the economy. Seriously, if your station has an ounce of integrity left; fire her immediately. She's unbalanced."

Bell drew considerable support, however, on her Facebook page.

"On the fence! Exactly," Toni Lausso wrote. "We need social distance ourselves from all of the government/media coverage. Are the number of deaths going to rise, yes, but we do not need to focus on what we already know."

Added Jim Sweezy: "I jumped over the fence two weeks ago !! The numbers for PA are not even close to a crisis to shut down the state"