"Fox & Friends" host Brian Kilmeade ripped 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November Buttigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Hillicon Valley: FBI, DHS warn that foreign hackers will likely spread disinformation around election results | Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day | Trump to meet with Republican state officials on tech liability shield MORE for criticism of Fox News opinion hosts during a town hall televised on the network, saying the South Bend, Ind., mayor showed "absolutely no courage."

"Don’t hop on our channel and continue to put down the other hosts on the channel, or the channel. If you feel that negative about it, don’t come," Kilmeade said on the network's morning show Monday.

"Because for him to go out there and take shots of our prime-time lineup without going on our prime-time lineup shows, to me, absolutely no courage," he added.

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Buttigieg said during the live town hall from New Hampshire Sunday night that a lot of Democrats were critical of his appearance before noting controversial remarks made by Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson Tucker CarlsonPebble Mine CEO resigns over secretly recorded comments about government officials Fox News host says Kyle Rittenhouse was 'innocent,' 'demonized' Pebble Mine executives eye future expansion in recorded conversations MORE and Laura Ingraham Laura Anne IngrahamEx-Pence aide: Trump spent 45 minutes of task force meeting 'going off on Tucker Carlson' instead of talking coronavirus Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs to be deposed in Seth Rich lawsuit: report NYC living statue shows Trump desecrating graves of war dead, COVID-19 victims MORE.

"I get where that's coming from, especially when you see what goes on with some of the opinion hosts on this network," Buttigieg said.

"When you’ve got Tucker Carlson saying that immigrants make America dirty. When you’ve got Laura Ingraham comparing detention centers with children in cages to summer camps. There is a reason why anybody has to swallow hard and think twice before participating in this media ecosystem," he added.

Buttigieg is polling at 7 percent in the RealClearPolitics polling index, more than 31 points behind former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Democratic groups using Bloomberg money to launch M in Spanish language ads in Florida Harris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle MORE in the race for the Democratic nomination. The 37-year-old mayor is the third Democratic presidential candidate to appear on Fox News in a town hall format.

Last month, Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersOutrage erupts over Breonna Taylor grand jury ruling Dimon: Wealth tax 'almost impossible to do' Grand jury charges no officers in Breonna Taylor death MORE (I-Vt.) was featured in a live event from Bethlehem, Pa. that drew nearly 2.6 million viewers.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy KlobucharSocial media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight Sunday shows - Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death dominates MORE (D-Minn.) appeared a network town hall earlier this month, attracting 1.6 million viewers.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Kirsten GillibrandSunday shows preview: Justice Ginsburg dies, sparking partisan battle over vacancy before election Suburban moms are going to decide the 2020 election Jon Stewart urges Congress to help veterans exposed to burn pits MORE (D-N.Y.) will appear in a Fox News town hall on June 2.