Teachers, firefighters, elected officials, and media personalities are facing serious consequences across the United States after making social media posts about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The widespread disciplinary actions come less than 24 hours after Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.
School employees in Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Mississippi, and Ohio are all under investigation for their social media comments following Kirk’s death. Several have already lost their jobs, including a South Carolina teacher who was fired for posting “Thoughts and prayers to his children but IMHO America became greater today. There I said it.”
According to The Athletic, a teacher and city councilor in Cornelius, Oregon, wrote that the assassination “really brightened up my day,” while a public relations employee for the Carolina Panthers was terminated after reportedly posting on Instagram with the message “Why are yall sad? Your man said it was worth it.”
Conservative media personality Laura Loomer has taken a leading role in tracking down and exposing people who celebrated Kirk’s death online. “I will be spending my night making everyone I find online who celebrates his death Famous, so prepare to have your whole future professional aspirations ruined if you are sick enough to celebrate his death. I’m going to make you wish you never opened your mouth,” Loomer posted on X. Her social media feed Thursday was filled with the names, pictures, and job titles of people who she said should be fired for comments they made following Kirk’s death.
School districts and employers take swift action
Universities have moved quickly to distance themselves from employees who made controversial posts. University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce said in a statement that a staff member who “re-shared hurtful, insensitive comments on social media regarding the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk” was no longer employed by the university. Middle Tennessee State University also fired an employee for what President Sidney McPhee called “inappropriate and callous comments on social media.” Also, House erupts into chaos over Charlie Kirk as politicians blamed each other for his death, highlighting the divisive nature of the tragedy.
Charlie Kirk’s death will not be in vain.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) September 10, 2025
I will be spending my night making everyone I find online who celebrates his death Famous, so prepare to have your whole future professional aspirations ruined if you are sick enough to celebrate his death.
I’m going to make you wish…
The far-right social media account Libs of TikTok has also joined the effort to identify and expose those celebrating Kirk’s death. A firefighter in New Orleans posted an Instagram comment suggesting Kirk deserved to die and the bullet was “a gift from god.” Although the comment was later deleted, it was screenshotted and shared on Libs of TikTok, drawing attention from the fire department superintendent and the Louisiana attorney general.
Matthew Dowd, an MSNBC contributor, was fired by the network for comments he made during live breaking news coverage. MSNBC immediately fires political analyst after Charlie Kirk comments, with the network calling his assessment “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”
Kirk, 31, was shot by a sniper while speaking at the first stop of his American Comeback Tour. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of his killer, who remains at large as of Thursday afternoon. The shooting has caused widespread condemnation from politicians across the political spectrum. However, it has also exposed deep divisions in how Americans view political violence and free speech in the aftermath of such tragedies.
