Following the killing of American political activist Charlie Kirk in September 2025, many employers terminated or suspended employees for posts on social media alleged to be celebrating, glorifying, or trivializing his death. Some have faced repercussions for merely speaking critically of Kirk or of Republican efforts to capitalize on his killing. There have also been efforts by politicians and far-right influencers such as Laura Loomer, as well as by a website called Expose Charlie's Murderers seeking to dox people who post such content about Kirk's death.
Charlie Kirk was an American right-wing influencer who founded Turning Point USA and hosted the Charlie Kirk Show. He was known for making controversial and inflammatory statements, including about LGBTQ+ individuals, the role of women in marriage, and race in the United States.[1][2][3] On September 10, 2025, Kirk was engaged in one of his regular debates as part of his American Comeback Tour with college students at Utah Valley University — debating over mass shootings in the United States committed by transgender individuals[4] — when a gunman from a nearby rooftop shot and killed him. Reactions on social media varied, with many people on both sides of the political aisle condemning the murder, but some who were opposed to what Kirk stood for appeared to celebrate or mock it.[5]
Doxing
Shortly after Kirk's death, several American conservative activists such as Laura Loomer, sought to identify social media users who were allegedly posting offensive or celebratory posts about Kirk's death.[6] On September 15, JD Vance guest hosted Kirk's podcast and told listeners that if they saw anyone who was reportedly celebrating Kirk's death to "call them out" and continued stating "Hell, call their employer. We don’t believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility, and there is no civility in the celebration of political assassination."[7] The Associated Press described the campaign as having "broadened to include even those whose statements were critical of Kirk without celebrating his assassination". Adam Goldstein of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression described the shift as a form of right-wing cancel culture, noting that people were being targeted for simply quoting Kirk or failing to mourn his passing adequately. Goldstein said that "government involvement in this does inch this closer to looking like McCarthyism".[8] Prominent conservatives have also called for any critic of Kirk's work to be silenced, no matter how nuanced the argument may be.[9]
A centralized list of peoples identities and personal information were gathered online at a website called Charlie's Murderers, which was registered shortly after his death. The information listed includes full names, employment details, locations, social media handles, email address, of the targeted individuals, while the administrators of the site have remained completely anonymous. The site reportedly received thousands of submitted names to be added to the list.[10] The website was later rebranded as Charlie Kirk Data Foundation, before it was taken down on September 16.[7]
Firings
Brazil
Vogue Brazil stylist Zazá Pecego was fired on September 13 after sharing the phrase "I love when fascists die agonizing" on her social media. She later said the phrase was meant to refer about former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro being convicted for attempting a coup in 2022, rather than refer to Kirk.[11] On the same day, physician Ricardo Barbosa was fired from a clinic in Recife after praising Kirk's shooter with having "impeccable aim".[12] Journalist Eduardo Bueno had speeches, participation in events, and a podcast cancelled after praising that Kirk's children would "grow up without the presence of a disgusting, scoundrel, racist, homophobic person, linked to pedophile Donald Trump".[13]
Canada
A University of Toronto professor is "on leave" after "concerning" social media posts. The university sent an email stating: "The faculty member is now on leave and not on campus. The matter is being looked into and the university will not be commenting further."[14]
A teacher was temporarily suspended after showing the video of the assassination to 5th and 6th graders.[15]
Mexico
A congressional staffer from Mexico's ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) resigned after comments he made about Kirk on a Milenio Televisión discussion panel were brought to the attention of Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who responded on X (formerly Twitter) with a reminder of the State Department's authority to revoke visas; the broadcaster was also reprimanded by Landau, who was also a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico, and subsequently issued an apology.[16][17]
United Kingdom
The Oxford Union, a debating society, initiated disciplinary proceedings against its then-president-elect George Abaraonye, who had debated Kirk earlier in the year, after he posted comments appearing to celebrate Kirk's killing.[18][19]
United States
In the days after the shooting, multiple people—including teachers, firefighters, and members of the military and U.S. Secret Service—were fired from their jobs for social media posts that celebrated Kirk's killing or were seen as disparaging of his legacy; some even receiving death threats.[20]
Education
Several educators across the U.S. were placed on leave due to negative comments made about Kirk online.[21][22][23]
Middle Tennessee State University fired Assistant Dean of Students Laura Sosh-Lightsy for "inappropriate and callous" social media remarks about Kirk's murder.[24][25] The University of Mississippi fired Lauren Stokes, an executive assistant to a vice chancellor, after she shared a post critical of Kirk following his assassination.[26][27]Clemson University terminated an employee and later dismissed two faculty members for "inappropriate" social media posts about Kirk's assassination (initially removing the professors from teaching before firing them).[28][29][30] In Chula Vista, a teacher was placed on leave after showing the video to students.[31]
Ohio State University professors described a "sense of unease" following firings, expressing concerns over speculation about being recorded by students seeking to catch them expressing negative views about Kirk.[32]
Entertainment
DC Comics cancelled Gretchen Felker-Martin's Red Hood book series one day after its debut, after the writer celebrated Kirk's death on Bluesky, saying "Hope the bullet's OK after hitting Kirk," later deleting the post.[33][34][35] Kirk had espoused "LGBTQ agenda" conspiracy theories and advocated for "Nuremberg-style trial[s]" for providers of gender-affirming care to transgender individuals (Felker-Martin is a transgender woman).[36][37][38] In an interview with The Comics Journal, Felker-Martin stated that when DC called to inform her that this was "something that DC and Warner Brothers couldn't stand behind or defend", she affirmed by her stances, stating, "I said that I've listened to Charlie Kirk being an overt Nazi for years of my life, and I had no regrets for what I said about him."[39]
PHNX Sports parted ways with Phoenix Suns beat writer Gerald Bourguet over his social media posts about Kirk’s death.[40][41] The Carolina Panthers fired football communications coordinator Charlie Rock after an Instagram story that referenced Kirk's death; the team said it "does not condone violence of any kind".[42][43] Drew Harrison, a Sucker Punch Productions developer that worked on Ghost of Yōtei and worked for ten years on PlayStation Studios, was fired after sharing on social media that "I hope the shooter's name is Mario so that Luigi knows his bro got his back", associated the then unknown Kirk's killer with Luigi Mangione. Sony Interactive Entertainment stated that "Drew Harrison is no longer an employee of Sucker Punch Productions".[44]
ABC indefinitely suspended production of Jimmy Kimmel Live! following remarks made during host Jimmy Kimmel's September 15 broadcast, in which Kimmel said, "The MAGA Gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it." The suspension followed a suggestion by FCC chair Brendan Carr that the FCC may revoke ABC affiliates' broadcasting licenses as punishment for Kimmel's remarks, and came shortly after Nexstar Media Group announced that it would pull the show from its ABC affiliated-stations.[45]
Reporters
Media analyst Matthew Dowd was fired by MSNBC after he appraised Kirk as "one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions."[46][47] A reporter in Florida was suspended for texting Congressional Representative Randy Fine immediately after the shooting to ask if it would prompt him to rethink his opposition to gun control.[48]
Karen Attiah was fired from The Washington Post after posting a paraphrased quote of Kirk on social media stating that Kirk said that Black women did not have "the brain processing power to be taken seriously" and need to "go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously".[49] Kirk's comment, made on July 13, 2023, did not explicitly refer to all Black women (including Attiah), but Black women he considered "prominent", naming Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.[50][38]
Law firm Perkins Coie fired a lawyer "effective immediately" over a post criticizing Kirk after his killing, saying the conduct fell "far short" of firm expectations.[54][55] The Broad Institute said an employee who posted a "deeply offensive" message about Kirk's killing "is no longer employed" at the institute.[56] REMSA Health, an EMS provider, fired an employee over a social media post about Kirk that said did not reflect its mission.[57]Office Depot dismissed an employee after a viral video showed staff refusing to print a poster for a Kirk vigil, calling it "propaganda,"[58][59] and Attorney GeneralPam Bondi threatened to prosecute the fired employee.[60]
Criticism
An Axios article describes the firings as companies "reacting to pressure from Republican officials and right-wing activists and quickly firing anyone who attempts to justify or minimize the killing of Charlie Kirk — or even criticize the slain conservative activist."[61]Axios says these firings "demonstrate fast-changing norms around free speech that many find troubling" along with indicating that employers are more closely monitoring their employees' social media posts.[61]
A Telegraph Online article echoes these criticisms, saying that while criticism of Kirk is not formally illegal, "what has emerged is a de facto enforcement system, carried out through corporate policies, viral tip-offs, and political pressure," also citing the chilling effect.[62] The article suggests that this is less about stopping violence than about policing speech, and goes on to say: "If meaningful free expression is to endure, society must scrutinize these cases, question who is punished and why, and revisit what protections workers really have. Otherwise, public discourse around volatile figures will become a minefield, where even legitimate criticism carries the risk of career destruction."[62]
Vice-president and members of the Congress have commence calling the government to start investigating progressive organizations following Kirk's killing, and targeted ones have compared the firings to those "Second Red Scare" of McCarthyism in the 1950s, when suspected communists were targeted and ostracized from American society.[63]
See also
Professor Watchlist – Website started up by Turning Point USA that called for the firings of purportedly left-wing professors in American academia.
↑ "Charlie Kirk once pushed a 'secular worldview.' Now he's fighting to make America Christian again". NBC News. June 12, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2025. 'We do have a separation of church and state,' Kirk told the conservative commentator Dave Rubin in 2018, 'and we should support that.' Kirk, now 30, has since reversed his position. It's a transformation that, according to political and religious scholars, embodies and reinforces a growing embrace of Christian nationalist thinking within the Republican Party in the era of Donald Trump. 'There is no separation of church and state,' Kirk said on his podcast in 2022. 'It's a fabrication. It's a fiction. It's not in the Constitution. It's made up by secular humanists.'
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