(NEXSTAR) – Teachers, firefighters, elected officials, and even a cable news contributor have lost their jobs or are under investigation following comments they made regarding the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Within a day of Kirk’s death, multiple reports emerged Thursday of teachers and school administrators nationwide being placed on leave. School staff in Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Mississippi, and Ohio are all under investigation for social media posts they made.
At least one teacher in South Carolina was dismissed for posting about Kirk’s death with the comment: “Thoughts and prayers to his children, but IMHO America became greater today. There I said it.”
A teacher and city councilor in Cornelius, Oregon, wrote the assassination “really brightened up my day,” landing him in hot water.
According to The Athletic, a public relations employee for the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers was fired after allegedly posting on his personal Instagram: “Why are yall sad? Your man said it was worth it,” along with an image from the Wu-Tang hit “Protect Ya Neck.”
Matthew Dowd, an MSNBC contributor, was also fired by the network for comments he made on the air during breaking news coverage on Wednesday.
Dowd remarked, as reported by The Hill, “He was constantly pushing this sort of hate speech aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to: Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. … You can’t say these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place.”
While Dowd’s remarks were made live on-air to a wide audience, some comments were made in more private settings but have been uncovered by right-wing activists, reports WIRED.
Laura Loomer, a conservative media personality with a large following, posted on X, “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.”
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.
Another far-right social media influencer, who posts under the account Libs of TikTok, was also on the case. A firefighter in New Orleans had posted an Instagram comment, which she later deleted, suggesting Kirk deserved to die and the bullet was “a gift from god.” But the deleted comment had been screenshotted and shared on Libs of TikTok, drawing the attention of the fire department’s superintendent and the Louisiana attorney general.
Kirk was shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. He was taken to the hospital, where he died.
