A Number of People Are Reportedly Getting Fired for Their Posts About Charlie Kirk's Death

When news broke on Sept. 10, 2025, that right wing commentator Charlie Kirk had been slain by a gunman at a rally in Utah, ripples of shock moved through the internet.

Many people were shocked and horrified at the death of a 31-year-old husband and father, while some lamented his loss as a voice for their beliefs.

But there were some areas of the internet that turned celebratory, as people pointed out that Kirk's beliefs included that Black people and women are inferior, transgender people shouldn't be respected, and that people dying was an acceptable cost of preserving the Second Amendment.

For several of these people celebrating, they quickly found themselves fired after sharing their posts about Kirk's death. Here's what we know about the situation.

As Bluesky user @porcupunk noted, many news outlets have reported people getting fired over their takes on Kirk's death. The user compiled a growing list of headlines as such, with over 10 people on the list as of the publication of this article.

Among those fired was MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd, whose comments were considered inoffensive by many. He later issued an apology, per New York Times.

Several educators were on the list, including teachers from Charlotte, Jacksonville, and Houston among several other cities. In Florida and Texas, officials warned those working for the state to avoid offensive posts on the topic.

The posts that were targeted for termination included people celebrating his death, but also some people pointing out that Kirk's ideology included the defense of gun violence, which at least one post called "ironic."

All of this, of course, begs the question: can you even legally be fired for expressing your opinion on social media? And the disturbing answer is: your protections for online content vary by state, but generally, yes, you can (via Lawyers for Justice PC). Romano Law explains that there is some speech that is protected, and some circumstances.

But knowing your rights in your local state is vital to informing whether or not you might face reprisals for what you post online.

Which of course then begs the follow-up question to that: should you be fired for what you post online?

The posts about Kirk's death seem to suggest that many people believe that firing for what you post online is warranted. Especially if what you're posting would be considered shocking, insensitive, or cruel.

Of course, it's a slippery slope. You have to determine where the line can be drawn, and decide who is the arbiter of good taste or propriety. Limiting what people can say in the public square of social media, even if it's heinous, starts to walk the line of potentially suppressing free speech.

And while Kirk may not have been everyone's cup of tea, much of his career encouraged discourse between people of disparate opinions. Even, and perhaps sometimes especially, if that opinion was offensive.