In September 2025, MSNBC dismissed analyst Matthew Dowd after he suggested on-air that Charlie Kirk’s inflammatory rhetoric could help explain the fatal shooting at a Utah Valley University event. Dowd apologized for his tone and defended his intent, saying he did not mean to blame Kirk. MS NOW called the comments "inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable," and the incident sparked public backlash, internal Comcast review, and debate about media conduct during breaking news.
MSNBC Fires Matthew Dowd After Controversial On-Air Comments Linking Charlie Kirk’s Rhetoric to Fatal Shooting
MSNBC fired political analyst Matthew Dowd for suggesting "hateful" rhetoric from Charlie Kirk led to his own assassination.
In September 2025, MSNBC terminated political analyst Matthew Dowd after he suggested on live television that repeated inflammatory rhetoric from Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk may have contributed to the fatal shooting at a campus event. Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative organizer and ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot while attending an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, and later died at age 31.
During breaking coverage, Dowd linked what he described as Kirk’s divisive rhetoric to a broader cycle of escalation. He said:
Matthew Dowd appears on MSNBC on July 26, 2024.
“He’s been one of the most divisive younger figures, constantly promoting rhetoric aimed at certain groups. I always go back to: hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”
Earlier in the same broadcast, before Kirk’s death was publicly confirmed, Dowd also urged caution about the facts: “We don’t know any of the full details of this yet. We don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration,” he told host Katy Tur.
The network — later rebranded as MS NOW — issued a public condemnation and announced Dowd’s dismissal. MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler said Dowd’s remarks made during breaking coverage were “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable,” and the network apologized for the comments.
Charlie Kirk was a conservative activist who led Turning Point USA.
Dowd subsequently apologized for his tone on the social platform Bluesky, saying he did not intend to blame Kirk for the attack. He also defended his broader record in a Substack post, noting decades of media appearances in which he condemned political violence. In that post he reiterated that the initial reports only confirmed shots fired and that reporters needed to wait for facts before drawing conclusions.
The segment drew swift and widespread criticism across political and media circles, including angry responses from allies of the Trump administration and conservative outlets. The controversy prompted internal scrutiny at Comcast and a broader debate about newsroom responsibility during chaotic, rapidly evolving breaking news events.
Key questions raised by the episode include how networks balance immediate commentary with the need for verified information during crises, and how pundits should discuss the relationship between rhetoric and violence without appearing to assign blame prematurely.
