People are losing their jobs after celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The shockwaves from the killing are now reaching ordinary people — and according to multiple reports, some are paying with their careers. The backlash has swept across various sectors, affecting teachers, journalists, government workers, and even a Secret Service employee.
Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative activist and close ally of Donald Trump, was shot dead on September 10 during a public event at Utah Valley University. His death sparked widespread reactions from across the political spectrum. Trump and Melania issued public condolences to Kirk’s widow, Erika, and their two children. Barack Obama and Kamala Harris also condemned the violence. But while many expressed sympathy, not all responses were respectful.
Horror author Stephen King, in a now-deleted post on X, responded to a Fox News segment claiming Kirk was not “controversial” by writing, “He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin’.” After being publicly called a liar by Elon Musk, King walked back the comment and issued an apology. Still, the comment added fuel to a growing fire online — one where employers were already beginning to scrutinize what their staff were posting about the shooting.
Shortly after the news broke, a site reportedly titled “Expose Charlie’s Murderers” appeared online, with the goal of naming individuals—mostly students and employees—who had made statements perceived as celebratory or supportive of political violence. According to Reuters, some of the people listed have already been fired. MSNBC let go of political analyst Matthew Dowd after he said Kirk had contributed to the kind of environment that fosters violence. MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler called his remarks “inappropriate and unacceptable.”
The ripple effect didn’t stop there. DC Comics canceled its upcoming Red Hood series after its writer, Gretchen Felker-Martin, made comments seen as celebrating Kirk’s death. Middle Tennessee State University also fired a staff member “effective immediately” after she posted she had “zero sympathy” for Kirk. The Carolina Panthers dismissed communications coordinator Charlie Rock for a post mocking public grief, and Nasdaq terminated a junior employee over similar posts, citing a zero-tolerance policy toward any speech condoning violence.
The backlash is now becoming a national trend. Researcher Parker Thayer claimed that as many as 60 people may have lost jobs due to their reactions to Kirk’s assassination. Far-right commentators like Laura Loomer are aggressively promoting the campaign to identify and shame those celebrating the killing. Congressman Clay Higgins went further, demanding that anyone “celebrating the heinous murder of that beautiful young man” be permanently banned from all platforms. As tensions grow, a larger conversation is emerging — not just about political violence, but about how freedom of speech collides with social consequences in the digital age.