What happened — short summary

Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at a university event. In the days after his death a number of people posted celebratory or callous comments about the killing on personal social media. Conservative activists and supporters of Kirk rapidly amplified screenshots of those posts; employers and government agencies in many cases moved quickly to investigate and discipline employees, often terminating or suspending them and issuing public statements that the posts violated organizational policies. Journalists, teachers, university staff, public-sector employees, military recruiters, sports media workers, and corporate employees were among those publicly reported. Wikipedia+1

How I compiled this (important for completeness)

I searched major wire services, national newspapers, education and trade outlets, and local news reports to identify named firings or administrative actions tied to social posts about Kirk’s death. Because the situation is fast-moving, the article below cites the specific stories that reported each case so you can check details and read employer statements in full. I do not claim this list is the complete set of all people ever fired for such posts — only the people or actions that have been publicly reported by the press at the time of writing. Key patterns and legal context follow the case list. Reuters+1

Named cases reported in the press (detailed)

Below are the cases that were reported by named outlets. I list the person (if reporting named them), the job/role reported, the employer or agency, the nature of the social-media reaction as described in reporting, and the employer/agency statement when available.

1) Anthony Pough — U.S. Secret Service employee (administrative leave)

Role (reported): Secret Service employee (agency described him as in “Phase 2” of his career).
What was posted (reported): Posts on Facebook that called Kirk a racist and suggested people who mourn him should “delete me”; reportedly blamed “karma” for the killing. Real Clear Politics posted screenshots that media then cited.
Employer action: Placed on administrative leave and the Secret Service opened an investigation; agency said it “will not tolerate behavior that violates our code of conduct.” Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn publicly called for his termination.
Sources / employer statement: Fox News reported the leave and quotes from a Secret Service spokesperson. Fox News

2) Two employees at Cumberland University — Dr. Michael Rex and Max Wood (terminated)

Role (reported): Employees of Cumberland University (the university’s reporting identified two people).
What was posted (reported): The university said they made “inappropriate” comments about Kirk’s shooting; coverage cites a screenshot where one post said “Karma is beautiful…” (reporting describes other comments as controversial).
Employer action: Cumberland University confirmed the two are “no longer employed” after an investigation and released a statement that the decision “was not made lightly” and emphasized a safe and inclusive campus.
Sources / employer statement: Local TV station WSMV reported the university’s statement and named Dr. Michael Rex and Max Wood. https://www.wsmv.com

3) Matthew Dowd — MSNBC analyst (no longer with network; controversy over remarks)

Role (reported): Political analyst frequently appearing on cable.
What happened (reported): After on-air commentary about rhetoric and violence following Kirk’s death, MSNBC said Dowd was “no longer with the network.” Dowd later wrote on Substack that MSNBC “caved to a mob” and defended his remarks as misconstrued; the network called his on-air remarks “insensitive” in a public reaction.
Employer action: MSNBC removed him from the role (network statement and reporting indicated the network expressed regret for the remarks).
Sources / employer statement: Associated Press reported Dowd’s account and the network’s response. (This episode is different from the many straight social-post firings because it involved on-air commentary and a subsequent network personnel decision.) AP News

4) Carolina Panthers — Charlie Rock (communications staffer; terminated)

Role (reported): Communications coordinator for the Carolina Panthers (public relations staff).
What was posted (reported): An Instagram story attributed to the staffer that read, in essence, “Why are y’all sad? Your man said it was worth it …” with a photo of Kirk — which critics viewed as mocking Kirk’s death.
Employer action: The Panthers publicly stated employees’ views do not represent the team and that the matter was “addressed with the individual”; local and national outlets reported the staffer is no longer with the team.
Sources / employer statement: WRAL, Newsweek, WBTV and other outlets covered the Panthers’ statement and the staffer’s dismissal. WRAL.com+1

5) Gerald Bourguet — PHNX Sports / Suns beat writer (terminated)

Role (reported): Phoenix Suns beat reporter for PHNX Sports (an AllCity/PHNX outlet).
What was posted (reported): A series of X posts in which Bourguet criticized public mourning for Kirk and discussed perceived inconsistencies in reactions to violence; critics interpreted the thread as dismissive of the killing. He defended his position as distinguishing criticism of Kirk’s rhetoric from celebration of violence.
Employer action: PHNX Sports (AllCity Network) announced it had “addressed the matter” and the writer was no longer with the outlet.
Sources / employer statement: New York Post, The Sun, and other outlets reported on the posts and PHNX’s dismissal. (PHNX’s public statement emphasized the company does not condone posts that promote or condone violence.) New York Post+1

6) Bobby Machado — Fox Sports Las Vegas / Lotus Communications (terminated)

Role (reported): Producer for Fox Sports Las Vegas (worked on the JT the Brick Show and on broadcasts associated with the Vegas Golden Knights).
What was posted (reported): Social posts described as “hateful” and celebratory about Kirk’s death; screenshots reported included language such as “karma is a motherf*****.” Machado deactivated his X account after the backlash.
Employer action: Lotus Communications (parent of Fox Sports Las Vegas) confirmed immediate termination and released a statement condemning the post, saying it “in no way reflects” company views.
Sources / employer statement: Local Las Vegas TV reporting and trade outlets (KTNV, Awful Announcing) and Lotus’ posted statement were cited in press accounts. Channel 13 Las Vegas News KTNV+1

7) U.S. Marine recruiter / Marine Corps employee (terminated or under investigation)

Role (reported): A Marine Corps recruiter/captain (reporting described a recruiter and in some screenshots identified a captain).
What was posted (reported): An Instagram post or meme apparently showing Kirk with the caption: “Another racist man popped” with beer emojis — screenshots circulated across social platforms.
Employer action: Marine Corps officials said the post “does not align with our core values” and that the service was investigating and had taken action (reporting described the recruiter as fired or removed from recruiting duties).
Sources / employer statement: Task & Purpose, The Independent, and other outlets referenced official Marine Corps comments indicating disciplinary action. Task & Purpose+1

8) Middle Tennessee State University — Laura Sosh-Lightsy (assistant dean) (fired)

Role (reported): Assistant dean at Middle Tennessee State University.
What was posted (reported): On Facebook she wrote comments described as “callous,” including: “Looks like ol’ Charlie spoke his fate into existence,” and “Hate begets hate. ZERO sympathy.” Reports say she doubled down after pushback.
Employer action: MTSU announced the assistant dean was let go for those comments after an internal review.
Sources / employer statement: WSMV and other local outlets reported on MTSU’s termination and included the quoted post. https://www.wsmv.com

9) Teachers, firefighters, and other school and municipal employees (multiple districts — suspensions/terminations or placed on leave)

Role (reported): Multiple K–12 teachers and some municipal employees across many states were reported as suspended, placed on administrative leave, or fired after posts or classroom comments that were interpreted as celebrating or approving of Kirk’s death.
What was posted (reported): Reporting compiled screenshots and district investigations of personal social posts or statements made in class. The Education Week piece lists states and districts that had personnel actions (California, Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and others). Examples in reporting included teachers’ personal social posts that school districts said violated policy and warranted investigation.
Employer action: School districts placed staff on leave, opened investigations, or terminated employment depending on the district and the comments. Several state education officials publicly condemned celebratory comments. Education Week also reported that conservative activists were crowd-sourcing teacher posts and pressuring districts to act.
Sources / employer statement: Education Week’s roundup provides state-level reporting and quotes from district superintendents and union leaders; local press stories are cited within that piece. Education Week

10) Nasdaq junior-level sustainability strategist (female, unnamed in reporting) — terminated

Role (reported): A junior-level sustainability strategist at Nasdaq (Reuters described the employee as a woman).
What was posted (reported): Reuters reported the termination followed social-media posts related to Kirk’s shooting that violated the company’s zero-tolerance policy for celebrating or condoning violence. Reuters did not publish the employee’s name.
Employer action: Nasdaq issued a public statement on X saying it has “zero-tolerance” for commentary that condones or celebrates violence and that the employee was fired.
Sources / employer statement: Reuters reported the firing and Nasdaq’s statement. Reuters

11) Other local and corporate cases reported in aggregation

What reporting shows: A growing number of additional firings, suspensions, and administrative leaves were reported around the country — including employees of media outlets, sports franchises, universities, municipal agencies, and private companies. Some reports named additional individuals who were fired, others described ongoing investigations or leave statuses. Many of these stories were aggregated and cross-cited by national outlets, and conservative activists publicly compiled screenshots to press employers to act.
Sources: Coverage in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, local press in multiple markets, and aggregated reporting noted the broader pattern and the intense online pursuit of people who posted celebratory comments. Wall Street Journal+1

Employer statements — themes and sample language

Across the cases above employers used similar lines when announcing discipline:

“This post does not reflect the views of [company/university/agency] and is not tolerated.”
“We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding speech that condones or celebrates violence.”
“The decision was not made lightly; we conducted an investigation.”
“We will not tolerate behavior that violates our code of conduct.”

Examples: Nasdaq’s public X post referenced a zero-tolerance policy for commentary that condones or celebrates violence; Lotus Communications (Fox Sports Las Vegas parent) issued an immediate termination statement decrying the “hateful and despicable” post; Cumberland University described a comprehensive investigation prior to ending employment. Reuters+2Channel 13 Las Vegas News KTNV+2

Patterns, context, and legal considerations

1. Private employers vs. public employees

Private-sector employers generally have broad discretion to discipline or terminate employees for off-duty speech under U.S. employment-at-will doctrines, unless a contract or union agreement limits that. Many organizations cited reputational risk and policy violations. The Wall Street Journal and others have pointed to employers’ rapid action to protect brand and workplace environment. Wall Street Journal
Public-sector employees (e.g., some school staff, military recruiters, Secret Service) have somewhat different rules — free-speech and due-process principles can apply — but government agencies still disciplined employees when posts implicate codes of conduct or national-security sensitivities (e.g., Secret Service placing an employee on administrative leave pending investigation). Education Week noted state-level attention to teacher social posts and political pressure. Education Week+1

2. Doxxing and crowd-sourced reporting

Conservative activists and supporters of Kirk collected screenshots and circulated them to press and employers; Education Week and other outlets documented this targeted campaign to find and report teachers and other employees who posted about the killing. That contributed to speed and number of employer responses. Several reporting threads emphasized the chilling effect and the double risk: the original posts plus subsequent doxxing and threats directed at those people. Education Week

3. Employer messaging vs. due process

Many employers emphasized that decisions were the result of investigations; some local outlets reported that employers said the decisions were “not taken lightly.” Still, commentators and legal experts in the coverage warned that in-the-moment reactions and social-media amplification can lead to rapid personnel decisions where nuance or context may be missed. The AP and WSJ pieces discussed the legal boundaries and occupational risks. AP News+1

Limitations & caveats

This is a snapshot based on media reporting. The environment is fast-moving; new reporting can add more names or nuance. I linked the headline stories I used so you can follow up. Reuters+1
Not every report names a person. In some corporate cases reporters withheld names (e.g., Reuters’ Nasdaq story identified role and gender but did not publish a name). I only named individuals who were publicly identified by reliable outlets. Reuters
Context matters and reporting varies. In some cases the social posts were short and unambiguous; in others the commentary was framed as criticism of Kirk’s public rhetoric and not an explicit celebration of violence. Employers and outlets sometimes characterized posts differently. I tried to reflect how the reporting framed each case and included employer statements where available. New York Post+1

Quick reference list (names, roles, employer, citation)

Anthony Pough — Secret Service employee (administrative leave). Fox News coverage. Fox News
Dr. Michael Rex — Cumberland University (no longer employed). WSMV. https://www.wsmv.com
Max Wood — Cumberland University (no longer employed). WSMV. https://www.wsmv.com
Matthew Dowd — MSNBC analyst — no longer with network after on-air comments and backlash. AP coverage. AP News
Charlie Rock — Carolina Panthers communications coordinator (terminated). WRAL / Newsweek / local coverage. WCNC+1
Gerald Bourguet — PHNX Sports Phoenix Suns beat writer (terminated). New York Post / PHNX reporting. New York Post
Bobby Machado — Fox Sports Las Vegas producer (terminated by Lotus Communications). KTNV / Lotus statement. Channel 13 Las Vegas News KTNV
Unnamed Marine recruiter / captain — Marine Corps recruiter (investigated/removed). Task & Purpose reporting. Task & Purpose
Laura Sosh-Lightsy — MTSU assistant dean (fired). Local reporting cited by WSMV. https://www.wsmv.com
Unnamed Nasdaq junior sustainability strategist — Nasdaq (female, role described; fired). Reuters. Reuters

(There are additional district- and local-level teacher and municipal staff cases compiled by Education Week and other outlets — see the Education Week roundup for state/district examples.) Education Week

Takeaways and final thoughts

Social-media outrage + rapid sharing of screenshots has immediate real-world workplace consequences. Reported cases span private companies, universities, sports franchises, the military, and federal agencies. Employers cite reputational risk, policy violations, and codes of conduct as reasons for action. Wall Street Journal+1
There are real legal and ethical tensions: private employers generally can act quickly; public employees and uniformed services face internal discipline that can implicate due process and free-speech considerations. Education Week and legal commentators highlighted concerns about targeted campaigns to expose employees for private posts. Education Week+1
This is a fast-moving story. If you want, I can:
1. Keep monitoring and produce an updated, dated list of new reports (with primary-source links) as new cases are published; or
2. Produce a printable PDF or a timeline graphic of the cases above with exact employer statements quoted and citations for use as a reference.

The Matrix Network News

The Purge Of People Who Celebrated Charlie Kirk’s Death As They Begin Losing Their Employment In Mass