Charlie Kirk is dead. Is criticism of his message worth losing your job? | Opinion
Use discretion and have some restraint.
That’s my message to anyone who feels inclined to share their thoughts on the internet about the recent shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Simply put: Your opinion on Kirk and whatever he stood for is simply not worth losing your job.
Last Wednesday, Kirk was gunned down while speaking outside at Utah Valley University. There is a very active campaign to out anyone who doesn’t convey empathy for Kirk or his family. And conservatives everywhere are screenshotting posts that could be construed as celebrating the death or inciting violence, and reporting them to people’s employers. Some of these posts have gotten folks fired, including in Kansas and Missouri.
In Missouri, two teachers in the Hallsville School District were placed on paid administrative leave for social media posts about Kirk’s death, according to KMBC-TV 9. Hallsville is in Boone County near Columbia.
A teacher in the Gardner Edgerton School District in Kansas was under fire this week for alleged comments too, according to a social media post from the right-leaning Libs of TikTok account. In a statement, Keith Davenport, a former candidate for school board there, said a special board meeting scheduled for Wednesday could determine the future employment status of the teacher in question.
“Today, USD 231’s Board of Education is considering terminating an employee for a Facebook comment about Charlie Kirk following his assassination,” Davenport said in the statement.
As this feeding frenzy is most likely to continue for the foreseeable future, I will offer to anyone reading this: Your opinion of Kirk and the Turning Point USA political nonprofit he co-founded for young people is not worth losing your livelihood.
My advice for you is to log off social media for a while, resist the urge to post anything that could be taken out of context regarding Kirk’s unfortunate death and save yourself the hassle of being summoned to your respective human resources departments.
In the days following Kirk’s fatal shooting in Utah, many people took to social media, blogs and other online platforms to weigh in on the outspoken and unabashed MAGA supporter. Some expressed outrage at the sheer act of violence that took Kirk’s life while others, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, did little to bring the country together.
More people chimed in by respectfully listing some of Kirk’s controversial takes on gun control, civil rights, abortion, race and other pertinent issues facing all Americans.
Others, rather distastefully, mocked Kirk’s death. Some of them made the unfortunate decision to publicly air whatever personal grievances they had against Kirk’s arguably divisive rhetoric and it cost them their jobs. That list included Katie Allen of Manhattan, Kansas, who reportedly thought it was a good idea to comment on Facebook that Kirk’s death was “well deserved.”
Allen later apologized for her comment, according to The Star, but the damage was already done.
Kansas State Department of Education worker fired
As most of us born in the 1970s and ‘80s were taught: If you don’t have anything positive to say about someone the best bet is to say nothing at all.
For her part, Allen was ousted as a research analyst for the Kansas State Department of Education, The Star reported this week. In an email to The Star, KSDE spokesperson Denie Kahler confirmed that Allen was “no longer an employee at KSDE.”
Whether you agreed with Kirk’s diatribes or not — I often didn’t — no one should celebrate the death of another human being who was reportedly killed for simply expressing his views on a myriad of issues facing us all.
Tact and human decency still matters. Allen and others across the country who lost their jobs because of social media posts were reminded of this in the wake of this tragic event.
I am a staunch supporter of free speech — the First Amendment protects us against government overreach when it comes to the things we say, write or do. But in at-will states such as Kansas and Missouri, employers often have policies in place that simply forbid their workers from putting the company in a bad light.
In the coming days, weeks and months, we’re sure to learn more about the actions and motives of the alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. He’s been charged with aggravated murder and other serious crimes. Prosecutors in Utah said this week they will pursue the death penalty.
As the case proceeds, I would caution anyone with an inkling to spout off about Kirk’s death should keep whatever negative or asinine thoughts they have about his questionable views or his killing to themselves.
For some, like Manhattan’s Allen, the former Kansas state education employee, it is simply too late.
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 9:28 AM.