The fallout from the tragic assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has shaken both political and media circles, sparking outrage, firings, and sharply divided commentary across networks.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot during an appearance at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. According to officials, he was struck by a single bullet fired from 200 yards away. The alleged shooter remains at large. The shocking event prompted widespread condemnation from both sides of the political aisle.
But controversy erupted when MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd appeared to suggest that Kirk’s own rhetoric contributed to the environment that led to his death. Speaking during live coverage alongside anchor Katy Tur, Dowd said:
“He’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”
Dowd’s comments ignited immediate backlash online, with critics accusing him of effectively blaming the victim. Pressure mounted on MSNBC, and by Thursday evening, the network announced that Dowd had been fired.
In a strongly worded statement, MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler condemned Dowd’s remarks as “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.” She added, “We apologize for his statements, as has he. There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise.”
Dowd later issued his own apology on BlueSky, writing:
“I apologize for my tone and words. Let me be clear, I in no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack. Let us all come together and condemn violence of any kind.”
The apology did little to calm critics. On Fox News, Jesse Watters was one of the first to weigh in, blasting Dowd’s remarks as disqualifying. “He should be fired IMMEDIATELY,” Watters declared during a fiery segment, arguing that such rhetoric not only crossed a moral line but also revealed a dangerous bias in mainstream coverage of conservative figures.
While Watters struck an uncompromising tone, fellow Fox News host Greg Gutfeld offered a more complicated reaction on The Five. A clip of Dowd’s MSNBC comments aired on the program, prompting Gutfeld to argue that Dowd’s remarks revealed something deeply off.
“Well, I mean, he is right for the wrong reasons,” Gutfeld said. “Hateful words do lead to awful actions, but it was his side that had pretty much run the gamut, calling everybody Hitler and Nazis. Instead of viewing people as wrong, they view them as evil. I think that Matthew Dowd — I won’t criticize him because I think there is something wrong with him.”
Gutfeld questioned the timing of Dowd’s words — noting that they were made while Kirk’s condition was still uncertain — and then pivoted to a bigger picture take. “It’s interesting — you know, we don’t know who did this. But I do know it doesn’t help the left. Which makes me think, is it the left? I don’t know. We don’t know. But it feels professional.”
The divergent responses from Watters and Gutfeld underscore just how polarized the reaction to Dowd’s commentary has been — even within conservative media itself. Watters called for swift accountability, while Gutfeld focused on broader cultural and political dynamics.
For MSNBC, Dowd’s ouster appears to be an effort to contain the damage, but the episode has already fueled conservative complaints of bias in mainstream media coverage. For many on the right, the situation has confirmed their long-standing suspicion that tragedies involving conservatives are too often framed in a way that downplays the human cost while inflaming political divides.
As the investigation into Kirk’s assassination continues, the reverberations from Dowd’s comments and his firing show no signs of slowing down. The debate over how tragedies are covered — and how far pundits should go in linking rhetoric to violence — has only just begun.
