In an unusual media saga unfolding in 2025, MSNBC fired political analyst Matthew Dowd in September for making “hateful” comments about the co-founder of Turning America Charlie Kirk leading to his own assassination.

Kirk, a leading conservative activist and the president’s top ally Donald Trumpwas shot and killed at the age of 31 while attending an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. In a shocking moment, Dodd suggested Kirk’s assassination was caused by a chain reaction of his “hateful rhetoric” targeting different groups.

Dowd said Kirk was “one of the most divisive figures in this area, especially one of the most divisive young figures, who is constantly pushing this kind of hateful rhetoric or targeting certain groups. I always come back to the idea that hateful thoughts lead to hateful speech, which then leads to hateful actions.”

MSNBC fires analyst MATTHEW DOWD for ‘unacceptable’ comments about Charlie Kirk

MSNBC fired political analyst Matthew Dowd after he believed Charlie Kirk’s “hateful” rhetoric led to his own assassination. (Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC via Getty Images)

“I think that’s the environment we’re in, where people can’t stop having these horrible thoughts and then saying these horrible things and not expecting horrible actions to happen. That’s the unfortunate environment we’re in,” he added.

Before news of Kirk’s death broke, Dodd also told host Katie Toole, “We don’t know the full details of this yet. We don’t know if this was a celebratory shooting by supporters.”

MSNBC (which later changed its name to MS NOW) publicly condemned Dodd’s comments before officially firing him.

“During our breaking news coverage of the Charlie Kirk shooting, Matthew Dodd made inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable comments,” MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler said in a statement. “We apologize for his comments, and so does he. There is no place for violence, political or otherwise, in America.”

Dodd’s comments were widely condemned after the tragic shooting, with many calling for him to be fired. White House staff were even outraged by Dodd’s comments.

“They are despicable people. They need to look inward and realize they are hurting this country with their horrific rhetoric,” a senior Trump administration official told reporters fox news numbers Reaction to MSNBC segment.

Charlie Kirk Ross to Become Conservative Leader, Transformative Campus Figure

Matthew Dowd appeared on MSNBC on July 26, 2024. (Screenshot/MSNBC)

Dodd, who joined MSNBC in 2022 after a long stint at ABC News, tried to backtrack on the liberal social media platform Bluesky.

Dowd wrote: “During an earlier appearance on MSNBC, I was asked a question about the circumstances in which we find ourselves. I apologize for my tone and words. Let me clarify that my comments were in no way intended to blame Kirk for this horrific attack. Let us all stand united in condemning violence of any kind.”

Dodd, a Democrat, former Republican strategist and independent, is one of the most vehement anti-Republican voices on cable news. His bid failed 2021 Democratic Nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Texas. Since ABC News shut him down, Dodd launched Substack and defended his remarks.

“I have appeared on MSNBC nearly 1,000 times, speaking on a variety of topics, and have always consistently condemned gun violence and political violence of any kind, no matter where it comes from,” Dodd wrote in a Substack post. “Last Wednesday, I was asked to speak on a range of topics and as I was about to go on air, breaking news broke about a shooting at a Kirk event in Utah.”

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Charlie Kirk is a conservative activist who leads Turning Point America. (Alex Brandon/AP)

“Keep in mind, when the anchor came to me to comment on ‘State of the Nation,’ the only thing known at the time was that shots were fired, and there were no reports that Kirk was targeted or shot,” he continued. “I said at the time we needed to get the facts because we didn’t know what this could have been, it could very well have been someone shooting into the air to celebrate this event. Remember Kirk was a die-hard advocate for the Second Amendment.”

Dodd added: “I said my now legendary line ‘Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which ultimately lead to hateful actions.'” I thought to myself how anyone could disagree with that. I guess I was naive… The right-wing media mob was ready to hunt me down on a ton of platforms, and MSNBC responded to those mobs. “

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