After Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah speaking event last Wednesday, Laura Sosh-Lightsy — an assistant dean at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) — made a social media post that ultimately cost her her job.
“Looks like ol’ Charlie spoke his fate into existence. Hate begets hate,” her post read, according to Local 3 News. “ZERO sympathy.”
Her comments quickly drew the attention of Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who wrote on X that Sosh-Lightsy “should be ashamed” of the post and called for her removal from MTSU.
The university, as it turned out, agreed. Just one day after Blackburn’s response, MTSU terminated Sosh-Lightsy’s employment.
In a statement about the firing, the university said her comments were “inconsistent with our values and have undermined the university’s credibility and reputation with our students.”
Is It Legal to Fire Someone For Celebrating Charlie Kirk’s Death Online?
Short answer: Yes, in most cases.
Jeffrey Hirsch, a professor of labor and employment law at the University of North Carolina, told CNN that private companies can typically fire employees for nearly any reason.
Public-sector employees are protected by free speech laws, but there are some exceptions: : They can still be fired if their comments are “so egregious it disrupts operations.”
Who Has Been Fired For Sharing Celebratory Posts About Charlie Kirk’s Death?
In the days since Kirk’s death, several people have reportedly lost their jobs for allegedly celebrating online.
Per KKTV 11, a high school teacher in South Carolina was fired after posting on Facebook that “America became greater” because of Kirk’s death.
Like Sosh-Lightsy, his firing followed public calls for his removal — this time from U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and William Timmons, who flagged the post on social media.
CNN reports that Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and the Carolina Panthers, both private companies, have terminated employees over their posts about Kirk.
Read More: Brantley Gilbert Has a Warning For Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Death
DC Comics canceled the new Red Hood comic book series after its author, Gretchen Felker-Martin, allegedly wrote “Hope the bullet’s okay”on social media in reaction to Kirk’s death.
On Monday (Sept. 15), Fox Business reported more instances of companies terminating employees over their responses to Kirk’s death.
NASDAQ, the New York-based stock exchange company, said it fired an employee on Friday for comments that violated its policy against speech that “condones or celebrates violence.”
At a Michigan Office Depot location, an employee was fired after refusing to print posters for a Kirk vigil — a moment captured in a video that has since gone viral.
Media figures have also lost their jobs over alleged comments about Kirk’s death. Political analyst Matthew Dowd was fired from MSNBC for remarks he made live on air while covering the shooting.
Read More: Kane Brown Attacked Online After Charlie Kirk Tribute
On Monday, Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah confirmed she was fired after posting a series of comments on Bluesky about Kirk’s death.
One of those posts read: “Part of what keeps America so violent is the insistence that people perform care, empty goodness, and absolution for white men who espouse hatred and violence.”
A New Website Emerged to Expose People’s Online Activity to Their Employers
In the days following Kirk’s death, an anonymously registered website called “Exposing Charlie’s Murderers” appeared.
The site, which described itself as “the largest firing operation in history,” was dedicated to compiling social media messages celebrating Kirk’s death and exposing the posters’ names to their employers.
According to the website, as of Sunday, “Exposing Charlie’s Murderers” had received 30,000 submissions.
CNN reports that the website was taken down as of Monday, and a new X account stated that the organizers are rebranding to the Charlie Kirk Data Foundation.
A new website has since emerged, and its About page claims, “This is not a doxxing website.”
It also states that the site does not publish identifying data but instead “lawfully collect[s] publicly-available data to analyze the prominence of support for political violence in the interest of public education.”
Another social media post from the site stated that it “previously accepted donations in cryptocurrency.”
How Did Charlie Kirk Die?
Kirk was fatally shot during a public speaking event on Wednesday (Sept. 10) at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was 31 years old.
The event was part of Kirk’s American Comeback Tour. Moments before his death, he was engaged in a dialogue with an audience member about mass shootings in America.
Read More: Who Are Charlie Kirk’s Wife + Children?
He is survived by his wife, Erika Franztve Kirk, and two young children.
On Friday, U.S. president Donald Trump announced that a suspect named Tyler Robinson was in custody.
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