Beloved News Anchor Suspended For Tearful On-Air Tribute To Charlie Kirk

A popular news anchor in Illinois has submitted her resignation after being suspended by her station for a tearful on-air editorial about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, upsetting fans of the late Turning Point USA founder, who accused the station of silencing a nonpartisan voice of reason amid increased political violence.

Anchor Beni Rae Harmony announced she left WICS-ABC20 Springfield on Monday after she allegedly faced retaliation for her tearful 1-minute 17-second tribute to Kirk during Friday’s broadcast.

“Many in the mainstream media have been fired or punished for mocking his assassination,” Harmony wrote on X.

Kirk, she explained in her “non-partisan tribute,” had been a mentor to her as she made her way into the news business.

“I believe I am the first to be targeted for honoring him on air,” she observed.

Harmony told her followers that her resignation “is guided by values that are essential to who I am, which I refuse to set aside in order to keep a job.”

“I choose my faith and love of country, and always will,” she stated.

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She closed with a call to come together to support Kirk’s family and carry on his legacy of peaceful debate, which she stated is sorely needed in today’s charged political climate.

“Thank you, Springfield. My home. My community. My people. God bless Charlie Kirk and his beautiful family, and God bless these United States of America,” Harmony wrote.

The NY Post reported that Harmony’s biography has been removed from the ABC affiliate’s website. The station did not reply to a request for comment.

Fighting back tears on Friday, Harmony told viewers it’s natural to feel “sadness” or be “grieving” after the horrific killing of Kirk at a Utah college campus. She recalled how the 31-year-old conservative activist was her first boss and mentored her after she graduated from college and began to find her footing in local news.

“I want to share with you one of my favorite sayings that Charlie would always tell us at the office. He would yell it from the mountaintops, so please listen: ‘When conversations stop happening. When individuals become wordless, that’s when violence begins. So, if you do one thing today, make it be with passion, with conviction, stand up for your friends, stand up for your beliefs, and speak loudly, even if your voice shakes. Your words have meaning, your values have purpose. Never forget that,’” Harmony recalled Kirk, a father of two, telling her early in her career.

“Thank you, CK, you changed my life,” she concluded in her emotional tribute.

Harmony worked as a producer and administrator at Turning Point USA’s Washington, D.C. headquarters from August 2021 to February 2022, according to her LinkedIn profile.