JUST IN: MSNBC Fires Host Who Suggested Charlie Kirk Deserved To Be Shot

MSNBC announced Wednesday night that the network had parted ways with Matthew Dowd, a political commentator and MSNBC contributor who suggested that Charlie Kirk’s political views led to him being shot and killed.

In a segment that went viral on social media, Dowd bizarrely suggested that Kirk could have been shot by one of his own supporters. “We don’t know any of the full details of this. We don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration or so we have no idea about this,” Dowd said less than 20 minutes after Kirk was fatally shot in the neck.

Dowd went on to insinuate that Kirk’s political views led to him being shot. “But following up with what was just 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,” he said.

“And I always go back to Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that’s the environment we’re in, that people just, you can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place. And that’s the unfortunate environment we’re in.”

The comments ignited a firestorm on social media as the world awaited an update on Kirk’s status. About an hour and a half after he was shot around noon local time, President Donald Trump announced that the prominent conservative activist.

MSNBC issued a statement condemning Dowd’s comments not long after it was confirmed that Kirk had passed away.

“During our breaking news coverage of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Matthew Dowd made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable,” MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler said in a statement. “We apologize for his statements, as has he. There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise.”

Dowd later backtracked in a post on the far-left social media platform Bluesky. “On an earlier appearance on MSNBC I was asked a question on the environment we are in. 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,” Dowd wrote.

According to a report from Fox News citing two sources at their left-wing competitor, Dowd was fired at some point on Wednesday night.

Dowd previously worked as a Republican strategist and later identified as an independent before joining the Democratic Party. He previously worked at ABC News and launched a failed bid for Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 2021.