CCU employees fired, suspended after backlash over Charlie Kirk social posts
One Coastal Carolina University employee has been fired and another suspended without pay after conservative social media accounts called attention to their posts critical of Charlie Kirk in the wake of his assassination.
CCU did not name the employees, but noted a statement from a spokesperson that it received reports on employees’ social media activity and took action based on those reports and “in accordance with applicable University policy.”
CCU employees referenced in recent social media posts did not immediately return requests for comment.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative commentator, was shot to death last week at Utah Valley University.
Conservative social media accounts have been calling for the firing of higher education employees across the country who appear to mock or celebrate Kirk’s death online, and Republican politicians have been bolstering many of these efforts.
A few other colleges and universities have taken action related to these calls, including Clemson University, which recently fired or disciplined multiple employees.
These accounts recently highlighted posts from CCU employees allegedly disparaging the assassinated Kirk. One, allegedly written by an employee within CCU’s graduate program, states that “the controversy” is about “repeating bigoted ideas on a stage that reached tens of millions.”
A post on X.com asking CCU to comment on this employee seemingly blaming Kirk for his death has been reposted more than 5,000 times, including by Horry County’s Congressman Russell Fry. Fry commented that justification of Kirk’s death is “unacceptable,” and he called on CCU to act more quickly than Clemson.
Another X.com post showed alleged posts from a CCU public safety dispatcher stating that “saying ‘violence is never the answer’ ignores reality” and suggesting that SC Congresswoman Nancy Mace “might not be far behind” in reference to one of Mace’s post about Kirk.
Mace reshared the post and tagged CCU’s account.
SC Attorney General Alan Wilson, who is campaigning for governor ahead of the 2026 election, sent a letter Monday to Clemson University’s president affirming the school’s legal right to terminate professors for their “vile” social media posts related to Kirk, though he noted employee free speech disputes could lead to civil lawsuits.
This story was originally published September 16, 2025 at 11:18 AM.
