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Utah Valley students disapprove of Charlie Kirk critic chosen as grad speaker
UVU cited increased safety concerns and student backlash after McMahon’s posts on Charlie Kirk’s killing drew criticism from state leaders.
- On Wednesday, Utah Valley University announced it will proceed without a featured commencement speaker for its April 29 ceremony, canceling author Sharon McMahon's planned keynote following significant backlash.
- Student opposition grew after McMahon's deleted social media posts criticized Charlie Kirk's rhetoric following his on-campus assassination, with Caleb Chilcutt, the school's TPUSA chapter president, calling the selection "tone-deaf and disrespectful."
- In the deleted posts, McMahon wrote that "the incredible tragedy of a public assassination does not erase the harm," while the cancellation affects more than 13,400 graduates, the largest class in university history.
- University officials cited "increased safety concerns" and consultations with public safety professionals for the decision, while McMahon reiterated she called Kirk's death a tragedy, stressing "public debate must never be met with violence."
- The cancellation reflects ongoing challenges for administrators balancing free-speech commitments with community sensitivities, prompting increased scrutiny of speaker vetting and campus safety planning across institutions navigating similar controversies.
18 Articles
18 Articles
UVU commencement speaker dropped after Charlie Kirk comments surface
UVU commencement speaker dropped after Charlie Kirk comments surface Utah Valley University has dropped its commencement speaker, Shannon McMahon, after conservative groups criticized her over past comments about Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on campus during his American Comeback Tour in…
Utah Valley University Removes Graduation Speaker Who Called Charlie Kirk 'Bigoted’ Just Days After His Murder
Image: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license./Author: An Errant Knight On September 10, 2025, conservative icon Charlie Kirk was politically assassinated on the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU). In the days following his murder, while Americans were still mourning, Sharon McMahon, an author and host of the podcast Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, posted a series of quotes on social media, including Instagram a…
Utah Valley University drops graduation speaker who called Charlie Kirk ‘bigoted’ after murder
Decision came after significant public pressure Utah Valley University will no longer honor an educator who called Charlie Kirk “bigoted” soon after someone murdered the Turning Point USA founder at the Orem campus. The public university announced that author and educator Sharon McMahon would no longer be the graduation speaker this spring, following “increased safety concerns. Source
Utah Valley University scraps controversial commencement speaker who criticized Charlie Kirk after his murder
Utah Valley University (UVU) announced on Thursday that Sharon McMahon will no longer serve as its commencement speaker after widespread backlash to her past comments about Charlie Kirk.
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