The political analyst surmises the cable news network reacted to the &34;rightwing media mob&34; with his ouster. Matthew Dowd clarifies remarks about Charlie K

The political analyst surmises the cable news network reacted to the "right-wing media mob" with his ouster.

Matthew Dowd clarifies remarks about Charlie Kirk that led to MSNBC firing: 'I guess I was naive'

The political analyst surmises the cable news network reacted to the "right-wing media mob" with his ouster.

By Jessica Wang

Jessica is a staff writer at , where she covers TV, movies, and pop culture. Her work has appeared in Bustle, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and more. She lives in California with her dog.

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September 12, 2025 3:23 p.m. ET

Matthew Dowd in 2017; Charlie Kirk in 2024. Credit:

Heidi Gutman/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Anna Moneymaker/Getty

Political analyst Matthew Dowd is clarifying comments he made regarding the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, the influential right-wing activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, that led to his ouster at MSNBC.

In a more comprehensive statement published Friday on his Substack, Dowd said his remarks were misconstrued and maintained that MSNBC had reacted to the "right-wing media mob."

"This past Wednesday I was asked to come on to talk about a range of topics, and as I was about to go on air, breaking news happened of gun shots being fired at a Kirk event in Utah," Dowd wrote, noting that when he was asked about the environment that fuels such shootings, "the only thing known at the time was shots were fired and there was no reporting yet that Kirk was the target or had been shot at."**

"I said in the moment that we needed to get the facts because we have no idea what this could be and that it could easily be someone firing a gun in the air to celebrate the event," Dowd continued, reminding readers that Kirk was "a diehard advocate" of the Second Amendment.

Matthew Dowd in 2016.

Ida Mae Astute/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Reiterating his response — that Kirk was a "very divisive and polarizing figure" and that "hateful thoughts lead to hateful words" which "lead to hateful actions" — Dowd wrote, "I thought to myself how could anyone disagree with this. I guess I was naive."

The "right-wing media mob" "ginned up, went after me on a plethora of platforms, and MSNBC reacted to that mob," Dowd continued. "Even though most at MSNBC knew my words were being misconstrued, the timing of my words forgotten (remember I said this before anyone knew Kirk was a target), and that I apologized for any miscommunication on my part, I was terminated by the end of the day."**

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Dowd said he was "getting over the shell shock of the past few days" and "will turn my gaze on adventures and the journey ahead," adding, "A big part of that will be using my voice on this and other platforms to advocate for finding ways to unite our country around a common-sense vision of ideals and values."

"Even though I am down and a bit disheartened in this moment, I still have hope and faith in a majority of Americans who want and hunger for the same things I do," he concluded.**

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Reps for MSNBC didn't immediately respond to **'s request for comment on Dowd's post on Friday.

Kirk, 31, was fatally gunned down during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon, while mid-debate about gun violence with attendees. A suspect by the name of Tyler Robinson, of Utah, was taken into custody on Friday morning.

MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler condemned Dowd's on-air remarks as "inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable" on Wednesday.

Dowd, who joined MSNBC in 2022, apologized Wednesday on BlueSky, writing, in part, "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."**

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