Matthew Dowd broke his silence two days following his MSNBC firing after comments about the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“The Right Wing media mob ginned up, went after me on a plethora of platforms, and MSNBC reacted to that mob,” Dowd, 64, said in a statement posted to his Substack on Friday, September 12. “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.”
Dowd wrote that he is still “getting over the shell shock of the past few days” and is looking forward to “adventures and the journey ahead” following his firing.
“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,” he continued. “It starts with me and all of us looking at each other and out into the world with new eyes: a journey into the unknown that will be filled with mystery and many ups and downs. But reimagining a new America starts with new eyes, leads to a new language, and will involve building new institutions and reforming many that no longer fit us.”
Noting that he is feeling “down and a bit disheartened in this moment,” Dowd added: “I still have hope and faith in a majority of Americans who want and hunger for the same things I do. We can do this.”
Kirk was shot and killed at age 31 on Wednesday, September 10, while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. During an MSNBC broadcast at the time of the shooting, Dowd was asked live on air about “the environment in which a shooting like this happens.”
“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. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that is the environment we are in,” Dowd replied. “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 are in.”
MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler issued an apology, calling Dowd’s comments “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.” Dowd also addressed what he said on X, explaining that he did not intend to “to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack.”
The investigation into conservative pundit Charlie Kirk’s murder on Wednesday, September 10, is ongoing as the Utah Valley University community, and the entire country, continues to process the day’s tragic events. Kirk, who was 31, was shot and killed while speaking at an event at the university. Video shared on social media showed a bullet […]
In Friday’s statement, Dowd made it clear that he has “always consistently condemned gun violence and political violence of any kind no matter where it came from.”
He reiterated that when he went on air on Wednesday, there were only reports of shots being fired at the Utah school.
“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. Remember Kirk is a diehard advocate of the 2nd amendment,” he added. “I said that Kirk has been a very divisive and polarizing figure. I then added that we are in a toxic time in America, unlike every other democracy in the world, where we have a combination of divisiveness and near unlimited access to guns.”
