Following Charlie Kirk’s passing, the United States experienced two very distinct reactions: celebration and sadness.
On September 10, 2025, the conservative activist was shot and killed while giving a speech at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) rally at Utah Valley University.
Kirk, 31, was well-liked by Republicans, but leftists detested him and couldn’t contain their joy upon learning that he had been shot and killed by 23-year-old Tyler Robinson.
As additional information about Kirk’s murder surfaced, so did reports of individuals making fun of his passing on the internet.
According to a November 2025 Reuters investigation, the posts immediately provoked anger across the country, and over 600 Americans lost their jobs as a result of their unfavorable responses to Kirk’s death.
Following the terminations, a number of lawsuits were filed, all of which alleged that their First Amendment rights had been violated.
Numerous lawsuits, including one filed by a biologist and former police officer, have led to staggering settlements and even the restoration of some people’s jobs.
The following is a list of every individual who has received a settlement:
On September 10, the conservative activist was shot and killed while giving a speech at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event at Utah Valley University. His passing caused grief and joy throughout the United States.
Following her termination on September 15, Brittney Brown, a former biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (DWC), received a $485,000 reward from the organization.
Brown, Brittney
Following her termination on September 15, Brittney Brown, a former biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (DWC), received a $485,000 reward from the organization.
The account @awhalefact, which Brown’s wrongful termination lawsuit refers to as “a parody/satirical account that pretends to speak on behalf of a whale,” posted a statement regarding the assassination five days prior, on the same day that Kirk passed away.
“The whales are deeply saddened to learn of Charlie Kirk’s shooting, haha just kidding, they care exactly as much as Charlie Kirk cared about children being shot in their classrooms, which is to say, not at all,” the message stated.
According to the court statement, on September 14, the far-right TikTok group Libs posted a screenshot of Brown’s post alongside a screenshot of her LinkedIn profile and recommended that she be sacked from the FWC.
The agency acknowledged Brown’s actions and stated that it “did not condone nor tolerate this type of hateful sentiment” a few hours later.
Brown “made light” of Kirk’s passing, according to officials, who added, “We have a zero-tolerance policy towards the promotion of violence and hate, and we will not stand for such behavior.”
Bushart, Larry
Perry County, Texas, paid Larry Bushart $850,000 after he was detained for 37 days on $2 million bail for sharing a meme that ridiculed Kirk’s passing.
This post was made by Bushart beneath one regarding the Kirk vigil. He cited President Donald Trump’s statement that “we have to get over it” on the Perry, Iowa, school shooting at Perry High School. Because authorities saw it as a threat to the nearby Perry County High School, he was taken into custody.
Perry County, Texas, awarded Larry Bushart a $850,000 payment after he was detained for 37 days on $2 million bail for sharing a meme that mocked Kirk’s passing.
The 61-year-old Lexington, Tennessee, retired police officer posted a meme on Facebook encouraging a candlelight vigil for Kirk in his community.As people lamented the conservative activist, numerous such gatherings were taking place across the nation at the time.
President Donald Trump was reported in the meme by Bushart as saying, “We have to get over it,” the day following a shooting at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa, in January 2024 that claimed the life of a sixth-grader.
Then, in reference to Kirk’s passing, Bushart added his own remark to the post, saying, “This seems relevant today…”
According to Bushart’s lawsuit, he neither made the meme nor added the words above it.
Officials said at the time that some locals believed Bushart was threatening violence on the nearby Perry County High School, which is a different school from the one in Iowa but had the same name.
The Perry County Sheriff’s Department dispatched a Lexington police officer to his residence the day following the post.
According to the lawsuit, Bushart was detained by Lexington police later that evening at Weems’ request when he refused to remove the post.
While incarcerated, Bushart missed many things, such as the birth of his grandchild and his anniversary with his wife, Leanna Bushart. He is now contentedly free from prison. According to his lawyers, he also lost his job.
Suzanne Swierc, a former health director at Ball State University, was awarded $225,000.
Swierc, Suzanne
Ball State University, where Suzanne Swierc was a former health director, gave her $225,000.
Following Charlie Kirk’s passing, she shared a critical social media post about him, which led to her termination:To be clear, we cannot be friends if you believe Charlie Kirk was a lovely person.
Even if it’s challenging, I can pray for his soul because I believe in Resurrection.
The violence, terror, and hatred that Charlie Kik sowed are reflected in his death. It is a terrible fact and does not justify his killing.
“I can and do feel for a college campus experiencing an active shooter situation; the shooting is a tragedy.”
You should pay attention to the tragedy of Melissa and Mark Hortman’s deaths, the children who were shot and died in Minneapolis last month, and the children who were shot in Colorado today.
“Charlie Kirk used the Second Amendment to justify the deaths of children.”
Following his remarks on Kirk’s passing, Darren Michael, a theater and dance professor at Austin Peay State University (APSU) in Tennessee, won a lawsuit, regaining his job and receiving $500,000.
Michael Darren
Following his remarks on Kirk’s passing, Darren Michael, a theater and dance professor at Austin Peay State University (APSU) in Tennessee, won a lawsuit, regaining his job and receiving $500,000.
After sharing a Newsweek article titled “Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’ Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment,” he was suspended from his tenured post.
Then, Republican senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee shared Michael’s tweet and tagged Austin Peay State University in a remark that said, “What do you say, Austin Peay State University?”
Following the settlement of the lawsuit, APSU informed the school community via email that Michael would be returning to his post because the procedure for a tenured professor had not been followed at the time of his termination.
Aldrich, Jana
After being fired from her job at the Child Saving Institute (CSI), Jana Aldrich, a special education teacher in Iowa, received an undisclosed sum of compensation.
“I think it’s worth to have a cost of unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our God-given rights,” Kirk said in a comment she posted from 2023.
After being fired from her job at the Child Saving Institute (CSI), Jana Aldrich, a special education teacher in Iowa, received an undisclosed sum of compensation.
Joshua Bregy, a former assistant professor in Clemson University’s Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Science, is thought to have earned $91,190, though this has not been verified.
Aldrich wrote, “He was wrong… it’s not worth it!” as the caption for her post on her own Facebook page. He won’t be missed!
After “12 members of the public contacted the organization and complained,” according to Iowa Capital Dispatch, her employer was informed of her post.
She was fired as a result, but CSI contested her when she applied for unemployment benefits.
Bregy Joshua
Former Clemson University assistant professor Joshua Bregy agreed to leave on May 15, marking the end of his initial communication with the institution, and dismissed his complaint.
According to the deal, he was paid his entire pay and benefits up until that point, according to the South Carolina Daily Gazette.
According to Clemson’s compensation statistics, he earned $91,190 a year for the 2024–2025 academic year.
On September 26, 2025, the former assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Science was fired for reposting “a critique of Kirk’s rhetoric and began with a condemnation of violence.”
