Who Is Matthew Dowd and What Did He Say About Charlie Kirk’s Death?

Political commentator Matthew Dowd was the highest-profile public figure to be fired
due to comments about the shooting death of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

Kirk was shot during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 10 and later died at age 31 after being rushed to a nearby hospital. The FBI identified 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspected shooter on September 12, after President Donald Trump confirmed a suspect was in custody.

In the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s shooting, Dowd appeared on MSNBC’s live coverage and was asked by anchor Katy Tur about “the environment in which a shooting like this happens.” Dowd referenced Kirk “pushing [a] sort of hate speech” as part of his assessment of the inflamed political rhetoric leading up to Wednesday’s violent incident.

Dowd attempted to walk back his statement after many prominent conservatives took issue, later insisting via X that he “in no way intended for [his] comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack.”

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Nevertheless, MSNBC dropped Dowd as a political analyst, with network president Rebecca Kutler calling his words “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”

Keep scrolling for more information on Dowd’s background and the controversy over his firing from MSNBC.

Who Is Matthew Dowd?

Dowd got his start in politics as a staffer for Democratic officials, including congressman Dick Gephardt and Senator Lloyd Bentsen, before switching his party affiliation to become a Republican in 1999. He rose up the ranks within the GOP as a senior adviser to the Republican National Committee for the 2002 midterm election and later became the chief strategist for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney’s 2004 presidential campaign.

Dowd — who switched his party affiliation back to Democrat in 2024 — briefly campaigned to become Lieutenant Governor of Texas in September 2021, though he dropped out of the race in December due to low early polling.

Dowd has written multiple books and previously served as a political contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America, before he joined MSNBC as a senior political analyst in 2022.

Having worked as a consultant on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 gubernatorial campaign in California, he later sparked romance rumors with Schwarzenegger’s ex-wife, Maria Shriver, in 2011. (He was previously married to Tammy L. Edgerly and Nikki Dowd.)

Shriver reacted to Kirk’s killing via Instagram on September 10, writing: “This is a violent act of hate that we must all denounce, all of us, regardless of party. This is reprehensible, horrendous violence that affects each and every one of us.”

What Did Matthew Dowd Say About Charlie Kirk’s Death?

Dowd was being interviewed by MSNBC anchor Katy Tur as part of the channel’s live news coverage of Kirk’s shooting when he was asked about the current political climate.

“[Kirk has] 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,” Dowd responded.

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Dowd argued that “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words,” which can then “lead to hateful actions.”

“I think that is the environment we are in,” he added. “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.”

What Was MSNBC’s Response to Matthew Dowd’s Comments?

MSNBC immediately sought to distance itself from Dowd by dropping him as a senior political analyst. MSNBC president Kutler issued a public apology on behalf of the channel on September 10.

“We apologize for [Dowd’s] statements, as has he,” Kutler said. “There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise.”

Comcast — which owns MSNBC — sent a memo to employees on Friday, September 12, to request that they remain respectful while covering Kirk’s assassination, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“The tragic loss of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old father, husband, and advocate for open debate, whose faith was important to him, reminds us of the fragility of life and the urgent need for unity in our nation,” the Comcast memo read. “Our hearts are heavy, as his passing leaves a grieving family and a country grappling with division. There is no place for violence or hate in our society.”

“That coverage was at odds with fostering civil dialogue and being willing to listen to the points of view of those who have differing opinions,” its statement continued. “We should be able to disagree, robustly and passionately, but, ultimately, with respect. We need to do better.”

How Did Matthew Dowd Respond to Firing?

Dowd initially denied via X that he’d intentionally suggested Kirk carried a level of responsibility for the shooting.

“Let me be clear, 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,” he wrote. “Let us all come together and condemn violence of any kind. My thoughts & prayers are w/ the family and friends of Charlie Kirk. On an earlier appearance on MSNBC I was asked a question on the environment we are in. I apologize for my tone and words.”

Days after his firing, Dowd wrote via his Substack that the “right-wing media mob” was responsible for orchestrating his firing from MSNBC.

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“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,” he pointed out.

The political analyst admitted he was “getting over the shell shock of the past few days,” though he looked forward to moving on from the scandal.

“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. We can do this,” he concluded.