Utah Valley University scraps controversial commencement speaker who criticized Charlie Kirk after his murder

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet called out the university before they pulled the plug on their choice for commencement speaker. Utah Valley University (UVU) announced on Thursday that author and educator Sharon McMahon will no longer serve as its commencement speaker after widespread backlash to her past comments about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, following his assassination on the same campus. "Due to increased safety concerns related to the speaker and in consultation with public safety professionals and Sharon McMahon, Utah Valley University has decided to proceed without a featured commencement speaker for this year’s ceremony," the school announced. Days after Kirk was killed, McMahon wrote on X, "Millions of people feel they were harmed, and the murder that was horrific and should never have happened does not magically eras