Utah Valley University announced that they would be hosting liberal political commentator and author Sharan McMahon, as their 2026 commencement speaker on March 26, 2026.
This announcement, which is being interpreted as “morally bankrupt,” took place a little over 6 months after Charlie Kirk was assassinated on UVU campus on September 10, 2026, traumatizing the thousands of students and community members in attendance and prompting grief and shock throughout the world as the video of his assasination went viral.
The announcement has triggered widespread backlash from students, alumni, and Utah community leaders who pointed out that mere days after he was killed, Sharon McMahon made a defamatory post about Charlie Kirk on her Instagram and Threads accounts.
In her post, titled “Charlie Kirk, In His Own Words,” she painted a profoundly negative picture of Charlie Kirk. One slide read “To many Americans – especially if you are black, LGBTQ, or Muslim – Charlie Kirk was not a person who simply engaged in good faith debates on college campuses.” She then shared 7 out-of-context quotes from Charlie to explain why she believes him to be close-minded and harmful.
The post has since been removed from her social media, but not before it was seen and shared by her millions of social media followers. Before its deletion, it gained so much traction that commentators such as @a_september_monday and Amir Odom made Instagram posts and Youtube videos that debunked her claims.
Critics argue inviting McMahon so soon after the tragedy demonstrates a profound lack of institutional awareness. Many have publicly questioned why the university would select a speaker with such a clear record of partisan commentary for an event meant to unify a still-grieving campus.
University administrators have defended the choice by repeatedly describing Sharon McMahon as a “nonpartisan educator” and “America’s Government Teacher.” Yet critics contend this characterization does not withstand scrutiny. McMahon has cultivated a substantial following through consistent criticism of conservative voices and policies, and her now-deleted threads post provided clear evidence of her perspective. Her open promotion of gun control and DEI policies can be found on her Substack, along with other counter-conservative takes.
Leaders who are speaking out include Congressman Burgess Owens, Congressman Mike Kennedy, Mayor Trent Staggs, Senator Mike Lee, and Utah Speaker Mike Schultz, among many others.
Students are sharing in the grief and frustration. Caleb Chilcutt, UVU TPUSA President, shared how he felt about the decision on Fox & Friends. “They could have brought any other speaker. If they liked Charlie, didn’t like Charlie — I honestly don’t really care. But the fact they brought someone who was so critical, literally days after the assassination on my campus, is just shameful to me.”
Sage, the president of UVU College Republicans, and witness to the assassination, addressed the contradiction directly: “Labeling her as nonpartisan feels like a deliberate mischaracterization. Her body of work shows a consistent ideological pattern, and that post in the immediate aftermath of Charlie’s death revealed where her sympathies truly lie. The university’s refusal to acknowledge this only deepens the sense of betrayal many of us feel.”
She added, “A commencement speaker should help bring closure to a difficult year, not reopen fresh wounds. By framing someone with such evident partisan leanings as neutral, the administration isn’t fostering healing — it’s prioritizing a particular narrative over the lived experience of the students who witnessed that tragedy.”
UVU students are reportedly handing out flyers to inform students of the situation. The flyers link to this documentation of UVU’s statements and contact information of both UVU’s president and board of trustees.
UVU students, and the world, are still hurting from the tragic day that Charlie was shot, so why did UVU administration decide that McMahon, one of the loudest voices against Charlie in the direct aftermath of his murder, should be the one to round out this painful school year?
Cover Photo Source: https://www.uvu.edu/news/2024/10/sharon-mcmahon-speaks-at-uccu-center-october-2024.html
