Overview

• MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler apologized for Matthew Dowd’s live remarks, calling them inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable in a statement posted to the network’s PR account.
• Multiple outlets reported, citing network sources, that Dowd was let go hours after the broadcast; Dowd later posted his own apology on Bluesky saying he did not intend to blame Kirk.
• Dowd had suggested Kirk’s rhetoric contributed to a climate that produces violence and speculated about a celebratory gunshot, drawing immediate backlash across social media.
• Critics faulted MSNBC for not reading the apology on air and highlighted anchor Katy Tur’s early characterization of Kirk as a divisive figure during the breaking coverage.
• Coverage contrasted MSNBC’s approach with other networks that hewed to confirmed facts as federal authorities continue investigating the shooting at Utah Valley University.