Professor Fired Over Charlie Kirk Posts Is

Austin Peay State University has reinstated tenured theatre professor Darren Michael after he was fired over a controversial social media post following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Michael and the college settled last month, ensuing in his return to the job. What’s more, Austin Peay pays Michael half a million {dollars} as reimbursement for what is being described as “therapeutic counseling companies.”

WKRN News 2, a local ABC News affiliate, obtained a copy of the settlement, which also signifies the college is to issue a “assertion acknowledging remorse” for failing to observe correct procedures.

“APSU agrees to issue a statement acknowledging regret for not following the tenure termination process in connection with the Dispute,” the settlement reads, according to the outlet. 

That assertion, which quantities to an apology of kinds, shall be despatched out to college, employees, and college students.

READ MORE: hostilityful Charlie Kirk Detractors Are Losing Their Jobs, and It’s Glorious

‘Completely Unacceptable!’ DOT Sec. Duffy Calls for Pilot Who Celebrated Charlie Kirk’s Death to Be Fired

Michael was fired in September 2025, shortly after Kirk’s assassination, due to a Facebook post in which he reshared a 2023 Newsweek headline indicating the Turning Point USA founder considered gun deaths as value it to protect the Second Amendment.

It wasn’t essentially that simple. Kirk had opined that it’s unrealistic to anticipate zero gun deaths in a society with an armed citizenry. It is solely actuality. He also advocated for lowering violence through measures such as armed guards at faculties and airports, fairly than gun control.

The professor posted the headline after Kirk’s death, but provided no further commentary. It caught the eye of Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who called out Austin Peay on social media.

“What do you say, Austin Peay?” she wrote on X, including an image of Michael’s post and his bio.

What do you say, @austinpeay? pic.twitter.com/dTgCe4iv5l

— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) September 12, 2025

The college issued a assertion shortly thereafter saying that the professor had been fired for feedback they described as “insensitive, disrespectful, and interpreted by many as propagating justification for unlawful death.”

“Such actions do not align with Austin Peay’s commitment to mutual respect and human dignity,” Austin Peay President Mike Licari added. “The university deems these actions unacceptable and has terminated the faculty member.”

It wasn’t long before Michael was moved to suspension instead, and a seeming acknowledgement that they’d not adopted correct protocols for a tenured professor.

Licari has now issued a new assertion following Michael’s reinstatement.

“APSU did not follow the required termination process in this matter, and I deeply regret and apologize for the impact this has had on Professor Michael and on our campus community,” he said. “I am committed to ensuring that due process and fairness are upheld in all future actions.”

CrimsonState has lined a number of situations of people being fired or punished for unhinged feedback following Kirk’s homicide, including some high-profile instances with the Carolina Panthers, the Secret Service, and American Airlines.

Will Michael’s case spark other situations in which some people are reinstated in accordance with correct process?

Editor’s Note: Do you get pleasure from CrimsonState’s conservative reporting that takes on the unconventional left and woke media? Support our work so that we will continue to deliver you the reality.

Join CrimsonState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to obtain 60% off your membership.