Fox Sports Las Vegas has fired a radio producer after he made multiple posts via X related to Charlie Kirk’s death.
Bobby Machado, whose X account has since been deleted, shared some expletive-filled posts in the aftermath of Kirk’s shooting on Wednesday, September 10, seemingly applauding the conservative commentator’s death.
“We are deeply disturbed by a hateful and despicable social media post made by a now-former employee in Las Vegas regarding the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk,” read a statement shared via social media from Lotus Communications, the station’s parent company. “This post was made independently on the individual’s social media account and in no way reflects the views or values of Lotus Communications, our stations, our employees or our valued partners.”
“We do not and will never condone this kind of rhetoric,” the statement continued. “The individual was terminated immediately and is no longer an employee of our company. We extend our sincere apologies for his horrible and offensive words.”
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The Las Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL team whose radio broadcasts Machado helped produce, also released a statement clarifying that he was never an employee of the club.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the abhorrent and deplorable comments made on social media by an employee of Lotus Broadcasting regarding Charlie Kirk,” reads a statement from the Golden Knights. “This individual is not an employee of the Golden Knights and has never been an employee of the Golden Knights. Glorifying or excusing violence is vile, unacceptable, and will not be tolerated. We have demanded that Lotus immediately address this matter.”
Machado is the third member of sports media to lose his job after Kirk’s death. A Carolina Panthers communications staffer and Phoenix Suns beat writer were also reportedly fired for comments they made on social media.
Kirk died on Wednesday at age 31 after he was shot while speaking at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University. Authorities arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson on Friday morning, September 12, in connection with the shooting.
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President Donald Trump, a close ally of Kirk’s, announced that an arrest had been made in a Friday appearance on Fox News.
“Essentially, somebody that was very close to him turned him in,” Trump, 79, said of Robinson. “I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody.”
The arrest comes one day after the FBI released a series of photos of the suspect, asking the public for help identifying him. The photos showed the individual wearing a black T-shirt with an American flag and an eagle on the front, as well as a baseball cap and sunglasses.
The FBI also released video of what they believed to be the suspect fleeing from a rooftop across from where Kirk was sitting in the moments after the shooting.
