UVU faces GOP backlash over graduation speaker Sharon McMahon
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Utah Valley University courtyard. Photo: Chet Strange/Getty Images
Utah Valley University is facing intensifying Republican scrutiny over this year's commencement speaker, author Sharon McMahon, due to her past remarks about slain MAGA podcaster Charlie Kirk.
Why it matters: The state's largest university is already under fire for its handling of campus security at Kirk's rally last September, where he was assassinated.
The big picture: A growing number of Utah Republicans, including Sen. Mike Lee and former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, are calling on the university to replace McMahon, who is set to speak on campus April 29.
- In a Monday Fox News segment, conservatives honed in on comments McMahon made on social media after Kirk's death.
- In a since-deleted post, she called his death "horrific," but said many Americans from marginalized communities didn't view him as a figure who engaged in "good-faith debates."
- "It's a horrific choice. It's insensitive, untimely and unnecessary," Chaffetz, a Fox News contributor, said, calling McMahon a "partisan hack" and suggesting the university should have invited Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, instead.
Zoom in: Dubbed "America's Government Teacher," McMahon is a widely followed author and educator on social media who focuses on U.S. history.
- She's previously spoken at UVU, including a 2024 appearance discussing her history book, "The Small and the Mighty."
- The university's president Astrid Tuminez called McMahon "a force of nature and a force for good," per a news release announcing her as commencement speaker.
Context: Earlier this year, Tuminez said she would step down May 1 following a tumultuous year that included the death of her husband.
What they're saying: A spokesperson for McMahon told Axios she "unequivocally condemned" Kirk's killing, emphasizing that violence has no place in public discourse.
- "Sharon's goal is to unpack what is happening in society and help people understand how the government works," the spokesperson said.
- Sharon Turner, a spokesperson for UVU, declined to comment on the controversy on Tuesday, but confirmed McMahon is still scheduled to speak.
Flashback: UVU, like many colleges nationwide, has previously drawn heat over invited speakers.
- In 2021, the school faced scrutiny for hosting Wendy Watson Nelson, wife of then–Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints president Russell M. Nelson, whose views on LGBTQ+ issues have been criticized.
- Filmmaker Michael Moore's 2004 invitation drew so much protest that it was the subject of the documentary film "This Divided State."