Who Is Matthew Dowd? What to Know About the MSNBC Host Who Was Fired for Making Shocking Comments About Charlie Kirk's Tragic Death

Matthew Dowd, a political analyst with more than three decades of experience, was fired after comments he made in the wake of the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Dowd is a political strategist whose career dates back to the 1980s. In addition to assisting with the reelection efforts of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 and President George W. Bush in 2004, Dowd worked as a correspondent for ABC News before being hired by MSNBC in 2022.

He’s also an author, business owner and teacher who has been hosted at schools like Harvard, Yale and Stanford.

Shortly after Kirk was shot on September 10 at a college campus, Dowd went on-air to speak about “the environment in which a shooting like this happens.”

“He’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive, younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech aimed at certain groups,” Dowd said, according to Time Magazine. “And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”

He continued, “And I think that’s the environment we’re in. You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place. And that’s the unfortunate environment we are in.”

After his on-air comments, a source from the network told the news outlet that Dowd was no longer with the company.

MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler promptly issued an apology after Dowd’s on-air comments.

“During our breaking news coverage of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Matthew Dowd made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable,” Kutler said in a statement. “There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise.”

Dowd issued his own apology before MSNBC’s message via his BlueSky account.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Charlie Kirk. On an earlier appearance on MSNBC I was asked a question on the environment we are in. I apologize for my tone and words,” the analyst wrote. “Let me be clear, I in no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack. Let us all come together and condemn violence of any kind.”

Kirk was known as a highly prominent conservative influencer. He founded Turning Point USA, which aimed to spread conservative ideals, particularly on college campuses. He was known for having provocative views on race, Islam, immigration and guns, amassing a following of more than 3 million on social media.