According to Daily Mail - News, Joe Rogan described being elk hunting in Utah during the assassination, but he later insisted he made an innocent mistake and misremembered the event. Rogan said he just remembered it wrong and had a dumb memory moment, though the exact evidence to verify his location remains unclear. Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at an outdoor event on the Utah Valley University campus on September 10, 2025, and Tyler Robinson has been charged with his murder.
Utah Valley University is facing backlash over its decision to invite Sharon McMahon as the 2026 commencement speaker due to her past comments about Charlie Kirk. McMahon posted on social media criticizing Kirk's rhetoric shortly after he was killed, but the exact content of her deleted posts is unknown. Caleb Chilcutt, president of UVU's Turning Point USA chapter, criticized Sharon McMahon for posting out-of-context quotes from Charlie Kirk.
This was happening while I was out elk hunting. I was in Utah at the time. Hunting in the mountains.
Sage Lloyd, president of UVU's College Republicans, opposes the university's decision to have Sharon McMahon as the commencement speaker. Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah criticized Utah Valley University's decision to invite Sharon McMahon. Joe Rogan had previously reacted to the assassination in real time during a September episode of his podcast featuring Charlie Sheen, adding to questions about his account.
To many Americans, especially if you are Black, LGBTQ or Muslim, Charlie Kirk was not a person who simply engaged in good-faith debates on college campuses. It's important to remember that the incredible tragedy of a public assassination does not erase the harm many experienced from his words and the ensuing actions his followers took.
These aren't sound bites taken out of context. Millions of people feel they were harmed, and the murder that was horrific and should never have happened does not magically erase what was said or done.
While universities should welcome diverse viewpoints, platforming someone who treated a historic and tragic political assassination not as a moment to grieve but as an opportunity to create content is tone-deaf and disrespectful to those still affected, especially on this campus.
It is an insult to deliberately select a speaker who mocked the loss of a political figure assassinated on our beloved campus.
Why would you do this, @UVU?
This isn't the America I want to live in. I am sure Charlie Kirk and I would not agree on many things. And my heart is still broken for his family.