“Security Issues” Cited As Reason University Drops Commencement Speaker Who Criticized Charlie Kirk
How Men Think
iHeartPodcasts
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 18 April 2026
⏱️ 23 minutes
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Summary
Utah Valley University has announced it will no longer have a commencement speaker, citing security concerns, after an outcry from Republican lawmakers and some students. UVU is the very campus where Charlie Kirk was assassinated last September and the planned speaker made public comments critical of Kirk in the days following his murder. Author and podcaster Sharon McMahon defended herself, saying she “unequivocally condemned” the murder of Kirk and brings together voices from across the political aisle.
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| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:02.6 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:06.1 | Hey there, folks. |
| 0:07.1 | It is Saturday, April 18th, and Utah Valley University, the site of the death of Charlie Kirk. |
| 0:14.3 | Well, they were set to have their commencement this month, but they just dropped plans for a commencement speaker. And the reasons are, well, a bit |
| 0:24.8 | unclear. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and T.J. Robes, I say unclear. It's clear to some, |
| 0:30.3 | not so much to other. I guess what's the real answer as to why Utah Valley University, |
| 0:37.1 | and this would have been a big one, Robes, the first |
| 0:38.7 | commencement since that assassination on their campus. But now they said, nope, we're not going to have a |
| 0:43.4 | speaker. Yes, because the speaker that they chose, her name might not be a household one. Her name is |
| 0:48.7 | Susan McMahon. She's commonly referred to as America's government teacher, but she's a New York Times bestselling |
| 0:55.6 | author. |
| 0:56.3 | She's a podcaster. |
| 0:57.7 | All of that sounds great and inspirational. |
| 1:00.0 | She talks about political unity. |
| 1:01.7 | She's non-denouf. |
| 1:02.6 | She doesn't take side. |
| 1:04.0 | She doesn't say she's a Republican or a Democrat. |
| 1:06.5 | Perfect, right, to unite this group, this student body graduating from a university that was put on the map for all the wrong reasons. |
| 1:14.3 | Well, unfortunately, she made a statement on Facebook the day of Charlie Kirk's assassination, but then she went on two days later to put some posts out on social media that ruffled the feathers and really angered a lot of folks on campus who were Charlie Kirk fans. |
| 1:35.1 | Okay. |
| 1:35.4 | So let me, you've done a deeper dive on this story than I have. |
... |
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