Who is Darren Michael? Tennessee professor fired for posting on Charlie Kirk's murder set to receive $500,000

A theatre professor in Tennessee has been reinstated and will receive $500,000 after being fired over a social media post following the assassination of MAGA activist and right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk.

Darren Michael is an associate professor of acting and directing at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, who was fired on September 12, two days after Kirk was shot by a sniper at Utah Valley University during a talking event.





Michael shared a Facebook post linking to an article titled, “Charlie Kirk says gun deaths are ‘unfortunately’ worth it to keep 2nd Amendment,” without adding any personal comment. This was seen by social media as a statement to mock Kirk's death as he was killed by a gunshot wound while talking about gun violence in America.

The post went viral and US Senator Marsha Blackburn shared a screenshot on X and said: “What do you say, Austin Peay?” Her post included Michael’s photograph and resume.

The university stated that Michael’s social media comments were “insensitive, disrespectful and interpreted by many as propagating justification for unlawful death.”

According to The New York Post, Uni president Mike Licari said, “Such actions do not align with Austin Peay’s commitment to mutual respect and human dignity. The university deems these actions unacceptable and has terminated the faculty member.”

Michael has now been reinstated, and APSU will pay him $500,000 as part of a settlement.

The university will also cover the cost of “therapeutic counselling services.”

The agreement states that APSU will issue a public statement acknowledging regret for not following proper tenure termination procedures, reports WKRN News 2. “The statement will be distributed via email through APSU’s reasonable communication channels to faculty, staff, and students,” the document reads.