who is matthew dowd and why was he fired

Matthew Dowd is a political analyst and commentator who was fired from MSNBC in September 2025. He was dismissed after making on-air comments following the shooting and death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. During a live broadcast, Dowd suggested that Kirk's "hateful thoughts" and "hate speech" led to the shooting, framing it in a narrative that hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. These remarks were widely regarded as inappropriate, insensitive, and sparked significant backlash on social media. MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler publicly apologized for Dowd's statements and characterized them as unacceptable and insensitive. Following the controversy, Dowd also apologized on social media, clarifying that he did not intend to blame Kirk for the attack. Despite the apology, MSNBC severed ties with Dowd, ending his role as a paid political analyst at the network. Dowd had a history as a political strategist for President George W. Bush and had worked as an analyst for ABC News before joining MSNBC in 2022.