UK employee’s viral comment about Charlie Kirk’s death leads to investigation
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- University of Kentucky placed Brad Van Hook on leave after viral comment.
- Van Hook quoted Darrow in response to Charlie Kirk’s death, sparking backlash.
- FBI released photos, offered $100K reward to identify Utah campus shooter.
The University of Kentucky is investigating one of its employees after he made an offensive comment about the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Brad Van Hook, a university employee, commented on a WKYT social media post about Kirk’s death. Van Hook paraphrased a quote from American lawyer and civil rights advocate Clarence Darrow and wrote, “I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great satisfaction.”
UK spokesperson Jay Blanton confirmed Van Hook is the key shop manager at UK and has been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues. The university said it referred Van Hook’s comment to appropriate officials after it became aware of it.
“The statement attributed to him — no matter who made it and what their affiliation is — does not reflect who we are as a community,” Blanton said in a statement on behalf of the university. “It is cruel. It is insensitive and it is wrong.”
The comment went viral after an account on X called Libs of TikTok highlighted the remark in a post. Libs of TikTok has 4.4 million followers, and the post has been shared thousands of times.
Libs of TikTok incorrectly suggested Van Hook was employed by Eastern Kentucky University, but the school later confirmed Van Hook is not affiliated with EKU. The social media account spent much of Thursday sharing posts targeting people who had made negative comments about Kirk, often tagging their employers.
Kirk was shot and killed by an unknown gunman while speaking at an event on the Utah Valley University campus Wednesday. The FBI has released photos of a person of interest connected to the shooting and is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information about the shooter.
In July, UK also suspended law professor Ramsi Woodcock for circulating an online petition calling for the destruction of Israel. President Eli Capilouto previously said he condemns Woodcock’s comments, and an outside legal counsel is reviewing the matter.
Other universities and organizations have launched investigations into or fired employees for comments made in the wake of Kirk’s death. Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Mississippi have both fired an employee for their remarks, according to media reports.
This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 4:13 PM.
