In a blow against cancel culture waged by far right conservatives to censor and silence anyone who speaks out against them, a Tennessee Professor was rewarded their job back after unfairly being fired for comments against far right political commentator Charlie Kirk a day after he was killed by another far right gunman.https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2026/01/07/austin-peay-professor-clarksville-tn-fired-charlie-kirk-free-speech-social-media-settlement-lawsuit/88065303007/Days after being reinstated to his position, a theater professor at Austin Peay State University will receive a $500,000 payout as part of a settlement following his firing in September due to comments he made on social media about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.A lawyer for Professor Darren Michael confirmed to The Tennessean that Michael will receive $500,000, as well as reimbursement for therapeutic counseling services, as part of a settlement agreement with the Clarksville university.David King, Michael's attorney, confirmed that while the settlement closes the chapter on restoring Michael's employment, they are "exploring future options" against those who "interfered with (Michael's) First Amendment rights."The settlement deal was first reported by WKRN.Michael was reinstated to his position at the school on Dec. 30, 2025, three months after he was originally fired due to comments he made on social media about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, after the school admitted to not following its termination policy.Kirk, the founder of the conservative Turning Point USA organization, was killed during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Following his death, Michael shared an article on his personal social media account titled "Charlie Kirk says gun deaths are ‘unfortunately’ worth it to keep 2nd Amendment,” which discussed controversial comments made by Kirk shortly after the Covenant School shooting.
There was no additional caption written by Michael alongside the shared post.Two days later, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, shared a screenshot of his post on her X account.Blackburn’s caption stated: “What do you say, Austin Peay?”Later that day, the Clarksville university released a statement saying that Michael had been fired for social media comments that were “insensitive, disrespectful and interpreted by many as propagating justification for unlawful death.”"Such actions do not align with Austin Peay’s commitment to mutual respect and human dignity,” APSU President Mike Licari said in a statement about Michael's firing. “The university deems these actions unacceptable and has terminated the faculty member."But in October, the school walked back his termination, stating that the professor was instead suspended and that administration had begun the process of terminating Michael’s tenure.Now, the school is taking a larger step back. Licari announced in a Dec. 30 email originally obtained by Clarksville Now and later confirmed by The Tennessean, that APSU “did not follow the required tenure termination process in this matter."“I deeply regret and apologize for the impact this has had on Professor Michael and on our campus community,” Licari said, in the email. “I am committed to ensuring that due process and fairness are upheld in all future actions.”In a request for comment regarding the settlement, a spokesperson for APSU confirmed the settlement agreement, but did not comment on the terms.
>Michael one of many employees fighting back after wave of Charlie-Kirk-linked firingsMichael is one of many people across Tennessee and the nation seeking First Amendment vindication after commenting on Kirk's legacy in the wake of his death. His case is part of a broader backlash, as conservative activists, influencers and politicians have mounted a largely online campaign pushing for employment consequences against individuals perceived as posting negatively about Kirk.Notable Tennessee lawsuits on the issue include: A 21-year MTSU faculty member, Laura Sosh-Lightsy, was serving as the Associate Dean of Student Care and Conduct when she was fired on Sept. 10 after posting on her personal Facebook page about Kirk’s death. She filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the school in early November. Moncia Meeks, a former employee of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and state representative candidate, was fired after responding to a friend’s social media posts about Kirk. She filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the state in early December. Larry Bushart, a retired police officer and National Guardsman living in Lexington, was arrested on Sept. 22 after he posted a picture of a quote from President Donald Trump on a social media comment thread about a Kirk memorial.He was charged with threats of mass violence and held on a $2 million bond, causing him to lose his job in medical transportation due to his incarceration, until mounting public pressure resulted in his release on Oct. 29.He has filed a First Amendment lawsuit against Perry County, Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems and Perry County Sheriff’s Investigator Jason Morrow. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2025/12/18/larry-bushart-charlie-kirk-post-lawsuit/87813624007/
>>1473424>Be MAGA>Make whole websites dedicating to reporting anyone who said even the smallest negative statement about Kirk after he got shot to their employeers>Revel in how people got fired for it>Few months pass>People start successfully suing for violations of the first amendment rights>tfw you just gave a bunch of them not only their jobs back, but also a hefty settlement payoutL M A O
>>1473429imagine the massive L the school took by having to pay this guy half a mil and having to backtrack THIS fucking hard>I deeply regret and apologize for the impact this has had on Professor Michael and on our campus community
>>1473446They're going to have trouble getting students and staff now too. Very few educated people are conservatives, let alone maga cultists, and this school just raised up a giant warning flag for anyone thinking of attending. Everyone they hire is going to wonder if he's going to be the next person to get his tenure violated and sacked because he said something mildly left leaning. It's like the opposite of the Jordan Peterson thing.
>His case is part of a broader backlash, as conservative activists, influencers and politicians have mounted a largely online campaign pushing for employment consequences against individuals perceived as posting negatively about Kirk.Remember when they'd whine about cancel culture? Yeah.
>>1473453The Professor didn't even say anything left leaning, he just shared an article that was nothing but quotes from Kirk like him saying school kids being murdered is 100% justified to keep the 2nd amendment.This was clearly part of a massive censorship campaign to punish people who shined a light to how much of a piece of shit Kirk was
>>1473455The funny thing is conservatives were the founders of cancel culture. And Colbert wasn't even the first marytr for the 1st amendment at CBS, they cancelled a comedy show that mocked Nixon.
>>1473429Charlie Kirk memes are mainstream now kek
>>1473463They Streisand Effect-ed themselves into turning him into a punchline. I wonder how conservatives feel when in a year or two they try to bring him up to some kids and they just respond "Wait is he the guy from that one meme song?"
>Still not a single 'pro' kirk post because all the shills who are raiding /news/ are currently in full damage control for ICE and smearing the women they just murdered.Pretty telling about who kirk's 'defenders' are where they're just ignoring this.
>>1473463The funniest Kirk shit I've seen are those AI-generated memorial concerts. I legit can't tell they're a joke or not.
>>1473429If only people who refused to bake gay cakes had corrupt judges on their sides.
>>1473424Before, Charlie Kirk was just choking around. Now, it's rightards that are choking.
>>1473429The funniest part is how the site that doxed all those people vanished overnight after taking all those thousands of dollars in donations.
>>1473537no actually the funniest part was thousands of those people getting fired from their jobs
The funniest part will be Trumptards as well as ICE agents being fired from their jobs, and because of that which they sided with, will become unemployable after a Democrat administration is elected.Why shouldn't your 'enemy' be as spiteful as your orange god, MAGAts? More so, in fact.>do unto others as you would do to them>An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. Spite for spite. What an orange thing has been doing since last year: and its cultists have been gleefully enjoying what its been doingWhy let perfectly good legislation go to waste on schizos such as >>1473591? Have the same done to you as you've been gleefully watching it happening to your 'enemy'.>Total Teabagger Death after 2012>Total MAGA DeathThink about the future.
>>1473600libtard fanfiction is wild
1473607rightard denial is wild
The funniest part is that the MAGAt shill isn't American
>>1473429>be a leftist terrrorist>kill someone and grave dance>get fired>laugh when you get rehired>radicalize people with your name in the headlines for all to see that you're a POS and paint yourself as a target for actual eye for an eye violenceOk i'll be celebrating when you're next you're the one celebrating death anon don't be surprised when it comes to you.
>>1473600>Democrat administration is elected.keep dreaming lol you'll be in a camp in a few years if not made into soylent greens.>>1473453funny you say that when leftists lack critical thinking skills and just say ESL ESL all the time when they're called out as hypocrites. I hope you don't feel too bad when civil war happens and people laugh at your suffering.
>>1473963but you are esl, it's even more obvious when it gets you this upset to be called out for it
>>1473967every accusation is a confession
>>1473972agreedits funny when you see some american retard self-aggrandize about how well educated they are that's how you know they're absolutely retards like>>1473967
1473957>be a leftist terrrorist1473963>made into soylent greensThe duality of the hypocritical rightard terrorist.
>>1474001>schizo formattingpost discarded
>1474027 the projecting schizoopinion & schizo terrorist discarded>formatting1473957The duality of the schizo hypocrite
>some retarded employee says some dumb shit on social media and gets suspended by the university employer Oh no drumpf!>the employer reverse the suspension a little laterHaha drumphf defeated.The only people invovled were retards on the internet and retards at the university. I never cared.
>>1474182It's a good thing no one else cared if you cared or not.
>>1474182Why must you brazenly lie?
>>1473429And the best part is that many of those Maga activists aren't even american. Elon musk did a great job revealing how many 3rd worlders are making profits off shilling maga shit
>>1474276That is actually putting me in favor of making flags a site wide policy for 4chan.Sure glownigs under trump and Russians will use proxies to pretend they're Americans, but everyone they outsource too? Easy pickings
>>1473424I had never heard of C. Kirk before he was killed. We should all be so influential after death.
>>1474405He was most well known for getting destroyed when he went up against actually informed college students that could refute all his lies and fallacies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O7y50cNb7c&pp=0gcJCU0KAYcqIYzv
>>1473957>you're the one celebrating deathSon, you and I both know that 2/3 of all /pol/ memes from the past decade have centered around trannies killing themselves. You started this game and now you're just mad that you're losing but it's far too late to pretend you have any sort of moral high ground.
>>1474412fuck this faggot. Why hang your hat on the most unlikeable character similar to JD vance?
So why couldn't the 2A-loving Charlie argue against a bullet?Checkmate, Christains
>theater professor>therapeutic counselingWhy are leftoids such massive faggots?He should be forced to mine coal with a shovel for 10 years minimum.
>>1474584Tennessee tax dollars went to give this guy a massive pay bump (0.5 million is several years worth of salary to a theater prof), and he will continue to get paid through the job he got back. Enjoy it lol.
>He should be forced to mine coal with a shovel for 10 years minimumquite the fanfic there, rightard
>professor gets suspended for giving support for a school shooting on social media>university didn't follow its own HR policy so now the professor gets a free $500,000
>>1474689"giving support" is a weird way to say quoting the victim's own words on similar shootings.
>>1474691He also wasn't suspended, he was fired without cause because of a far right US senator's feelings getting hurt.
>>1473429Don’t forget that said website took in thousands and thousands of dollars of donations from absolute retards then disappeared into the ether
>>1473957We gonna celebrate when the hangings of the maga fags start. Post your name so we can be sure to laugh at you loaer anon
>>1474959Why are the rightoid faggots such pussy ass snowflakes?
>>1473424>far right, far right, far rightcan you kill yourself, you actual fucking commie?
>>1474691kirk never said that shooting were "worth it," you retarded subhuman. rather, his point was that they were not enough to make him want to give up a fundamental right.
>>1475995>kirk never said that shooting were "worth it," "I think it's worth it. I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights." - Charlie 'Bang Bang' Kirkhttps://www.snopes.com/fact-check/charlie-kirk-gun-deaths-quote/Want to keep being a disingenuous faggot?
