UVU drops commencement speaker after backlash over Sharon McMahon posts

Utah Valley University said its April 29 commencement would go forward without a featured speaker after backlash over Sharon McMahon, the best-selling author and educator known as “America’s Government Teacher.” The university said the decision was driven by increased safety concerns and made in consultation with McMahon and public safety professionals.

McMahon had been announced late last month as the keynote speaker for the ceremony at the UCCU Center, and UVU also planned to award her an honorary doctorate in education. The university was preparing to recognize its largest graduating class in history, with more than 13,400 graduates. About one-third of them are the first in their families to earn a college degree.

The controversy centered on McMahon’s social-media posts after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on the Utah Valley University campus on Sept. 10, 2025. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, had been visiting UVU for an outdoor event when he was killed, and the campus has remained emotionally charged ever since. In her posts, McMahon said the murder was horrific and should never have happened, but that it “does not magically erase what was said or done.” Her spokesperson said she unequivocally condemned Kirk’s killing and repeatedly called it a tragedy.

That response did not calm the criticism. Sen. Mike Lee accused McMahon of defaming Kirk. Rep. Celeste Maloy called UVU’s decision “tone-deaf,” while Rep. Burgess Owens called it “morally bankrupt.” State Sen. Mike Kennedy also criticized the selection as tone-deaf. The backlash spread quickly across conservative student groups and Utah Republican leaders, turning a scheduled commencement appearance into a broader fight over memory, speech and campus judgment.

Some UVU students said they were disappointed that the university ended up with no commencement speaker at all. Others said they were relieved after the backlash. The university’s decision leaves UVU to navigate a graduation season shaped by the killing that happened on its own campus, while trying to keep the focus on a class that is both record-sized and unusually personal, with thousands of first-generation graduates poised to cross the stage.