Jonathan Perkins, a staff member in the office of equity, diversity and inclusion at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), was terminated on January 13 for a series of heated social media posts made about Charlie Kirk in the aftermath of his assassination.
Perkins had been on investigatory leave since September following the attention drawn to his remarks. The comments under fire were posted on the social media platform BlueSky.
The university issued the following statement shortly after the posts were made and drew attention.
“UCLA has placed a campus employee on immediate leave and has launched an investigation following reports of social media posts regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk,” the university stated on September 14, 2025. “While free expression is a core value of UCLA, violence of any kind — including the celebration of it — is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
The posts investigated by the university are listed below.
“It is OKAY to be happy when someone who hated you and called for your people’s death dies—even if they are murdered,” Perkins reportedly posted..
“If Hell is real, Charlie Kirk is certainly in it now,” Perkins said in another Bluesky post.
“F*** Around and Find Out is really doing its thing, lately,” was another related post, according to Fox News. “I’m always glad when bigots die, so.”
Perkins also made a lengthier post, claiming Kirk’s support of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution had a direct correlation with his death.
“Multiple times throughout his short life, Charlie Kirk has proudly proclaimed the United States’ 45,000 or so annual gun deaths are ‘worth it’ for his beloved 2nd Amendment ‘right to bear arms. Dude made his bed; reaped what he sowed; chickens coming home to roost, etc. Smh.”
Presently, Perkins is seeking support for legal and relocation costs through a GoFundMe. On his GoFundMe page, he claims that his “termination by UCLA, a government institution, is a clear violation of my First Amendment right to free speech, among others. This sudden loss of employment has left me facing significant professional, personal and, most immediately, financial challenges.”
