On Friday, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Comcast President Mike Cavanagh, and Versant CEO Mark Lazarus (overseeing the upcoming MS NOW, formerly MSNBC) issued a memo to all Comcast and NBCUniversal employees addressing the firing of MSNBC contributor Matthew Dowd.
Dowd was terminated after calling slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed at a Utah event on September 10, 2025, a “divisive” figure who promoted “hate speech.”
The memo stated: “MSNBC recently ended its association with a contributor who made an unacceptable and insensitive comment about this horrific event. That coverage was at odds with fostering civil dialogue and respecting differing viewpoints. We should be able to disagree passionately but respectfully. We must do better.”
During MSNBC’s live coverage of the shooting, anchor Katy Tur asked Dowd about the environment enabling such an incident. Dowd responded: “Kirk has been one of the most divisive younger figures, constantly pushing hate speech aimed at certain groups. Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which lead to hateful actions. That’s the unfortunate environment we’re in. You can’t have awful thoughts and words without expecting awful actions.”