Utah Valley University Cancels Commencement Speaker Sharon McMahon
Utah Valley University (UVU) announced on Thursday that author Sharon McMahon will not be speaking at its commencement ceremony scheduled for April 29, following objections raised by conservative groups due to safety concerns.
McMahon, an author and podcaster, faced significant backlash from students and groups at UVU, particularly in the wake of last year’s tragic incident where Charlie Kirk was shot and killed. In a brief statement, the university indicated that they would move forward without a commencement speaker this year.
“Due to increased safety concerns related to the speaker, and in consultation with public safety professionals as well as Sharon McMahon, Utah Valley University has decided to proceed without a featured commencement speaker this year,” the statement read. “We look forward to celebrating our largest graduating class in history, which includes over 13,400 graduates, around a third of whom are the first in their families to graduate from college.”
Caleb Chilcutt, president of the UVU chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), stated on X, “Sharon McMahon was an inappropriate speaker to begin with, and there are still better options available for this year’s commencement.” He had previously criticized McMahon for a now-deleted post, wherein she shared out-of-context quotes from Kirk, claiming it tarnished his reputation and minimized the tragedy of his death.
While McMahon did condemn Kirk’s assassination in a post on social media the day it occurred, she had earlier accused him of promoting “bigoted ideas” in a post archived by a Salt Lake City TV station.
Following the backlash, conservatives pointed out the implications of McMahon’s previous statements. Republican Senator Mike Lee questioned on X, “What if Charlie Kirk had been a beloved figure on the left, rather than among conservatives? Would UVU have scheduled her to speak at commencement? Not in a million years. So why does UVU think this is okay? It’s not.”
Neither TPUSA nor McMahon responded immediately to requests for comment.
