A UC Irvine lecturer is under scrutiny after allegedly posting comments about a planned appearance by conservative journalist Nick Shirley that critics say appeared to invoke the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Matthew Goldman, who has taught composition at the University of California, Irvine and Chapman University, allegedly made the remarks in the comments section of an Instagram post promoting Shirley’s appearance at Harvard.
Yard Report first reported the comments, publishing screenshots that appeared to show Goldman writing, “Someone can do the funniest thing just before the Kirkiversary.”
The Harvard Republican Club event was scheduled for Wednesday evening, one day before the anniversary of Kirk’s September 10, 2025, assassination. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University during his American Comeback Tour.
Goldman’s comment does not explicitly state that Shirley should be attacked or killed. However, critics have interpreted the reference to Kirk’s death and its timing as an apparent suggestion of violence toward Shirley.
Another comment attributed to Goldman appeared beneath the same Harvard Republicans post. “Lmao abolish ICE. only good ICE agent is a dead one,” it read.
The posts have prompted renewed scrutiny of Goldman’s online activity and his academic affiliations. His social media accounts have since been made private, while his biography page on the UC Irvine website was reportedly removed.
Goldman’s former UC Irvine profile described him as a composition lecturer and included a tongue-in-cheek biography in which he said his teaching philosophy was built around giving classroom work a purpose beyond the classroom and making learning enjoyable.
Yard Report also published a screenshot of a December 2024 Instagram post that appeared to come from Goldman’s account. The post showed Mario character Luigi pointing a gun at Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO who was fatally shot in New York that month. The caption read, “Let’s not pretend as if America isn’t the greatest country on earth.”
Goldman has also listed Chapman University among his academic positions. The university said he is not currently teaching there.
“Chapman University is aware of the concerning reports regarding Matt Goldman and takes this issue very seriously. Mr. Goldman is not currently on campus or teaching at Chapman,” a university spokesman told Fox News. The school declined to provide additional information.
Shirley has drawn a significant following through investigative videos and reports that have frequently focused on government waste, fraud and abuse. His planned Harvard appearance has also made him a target of the far-left.
The Harvard Republican Club condemned Goldman’s alleged comment, linking it to what the organization described as an increasingly hostile political environment surrounding conservative speakers.
“One year after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Matt Goldman’s comment is the latest example of the left’s ongoing and shameless normalization of political violence,” the club told Fox News.
The organization added that the security concerns surrounding its events have become serious enough to require bomb squads, while vowing that conservative students would continue holding events and bringing attention to issues they believe are being ignored.
The controversy comes as Harvard Republicans prepare to host Shirley on campus and as political violence remains a major concern surrounding high-profile political events.
