An Illinois news anchor resigned from her position on Monday after allegedly being suspended for an on-air Charlie Kirk tribute.
Beni Rae Harmony told viewers in the “non-partisan tribute” on Friday that it is “okay” for people to grieve Kirk’s death and to “lean on your neighbors, speak up for what you believe in, I don’t care what it is.”
Harmony says she was suspended from WICS, ABC’s Springfield, Illinois affiliate, following the tribute. (RELATED: University Caves, Purges Faculty Who Mocked Kirk’s Death After Initial Defiance)
“When conversations stop happening, when individuals become wordless, that’s when violence begins,” Harmony said in her on-air tribute, quoting Kirk. “So if you do one thing today, make it be with passion, with conviction, stand up for your friends, stand up for your beliefs and speak loudly even if your voice shakes. Your words have meaning, your values have purpose, never forget that.”
“Thank you CK, you changed my life,” Harmony continued.
Harmony said Kirk was her “mentor,” first boss and “first person who made me believe in myself.”
Harmony and WICS-ABC 20 did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Effective immediately, I have resigned from @WICS_ABC20 after being SUSPENDED for airing a non-partisan tribute to Charlie Kirk this past Friday.
Many in the mainstream media have been fired or punished for mocking his assassination. I believe I am the first to be targeted for… pic.twitter.com/y41QOWDBl5
— Beni Rae Harmony (@BeniRaeHarmony) September 15, 2025
“Many in the mainstream media have been fired or punished for mocking his assassination. I believe I am the first to be targeted for honoring him on air,” Harmony said in an X post announcing her resignation. “My resignation is guided by values that are essential to who I am, which I refuse to set aside in order to keep a job. I choose my faith and love of country, and always will.”
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Several individuals have been fired or suspended for mocking Kirk’s assassination online.
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