As the nation grapples with the Sept. 10 assassination of Charlie Kirk , some people have found themselves out of a job for their response to the violence.

Public figures, academics and everyday business owners have faced consequences for comments and social media posts that contained celebrations or other musings that attracted swift backlash. A similar phenomenon happened in the wake of the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump , who in 2024 was campaigning for office.

"No matter how private your life is, everybody has an audience," said Karen North, a professor of digital social media at the University of Southern California and a psychologist, told USA TODAY in 2024 in the wake of that assassination attempt. "And there’s always an audience for people misbehaving."

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