Golden Knights caught in fallout after Charlie Kirk shooting

The Vegas Golden Knights found themselves forced to issue a strong public statement on Thursday after a Las Vegas radio producer sparked outrage with a post on X following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Bobby Machado, a behind-the-scenes producer for KKGK (1340 AM, Fox Sports Las Vegas) and KWWN (1100 AM, ESPN Las Vegas), both owned by Lotus Communications, published a controversial post on X, in which he took issue with condolences expressed toward Kirk and his family:

“Good f–king riddance. I’ve watched his show way too much — he’s a piece of human s–t, and I’m glad as f–k the world is without him. F–k him all the way to hell. Goodnight!”

The post quickly went viral, drawing widespread backlash and prompting the Golden Knights, whose games are broadcast locally by KKGK, to distance themselves. The post has since been deleted.

In their official statement, the team condemned the remarks “in the strongest possible terms,” clarifying that Machado “is not an employee of the Golden Knights and has never been an employee of the Golden Knights.” The statement continued:

“Glorifying or excusing violence is vile, unacceptable, and will not be tolerated. We have demanded that Lotus immediately address this matter.”

By Thursday evening, Lotus Communications confirmed Machado’s firing, saying:

“The employee has been terminated, and once again we do not tolerate hate or discrimination. These views do not reflect Lotus Stations or our partners.”

Kirk, a polarizing activist, podcaster, and influencer, was shot and killed during a public appearance at a Utah college on Wednesday. His death, and the response that followed, has reignited debates online, with the Golden Knights making it clear they want no association with comments celebrating violence of any kind.