Beni Rae Harmony, a former anchor and host at WICS-ABC20 in Springfield, Illinois, said she resigned after being suspended for delivering an on-air tribute to conservative activist Charlie Kirk and refusing to remove the segment from her personal social media accounts.
Harmony told Fox News Digital she inserted a brief, emotional tribute into her station's "Marketplace" program the Friday after Kirk's assassination and posted the segment to her personal accounts. She said station supervisors told her she needed to take the posts down, warned her she faced consequences and later informed her she would be off the air and could be terminated if she did not comply. Harmony said she chose to resign rather than be asked to remain silent.
"I said, ‘Well, I'm not gonna stick around for that. I said, ‘I resign, and I refuse to be silenced. I refuse to be told I cannot talk about someone that I cared about,’" Harmony told Fox. She described finishing her rundown and feeling compelled to speak about Kirk, saying she typed a few words into the show's final block and left them in the script.
During the segment, Harmony referred to Kirk as a mentor and the first person who encouraged her to pursue a career in media. She said on air, "I want you to know that it’s okay if you feel sadness, it’s okay if you feel — if you’re grieving. Two days ago, I lost a mentor, my first boss, the first person who made me believe in myself, that encouraged me to chase this dream that you’re watching right now: Charlie Kirk." She also quoted a phrase she said Kirk often used: "When conversations stop happening, when individuals become wordless, that’s when violence begins."
Harmony previously worked for Turning Point USA, the conservative advocacy organization Kirk founded, from 2021 to 2022. She described meeting Kirk in 2020 while she was a student at Arizona State University and said his encouragement helped spur her involvement in conservative campus activism and later media work, including producing for commentator Jack Posobiec's program.
WICS-ABC20, which is owned by Rincon Broadcasting Group, confirmed to Fox News Digital that Harmony resigned and said the station "has not fired or suspended anyone in the last 90 days." The station declined to comment when asked whether supervisors had threatened suspension before her resignation.
Harmony said her resignation announcement quickly spread on social media. She framed her decision in religious and communal terms, saying people across the political spectrum felt a sense of loss, particularly those who shared a Christian faith with Kirk.
The resignation comes amid intensified scrutiny in newsrooms and online platforms over how journalists and on-air personalities respond to the high-profile killing of a public political figure. Media organizations have faced competing pressures to enforce newsroom standards while responding to public grief and political tensions. Harmony's account adds to a string of disputes over social media posts and commentary tied to the aftermath of the assassination.
In describing her choice to leave, Harmony said she did not want to be prevented from speaking about someone she called a friend and mentor. "That man taught me things that I'll never forget," she told Fox News Digital. "I'm just blessed to have gotten to know him."
Wider reactions to Kirk's death and the subsequent debates over permissible public commentary continue to play out across newsrooms and social platforms. Harmony's departure underscores tensions between individual expression and station policies at local outlets navigating a politically charged and highly visible moment.