TV anchor says tribute to 'mentor' Charlie Kirk got her suspended. She resigns

Mike Stunson, The Kansas City Star on Sep 16, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A TV anchor who aired a tribute to Charlie Kirk — her former boss — resigned from her Illinois station after she said she was disciplined.

Beni Harmony, the now-former WICS reporter, announced Sept. 15 her resignation came “after being suspended for airing a non-partisan tribute to Charlie Kirk.”

“Two days ago, I lost a mentor, my first boss,” Harmony said in an emotional on-air address Sept. 12. “The first person who made me believe in myself, who encouraged me to chase this dream that you’re watching now: Charlie Kirk.”

Kirk, a popular conservative activist, was fatally shot Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. The accused shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, is in custody.

According to her LinkedIn, Harmony previously worked as a producer and administrator for Turning Point USA, a non-profit organization co-founded by Kirk.

She said in her broadcast Kirk had changed her life.

“There is a lot going on right now in our world and in our country,” Harmony said. “But I want to say one thing. Lean on your neighbors, speak up for what you believe in, I don’t care what it is.”

Those comments, according to a post she made on social media website X, led to her suspension by the Springfield station.

McClatchy News has reached out to Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns and operates WICS, and is awaiting a response.

Harmony’s biography page has been removed on the station’s website.

Others — including ousted MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd — have faced disciplinary action for comments made that have denounced Kirk, but Harmony believes she is the first to be punished for honoring Kirk on air.

Harmony called her tribute to Kirk “non-partisan” and has questioned why it was met with a suspension.

“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,” she said on X. “I choose my faith and love of country, and always will.”

An Illinois native, Harmony had been hired by WICS in August 2024, according to her LinkedIn.

-------------