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Mayor Adams fires official who posted remarks celebrating Charlie Kirk killing
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Sep 12, 2025
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By
Giulia Heyward
Published Sep 12, 2025
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Mayor Eric Adams’ administration says it fired a city employee after he made several posts on social media about the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday — including referring to Kirk's death as “karma.”
A mayoral spokesperson said Tony Herbert, a community advocate who spent years employed by the Adams administration, was fired after posting the remarks on social media Thursday, one day after the shooting at Utah Valley University, in Orem.
A screenshot of one post — which has since been deleted from Herbert’s social media — shows the longtime mayoral official reposting and applauding a meme that reads: “Charlie Kirk spent his entire life disparaging immigrants, disrespecting women, and blaming Black folks, only to get shot in one of the whitest places on Earth.”
Herbert added a comment in his repost, stating that the meme had “hit the nail right on the head.”
And in a now-deleted video posted following the backlash to the meme, Herbert said he stood by his actions and the incident helped him delete followers from his account.
“When you go out there and you talk about people and you become a racist and you try to disguise that as if you’re doing something for humanity, that’s a problem,” Herbert can be heard saying in the video. “Unfortunately, karma has come to collect.”
Herbert did not immediately respond to a phone call, text or email inquiry.
The mayor’s office confirmed the existence of the social media posts saying Adams and the rest of his administration “unequivocally denounce” Herbert’s remarks.
“Charlie Kirk was a passionate young man, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this trying time,” said mayoral spokesperson Zachary Nosanchuk. “While the individual who made these comments was already on leave when he posted this video, he is now no longer employed by our administration.”
Herbert first began working for the Adams’ administration in Feb. 2022. He spent more than a year as a Brooklyn borough director before he began working as a citywide housing liaison for the city’s community affairs unit in March 2023, according to his LinkedIn.
Herbert also announced plans to run for a seat in the New York Assembly in March.
And earlier this week, Herbert wrote an op-ed calling for Adams’ re-election, in which he said that he hoped “Black voters don’t drink the koolaide that others are selling” and allow the mayor to serve a second term.
However, his most recent post on Facebook — published earlier today — is on “the true meaning of karma.”
Tagged
eric adams
new york city
public safety
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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