Utah Valley University’s commencement ceremony will no longer have a keynote speaker, the school announced Thursday, citing “increased safety concerns” over the selection of author and educator Sharon McMahon.

The decision comes after McMahon faced heat in recent days for comments she had posted on social media shortly after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot on UVU’s campus last fall.

In a brief statement, the Orem school said the decision was made “in consultation” with McMahon and safety professionals. The commencement ceremony, set for April 29 at the UCCU Center, will now proceed without a featured speaker.

Its statement concluded: “We look forward to coming together as a community to celebrate UVU’s largest graduating class in history, with more than 13,400 graduates, about one third of whom are the first in their families to graduate from college.”

The school declined to comment further.

McMahon, who is often referred to as “America’s Government Teacher,” is known for her online videos explaining current political events.

UVU announced late last month that McMahon would be its commencement keynote and would receive an honorary doctorate in education. Her spokesperson declined to comment Thursday.

Her selection has been met with pushback from conservative student groups and politicians, who have said it is insensitive to have her speak at UVU.

McMahon drew ire from Republicans after Kirk’s death for her posts on social media that some felt were inconsiderate. A few of those have since been deleted.

The one that attracted much of the attention was from Sept. 12 — two days after Kirk was shot during an appearance at UVU. McMahon posted several partial quotes from Kirk, including his comments about Black individuals and Muslims.

Then, she added, “Millions of people feel they were harmed, and the murder that was horrific and should never have happened does not magically erase what was said or done. … But if you were a Charlie Kirk fan, you might not realize why there is so much backlash to posts eulogizing his death.”

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, had been visiting UVU to speak on Sept. 10 when, police say, a single shot was fired from a rooftop, striking and killing him. Tyler James Robinson, 22, has since been arrested and charged in connection with Kirk’s death.

UVU has faced criticism that its relatively small police force didn’t adequately prepare for having the high-profile controversial speaker on campus and to patrol the crowd of 3,000 people who came to hear Kirk speak.

McMahon defended her selection in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune earlier this week, with her spokesperson saying the educator “unequivocally condemned the murder of Charlie Kirk, repeatedly and publicly calling his death a tragedy and stressing that public debate must never be met with violence.”

In another video McMahon posted shortly after hearing Kirk had been shot, she is crying at the news. She wrote in the caption: “I am sure Charlie Kirk and I would not agree on many things. And my heart is still broken for his family.”

Still, some called for her to be disinvited.

Sage Lloyd, president of UVU’s College Republicans, said she was strongly opposed to McMahon speaking at commencement and called it “an insult.”

UVU’s Turning Point USA club posted a statement last week on Instagram saying McMahon tried to “tarnish” Kirk’s name and “minimize the tragedy” instead of “offering condolences or condemning political violence.”

On Thursday, club President Caleb Chilcutt said he appreciated everyone who had called on McMahon to step down and the outcome “was a victory for common sense.” He said commencement should be about unity and not controversy.

“The swift response from the UVU campus community, including our conservative leaders across Utah, demonstrated that when students speak up with clarity and conviction, real change is possible,” he added.

Several politicians also posted online. Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, shared an open letter Wednesday that he addressed to McMahon, urging her to withdraw to “show respect.”

“Your participation has already transformed what should be a day of celebration into a spectacle,” he wrote. “The focus has shifted away from the graduates and toward you.”

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who posted on his X account @BasedMike Lee several times about McMahon’s planned visit, wrote Thursday that it was “good news” that the author was no longer coming to campus.

In one of his posts on April 10, Lee said, “UVU couldn’t even wait a year before scheduling a commencement speaker who defamed Charlie Kirk in the days immediately following his horrific murder on UVU campus.”

Lee has previously been criticized himself for calling for the public execution of Kirk’s alleged killer.

When the school announced McMahon as the keynote, outgoing UVU President Astrid Tuminez had said in a statement: “I think our graduates are very lucky to have her as commencement speaker!”

Tuminez will step down as president at the end of this month, with commencement set to be her final big event.

UVU has faced criticism before over its commencement speaker selection. In 2021, the university had selected Wendy Watson Nelson, a former nurse and professor — who also was the wife of Russell M. Nelson, then the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (President Nelson died last September.)

LGBTQ students at the time were upset, given her work, including publications in which she suggests “homosexual activities” hurt the institution of marriage and labels gay relationships as “distortion and perversion.”

The university prompted pushback in 2004, when documentary filmmaker Michael Moore was invited to campus, when the school went by the name Utah Valley State College. Moore spent much of his speech criticizing then-President George W. Bush. After criticism of Moore’s visit, the school also hosted an appearance by conservative host Sean Hannity.