Anchor Resigns After Emotional On-Air Tribute to Charlie Kirk — Who She Used to Work For

Illinois news anchor Beni Rae Harmony resigned in protest Monday after claiming she was suspended by WICS-ABC20 Springfield over a tearful tribute to assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Harmony announced her departure from the network on Monday, saying she faced retaliation from the station for what she described as a “non-partisan tribute” to Kirk, whom she once worked for.

“Many in the mainstream media have been fired or punished for mocking his assassination,” Harmony wrote on X. “I believe I am the first to be targeted for honoring him on air.”

In her resignation post, she insisted her decision “is guided by values that are essential to who I am, which I refuse to set aside in order to keep a job.”

During the emotional segment, which aired Thursday at the beginning of the network’s Marketplace show, Harmony called Kirk her “first boss” and mentor, recounting how he encouraged young staff to speak “with passion, with conviction, stand up for your friends, stand up for your beliefs, and speak loudly, even if your voice shakes.”

Fighting tears, she ended: “Thank you, CK, you changed my life.”

Harmony posted a video of her monologue with the announcement of her resignation.

The anchor previously worked as a producer at Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization that Kirk co-founded.

Watch above via WICS-ABC20.