Karen Leader, an associate professor of art history at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) who was recently placed on administrative leave due to her social media comments regarding slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, poses for a photo in Boca Raton, Florida, U.S., October 30, 2025. REUTERS/Marco Bello Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Two Florida academics who were put on leave following comments tied to the September 10 assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk say they have their jobs back.
Karen Leader, an associate professor of art history at Florida Atlantic University, and Rebel Cole, a finance professor at the same institution, say they have been told they can return to work after being put on paid administrative leave over their commentary.
Cole made the announcement on Wednesday on LinkedIn, where he posted a letter saying an investigation had recommended that the administrative leave be “lifted without the imposition of discipline.” Leader told Reuters on Thursday that she too had been reinstated but that a third academic at the university remains on leave.
Florida Atlantic University did not immediately return an email seeking comment on the reinstatements or the status of the third employee.
The three FAU academics were among those whose experiences were detailed in a Reuters investigation published Wednesday into the nationwide wave of punishments that followed Kirk’s death. Reuters found that more than 600 Americans were fired, investigated, or otherwise disciplined for comments about the killing, which mostly ranged from open celebration of the assassination to more measured critiques of Kirk’s politics.
Cole was put under investigation for pro-Kirk commentary, including a promise he made to “hunt down” those celebrating the assassination. Leader was in the anti-Kirk camp; she issued a stream of posts highlighting the conservative’s past comments.
Cole had earlier filed a lawsuit against FAU over his suspension. In his LinkedIn post, he said the suit would proceed “until FAU administrators offer a settlement that makes up for this enormous administrative blunder.” Cole and his lawyer did not immediately return emails seeking further detail.
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