A theater professor at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee who was fired in September for his “insensitive” social media post after Charlie Kirk’s assassination is back on the job and will receive a $500,000 settlement.Darren Michael, an associate professor of acting and directing, had shared a Newsweek article on social media on Sept. 10 that quoted Kirk’s own words about gun violence after the right-wing activist was fatally shot.“I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,” Kirk said at an event in 2023. “That is a prudent deal. It is rational. Nobody talks like this. They live in a complete alternate universe.”Michael did not caption the post with his own thoughts, but his social media activity gained the attention of Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who posted a screenshot of his post and professor page on X, asking the university, “What do you say?” APSU President Mike Licari subsequently announced Michael’s termination, calling his post “unacceptable” and adding that “such actions do not align with Austin Peay’s commitment to mutual respect and human dignity.” “A faculty member of Austin Peay State University reshared a post on social media that was insensitive, disrespectful and interpreted by many as propagating justification for unlawful death,” Licari said at the time.According to a letter obtained by USA TODAY Network-Tennessee, the university told Michael on Sept. 12 that he was being fired “due to the recent social media posts that have caused significant reputational damage to the university.” But the school shifted Michael’s employment status from terminated to suspended after determining that it hadn’t properly followed due process in his dismissal, local newspaper Clarksville Now reported later in September.Now, Michael appears to be back at work.A spokesperson for the university confirmed with HuffPost on Wednesday that “effective December 30, 2025, Professor Darren Michael returned to his position as a tenured faculty member at Austin Peay State University.”The school will pay Michael $500,000 and reimburse him for therapeutic counseling services, ABC affiliate WKRN reported on Monday, citing a settlement agreement.“APSU did not follow the required termination process in this matter, and I deeply regret and apologize for the impact this has had on Professor Michael and on our campus community,” Licari wrote in a new statement shared with Fox affiliate WTZV this week. “I am committed to ensuring that due process and fairness are upheld in all future actions.” Close