A former ESPN host admitted that she received "vicious" backlash to her Charlie Kirk tribute on social media.Charlie Kirk, the right wing influencer and political commentator, was shot and killed at a speaking event in Utah on Sept. 10. Kirk, a Chicago native, was shot in the neck and rushed to the hospital during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. The married father of two was pronounced dead at the hospital.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTributes for Kirk poured in on social media, with several NFL and MLB teams choosing to have moments of silence in honor of Kirk. The right-wing influencer was a Chicago sports fan and die-hard Oregon Ducks football fan.Conservative host Charlie Kirk speaks Monday morning before senate candidate Nate Morris is introduced for a rally in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. June 30, 2025© Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesFormer ESPN host Sam Ponder, who was fired by the network prior to the 2024 football season, posted a tribute to Kirk in the wake of his death.Ponder, who lives in New York City, reposted a video of his family, wanting people to see what was taken - a father of two.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe fired ESPN host, who was let go due to budgetary concerns, spoke out on Fox News this weekend.Ponder appeared on Fox News Channel’s "Saturday in America" and recalled to Kayleigh McEnany what the backlash was like."The strange thing is I didn’t really say much. I reposted a video of his family just because I thought it was so relatable to see because he’s a dad. You forget when you watch people on TV sometimes that this is just a dad who is a husband and has these little kids," she said. "So, I reposted a video of their family on vacation and I immediately lost thousands of followers – and who cares? This is not about me.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"But it was more about seeing what’s going on in our country right now, and I got just vicious messages, which any of us who have worked in TV get all the time. I’m used to that. But it was in response to something that I thought we could all agree on – man, it’s sad when someone’s murdered. I thought that was just something the general public could agree on."Ponder, who does not hesitate to speak out on political issues these days, believes that there's a concerning divide."I think it said a lot about where we are as a country, but I also think it says a lot about the algorithms that we’re dealing with," she said. "I saw so many people message me, saying ‘He was a racist. He was a bigot.’ So, I thought, ‘I didn’t know that about him. Let me do a little research. And you know what I found? I found highly edited videos of short clips where you could make anyone sound terrible all put together.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I almost don’t blame the people who felt that way because they are being lied to. They’re being tricked. They’re not sitting and watching a long debate with Charlie Kirk. They’re seeing what their algorithm gives them. I had people saying, ‘I didn’t see anybody mourning his death.’ And I’m thinking, I’m seeing doctors, nurses, teachers, moms that were laughing about his death, his murder that we all saw."Those people weren’t seeing it all. So, that tells us we’re seeing two different Americas and a lot of it is because of the social media algorithm that we are all just chronically online addicted to, which is a real problem."AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe former ESPN host continues to make it clear how she feels about Kirk's death.This story was originally reported by The Spun on Sep 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Sports Media section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.