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ABC News reporter Matt Gutman offered an explanation and an apology after taking an immense amount of public backlash for his on-air description of a text exchange between suspected Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson, 22, and his live-in boyfriend, who is transitioning to identify as a woman.
Gutman took to X to share a statement clarifying his position, saying, “Yesterday I tried to underscore the jarring contrast between this cold blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk — a man who dedicated his life to public dialogue — and the personal, disturbing texts read aloud by the Utah County Attorney at the press conference.”
2. I deeply regret that my words did not make that clear.
But let there be zero doubt here: I unequivocally condemn this horrific crime and the pain it caused Charlie Kirk’s family, those who were forced to witness it at UVU, and the millions of people he inspired.
— Matt Gutman (@mattgutmanABC) September 17, 2025
“I deeply regret that my words did not make that clear,” Gutman continued. “But let there be zero doubt here: I unequivocally condemn this horrific crime and the pain it caused Charlie Kirk’s family, those who were forced to witness it at UVU, and the millions of people he inspired.”
Following the publication of the text exchange — in which Robinson referred to the boyfriend as “my love” while appearing to confess to the murder of the Turning Point USA founder and give detailed information about the weapon he’d used and then hidden — Gutman had commented on the “very touching” nature of some of the texts.
After remarking on the level of detail included in the texts with regard to the murder weapon, Gutman said at the time, “It was very touching, in a way, that I think many of us didn’t expect — a very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect’s roommate and the suspect himself, with him repeatedly calling his roommate, who is transitioning, calling him ‘my love.’ And ‘I want to protect you, my love.'”
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