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Soon after the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, student leaders at the University of Colorado Boulder knew they needed to make a decision.
The student-run TEDxCU club had invited liberal political commentator Dean Withers to speak about young people, the news, and social media at its April 4, 2026 event. The 21-year-old Withers, who grew up in Grand Junction and has 4.7 million followers on TikTok, is similar to Kirk in that he hosts live debates with everyday people on the opposite end of the political spectrum. In Withers’ case, he tries to change the minds of Trump supporters, sometimes using divisive rhetoric.
The TEDx club leaders feared that after Kirk’s assassination, Withers might put their event at risk of violence. They discussed in an iMessage group chat their shock about Kirk and agreed to reevaluate inviting Withers to campus. They decided to no longer pursue the liberal commentator, who calls Trump “the orange tyrant,” and instead extend invites to other speakers.
“We just couldn’t justify it,” said senior Kalen Sieja, 21, a co-curator of the student group. “It just wasn’t worth the safety risk.”
The TEDxCU club’s decision highlights how students are trying to balance the desire to promote free speech with potential safety concerns. The recent assassination of the conservative political activist, last year’s assassination attempt of President Donald Trump when he was the Republican nominee, and a political climate defined by polarization make that job difficult and delicate.
“I feel as if we don’t have the same freedom as we could in choosing someone or creating conversations that could spark a little controversy,” said junior Lina Meddah, 21, a TEDxCU student lead. “Sparking that controversy isn’t safe anymore with what happened.”
Junior Kira Warren, 20, a co-curator of the TEDx group, said she has second-guessed the Withers decision, even though she’s happy with the new speakers the club might bring in. She said in hindsight, she feels Withers would have been the right person to speak on politics, social media, and the news.
“There are very important things to be discussing right now, and it kind of feels like it’s getting a little bit bland, like we’re scaling back,” she said. “Everything political that’s going on is so overwhelming that it feels like we should be talking about it.”
CU Boulder’s event is one of the largest university TEDx events in the nation, according to its faculty adviser. The spring 2025 event hosted over 1,000 participants.
Student organizers chose the theme “On the Contrary” before Kirk’s assassination. They want people to view opposite opinions as a connection, not as a conflict, according to the TEDxCU website.
Students started a conversation with Withers’ team on Instagram before the formal September email invite. They wanted him to speak about how young people engage with politics and news on social media platforms and not about his politics. They also knew that no matter what Withers talked about, his appearance could be seen as political.
Withers is a progressive who advocates for LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, and health care reform. He was outspoken about his support for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and had been seen as a rival to Kirk’s conservative takes.
Withers also is known for his aggressive debate style, sometimes belittling participants on his show. On a recent podcast he called one debate participant “ignorant” and a “loser.” He’s also faced controversies such as using slurs as recently as 2022. He has since issued an apology.
The 60-person TEDx student group fiercely debated inviting Withers to the 2026 event, Warren said.
Some of the club’s members worried the invite would give Withers a platform for his debate techniques, she said. Students also worried his TEDx speech could become a political endorsement. TEDx rules prohibit partisan politics and inflammatory rhetoric, although speakers can talk about politics or policies.
They also worried about bringing attention to CU Boulder if the Trump administration decided to target Withers.
“No one wanted to be the reason CU came under extra scrutiny,” Warren said.
Others felt he could shed light on how political news gets shared in the social media age and how younger people can be included in discussions about politics, Warren said.
A Withers representative did not respond to an email from Chalkbeat about whether he would have accepted the invitation.
The students have brought in speakers that could be seen as controversial.
Last year’s TEDxCU event featured a talk from Denver-based drag performer Felony Misdemeanor. Drag shows and LGBTQ rights have become more political in recent years, and the students felt the need to take extra safety precautions.
For the first time, the club paid $3,500 for police officers, security guards, and metal detectors for the event, which cost about $35,000 to put on.
Kirk’s shooting at Utah Valley University, a public four-year school near Provo, reinforced the club’s desire to take precautions. It will pay for security at next year’s event, especially as many students have reported feeling unsafe on campus this year.
Gathered in a small circle on a recent Tuesday in October in a large classroom within CU Boulder’s College of Communication, Media, Design and Information, the organization’s 14 leaders said recent major events have taken a toll on their mental health and sense of physical safety.
CU Boulder students dealt with an August shooting hoax. In September, the campus faced a bomb threat. Those incidents factored into the Withers decision.
Absent Withers, the speaker list has started to take shape, including possibly bringing in a Denver Chinese restaurant owner who has talked about the misconceptions behind cultural food practices, such as the safety of MSG. Other speakers they’ve discussed include a veteran who is an emergency room trauma doctor, and an advocate for those who stutter.
“We have to be careful from this point on to protect TED the brand,” Meddah said. “But we also want the people that we bring to be safe. I would prefer to not have it happen rather than put someone in danger during a time that’s really sensitive.”
Sieja, who is studying political science, said he’s sad about having to make the decision because he believes in open discussion and debate.
“The point of TED is to platform ideas worth spreading,” he said, “and I think that’s the point of college in general is to create space for that discourse to happen.”
Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.
