Radio Presenter Says A ‘Nice School Shooting’ Would Downplay Trump Impeachment Coverage, Gets Fired

A Denver talk show called “Chuck and Julie” was canceled and its co-host Chuck Bonniwell was fired Wednesday after he said on air that a “nice school shooting” would distract the media attention from the impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump.

“You know, you wish for a nice school shooting to interrupt [it],” he said Tuesday during a conversation with his co-host Julie Hayden wherein he described the impeachment process as “never-ending.”

Hayden promptly responded to his outrageous comment saying “No, no, don't even say that!” leading Bonniwell to back out and say he wanted shooting in which “no one would be hurt.”

Brian Taylor, vice president and general manager of 710 KNUS radio station, decided to cancel the show Wednesday evening.

"Given the history of school violence that has plagued our community, 710 KNUS confirms that an inappropriate comment was made on the Chuck & Julie show by co-host Chuck Bonniwell," the station said in a statement. "A programming decision was made to end the program immediately."

However, there are contradictions as to whether the decision was as “immediate” because the show remained on the KNUS website's archive for the next 24 hours after Bonniwell's remark. It was taken down Wednesday afternoon.

"I made an inappropriate comment meant as a joke. I’m sorry it was not received that way," Bonniwell issued a statement on Twitter after being fired.

He made the comments a day before the House of Representatives voted in favor of the impeachment of President Trump for abusing power and obstructing Congress.

Colorado has a history of school shootings. In the year 1999, at least 12 students and a teacher were killed in the Columbine High School massacre. In May 2019, two students opened fire at the STEM School in Highlands Ranch killing one student and injuring eight.