Journalist Matt Forney, a H-1B visa writer living in the United States, was fired by The Blaze for making offensive comments about the CEO of Etsy, who is of Indian descent.
The comment was made on his social media account, X.
In the post, he wrote, “In 2026, Indian hatred will hit a boiling point in the form of anti-Indian attacks. Indians will be racially singled out for violence, India-owned businesses will be vandalized, and Hindu temples will be hit with bombings and mass shootings. He also added that the perpetrators will not be the Whites, but Black, Latino, or Pakistani. As someone who wants peace in America, I deplore all violence, and there is only one way to stop it. For their own safety, we must DEI: Deport Every Indian.”
Forney got into trouble because his post was cited as racist and a weapon for instigating racial war. Many social media users were outraged and tagged the FBI in the comments.
A few days after his post, Forney complained that he had received numerous death threats that he would be “Kirkified” soon.
As a result of his post, Forney was fired from The Blaze. In his tweet announcing his layoff, Forney wrote on X, “I have been let go from THE BLAZE. My Tweeting was cited as ‘concern[ing]’. I was not given specific examples of Tweets that they were ‘concerned’ about, and THE BLAZE had reached out to me BECAUSE of my Tweeting in the first place.”
This incident highlights how influential people, especially journalists, are increasingly held responsible for their online actions. It also illustrates the serious consequences of posting racist remarks. Matt Forney's situation serves as a stark reminder that hate speech from those with established media ties can have severe impacts on a person's career.
