What did Gary Cohen say? Mets announcer sparks outrage with Matt Shaw & Charlie Kirk memorial comments

Chicago Cubs baseman Matt Shaw was recently criticized by Mets announcer Gary Cohen for attending Charlie Kirk’s memorial instead of playing a game on September 21, 2025. Notably, the match was between the Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds, where the former lost in the end.

Gary’s reaction to Matt’s absence came around two days later when the Cubs were playing against the Mets. Cohen referred to how the Cubs lost on Sunday by 1-0, saying that Shaw’s “lack of presence” was felt at the time. He further stated:

“It was later revealed that he had been given permission to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral. And I don’t want to talk about any of the politics of it, but the thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency really strikes me as weird.”

According to NBC News, Matt Shaw has already responded to Gary Cohen’s comments while speaking to the reporters about his absence in the Sunday match. However, Shaw did not give a very lengthy reply as he simply stated that whatever criticism is emerging from the situation “is OK.”

On the other hand, Cohen’s words led to different responses on X (formerly Twitter). A lot of people were spotted criticizing Gary for everything that he said about Matt.

“As a life long Mets fan… and someone who has interacted with Gary Cohen in the past… He can F*ck right off,”@kevin_smith45 wrote.

“Hey Gary Cohen (Met Broadcaster) how about you shut the fu** up about Matt Shaw attending a funeral. When a friend of yours gets murder then you can keep your dumb a** in the booth calling your sh*tty Mets games you ignorant twit,” @VAtruthteller commented.

However, a few other individuals were also seen supporting Cohen’s words.

“Gary Cohen is 100% right and should say it louder for the people in the back,” @vasdrimalitis stated.

“All the snowflakes in the comments really showing they true colors now. Gary Cohen is one of the best broadcasters out there and he has a valid point,” @Jaymartinez1013 said on X.

Matt Shaw opens up on the reasons for attending Charlie Kirk’s memorial

Charlie Kirk was shot dead at Utah Valley University last week, and a suspect named Tyler Robinson has already been taken into custody by the authorities. Notably, the late political activist’s memorial was held at the Arizona-based State Farm Stadium on September 21, 2025.

As mentioned earlier, Matt Shaw’s appearance at the memorial led to a reaction from Mets announcer Gary Cohen. The former eventually spoke to the reporters on Wednesday, September 24, saying that he and Kirk had known each other for a long time as they were residing in the same apartment in Arizona.

Matt revealed that he received the memorial invitation from Charlie’s wife, Erika, and recalled his memories with Kirk by saying:

“He texted me after every game, you know, ‘Great win for the Cubbies.’ He was super supportive of us, and obviously someone who’s really faithful, so we connected on that front as well.”

Shaw also stated that when he was invited by Erika, he felt like he could not miss the memorial. He even praised his team for their support. Despite that, he missed the match on the day of the memorial.