Mets Broadcaster Gary Cohen Criticized Matt Shaw For Attending Charlie Kirk Memorial During Cubs' Playoff Push

Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen took an unusual step on Tuesday night, using the booth to question Cubs rookie Matt Shaw for missing a game to attend the memorial of Charlie Kirk — as Chicago battles through a pennant race.

New York Mets TV Announcer Gary Cohen. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Matt Shaw of the Chicago Cubs. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)

Cohen said, "Shaw had Cubs world in a tizzy this weekend when he was not here for the Cubs game with the Reds — a game they lost (1-0) and in which his lack of presence was felt. It was later revealed that he had been given permission to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral."

(What did you think of Cohen's response? Send us a message: alejandro.avila@outkick.com)

Then Cohen got real skeptical, even calling Shaw "weird" for leaving the Cubs to attend the memorial.

"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," Cohen said.

WATCH GARY COHEN's REACTION:

Former player Todd Zeile, working alongside Cohen, didn’t go quite as far but called the move "unusual."

"I think it’s unprecedented, at least from my experience as a player," Zeile said. 

READ: Cubs Rookie Unapologetically Stands By Decision To Attend Charlie Kirk Memorial

"And I think it made it a little bit more unusual that it was not revealed until after it came to issue, because he was thought to be in the dugout and maybe available and then was not. 

"And that’s how it was revealed. So it became maybe more of a story than it could have been had it been addressed from the beginning."

New York Mets TV Announcer Gary Cohen.  (Photo by Marc Levine/New York Mets/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Cohen pressed further, pointing to Shaw’s rookie status and sounding upset over Shaw's reasoning.

"Do you think the fact that he’s a rookie changes the equation at all — that makes it more or less egregious?" Cohen asked, later adding, "I thought it was telling that the reason they didn’t tell anybody and that they had to play a man short was that the situation did not qualify for baseball’s bereavement list. … think that in and of itself gives you a clue as to how it was received by a lot of people."

For Cohen and Zeile, the old-school calculus was simple: you don’t leave your team unless the rulebook says you qualify. 

Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

But their on-air rebuke landed flat, especially given Shaw had already addressed the matter with reporters before Tuesday’s game.

Pressed on any backlash he'd receive over attending the memorial, Shaw stood by his choice, saying he went at Erika Kirk’s request with full support from the clubhouse.

"All the veteran players that I talked to and really the whole team having their support was really important to me," Shaw said.

"I met Charlie at my Arizona apartments — one of the biggest Cubs fans I’ve ever known," Shaw recalled. "He texted me after every game — ‘great win for the Cubbies’ — and he was super supportive of us."

Shaw brushed off suggestions that his choice was political.

"I’m not concerned at all, no," he said. "My connection with Charlie was through our faith. That’s something that drives me every day. That’s the reason why I’m able to do what I do every day and that’s something I’m extremely thankful for."

An image of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, US, on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. Photo: Rebecca Noble/Bloomberg via Getty Images

For Shaw, it wasn’t protocol or politics — it was honoring a friend.

"Without my faith and without the many blessings I’ve been given in my life, I wouldn’t be here," Shaw said. "So whatever backlash comes is okay. I feel strong about my faith and in what was meant to happen."

Kirk’s memorial drew 90,000 at State Farm Stadium. The Yankees also held a moment of silence after his Sept. 10 assassination at Utah Valley University.

Kirk, 31, leaves behind his wife Erika and their two children.

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