THE disgraced co-owner of restaurant chain Lucius Q BBQ has doubled down on his disgusting comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Aaron Sharpe’s posts about the Turning Point USA founder sparked huge backlash and saw the Cincinnati chain lose its contract with the TQL Stadium and put other business relationships in jeopardy.
TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, has terminated its contract with Lucius Q BBQ restaurant over a co-owner’s comments on the assassination of Charlie Kirk[/caption]
Aaron Sharpe posted the comments on social media sparking huge backlash but he has since doubled down[/caption]
Charlie Kirk hands out hats hours before he was assassinated at a student debate event in Utah on Wednesday[/caption]
“Good riddance! What a piece of s***,” Sharpe appeared to write on social media just hours after the 31-year-old Trump ally was shot in the neck during a debate at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
The comment was in response to a Facebook post by a fellow user that said, “Praying for Charlie Kirk” and went viral after being shared on X by political commentator Gunther Eagleman.
“Everyone, meet Aaron Sharpe. He decided to celebrate the tragedy that happened yesterday…You know what to do,” he wrote in a post to his 1.5 million followers, sharing the BBQ chain’s business page.
While Sharpe’s posts on the assassination are no longer publicly available, he has doubled down on his vile comments.
“If you think that threats of social media attacks on me or my business will in any way keep me silent about what I believe, you are sorely mistaken,” he wrote.
“I know exactly who I am and on what side of history I stand.”
Despite his claims of ‘threats’ towards his business, it’s his own actions that have led to his downfall.
“Aaron Sharpe is no longer associated with Lucius Q,” the company shared on Facebook.
“We found the comments he made on his personal social media pages offensive and, as a result, have severed ties with him.”
The statement was made just an hour after the TQL Stadium announced it would no longer be working with the restaurant chain as a result of the online comments.
Taking to X on Thursday, the soccer stadium shared the following statement:
“FC Cincinnati and TQL Stadium expect our vendors and partners to uphold the values of respect and tolerance that are core to our club’s identity.
“We were founded on the idea that soccer unites, and we remain committed to ensuring that FCC is for all and that we provide a safe and welcoming environment for our patrons.
“Toward that end, we have terminated our relationship with Lucius Q.”
The BBQ chain has cut ties with the ‘minority partner’ as the backlash continues to damage business[/caption]
As well as the TQL Stadium, Factory 52 in Norwood, which also hosts a Lucius Q location, also condemned Sharpe’s comments and hinted at cutting ties with the chain.
It said it is “reviewing all legal options to address it appropriately”.
“These comments do not reflect the values of Factory 52, the Gatherall, our residents, or the Norwood community,” it said in a statment.
“We do not condone violent or threatening speech of any kind.”
Meanwhile, meat vendor and butcher shop Avirl Bleh Meat Market had announced that it would no longer work with the BBQ joint.
“We’re also very protective in how our well-established brand is used in these partnerships and regularly evaluate our professional relationships for alignment,” it said in a post.
But the BBQ chain will be hoping its quick action to cut all ties with Sharpe will save business and restore contracts.
In a statement to WCPO News, the chain stated that Sharpe was a “minority partner”.
“He made unacceptable comments during a private chat on his personal Facebook page about the assassination of Charlie Kirk,” it said.
“The owners of Lucius Q condemn violence in any form for any reason.
“We are merely a locally-owned barbeque joint whose sole purpose is to use food to bring people together from every walk of life and to provide employment for more than 30 hardworking people.”
The TQL stadium released a statement reiterating its values in the face of Aaron Sharpe’s disgusting comments[/caption]
TQL Stadium’s full statement regarding the contract termination[/caption]
