Will County Gazette

Paige Gilbert, a registered nurse at Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet, is facing calls for termination following alleged social media comments perceived as mocking the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Gilbert, who posts online under the name Paige Violet, allegedly made several remarks in the days after Kirk’s death. In one comment posted in a local Facebook group, she wrote:

“He died in a way he thought others deserved. Hard to manufacture empathy for someone who hated so many.”

She also allegedly referred to another user as a “POS [piece of shit] Nazi” during the same exchange and shared quotes from Kirk criticizing empathy and defending Second Amendment rights.

The Facebook group Liberals for the Unemployment Line 2026 shared screenshots of Gilbert’s comments along with her professional information.

“Next up is Paige Gilbert an oncology nurse at St. Joseph medical center in Joliet. She has several liberal outbursts on her page and attends liberal rallies. She responded on Orland parks public community page ‘NAZI, there you go’ in response to another comment about Charlie Kirk[.] I thought nurses were trained to be compassionate[,] I guess not this one. Paige hopefully Monday morning YOU’RE FIRED!!!!!!!!” the group posted. 

Gilbert is listed in state records as a registered professional nurse with an active license as of July 15, 2024. She began working at Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet the same month. Licensing records show no history of disciplinary action.

Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet has not released a public statement, and it remains unclear whether the hospital has opened a formal investigation.

Gilbert has not responded publicly to the allegations.

She is among a growing number of professionals facing scrutiny or employment consequences following online reactions to Kirk’s killing. Since Sept. 10, public employees, media contributors, airline pilots, and educators have been placed on leave or terminated for posts seen as inflammatory or celebratory.

Kirk, 31, was shot and killed during a speaking event in Utah. He was the co-founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative political figure with close ties to President Donald Trump.