USA12 September, 20262 min read
Carnegie Mellon Reviews Uju Anya’s Hostile Posts After ‘Die First, White Man’ Remark
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Carnegie Mellon reviews Anya's posts, calling them hostile; she remains on voluntary leave. Her 'Die first, white man' remark drew backlash prompting CMU review.
5 outlets told this the same way.
CMU reviews Anya posts
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said it has begun reviewing recent social media posts attributed to Nigerian-born academic Dr Uju Anya, describing the remarks as “hostile and threatening” amid backlash online.
The university said Anya is an associate professor of second-language acquisition in its Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics and that she is currently on voluntary professional leave and “is not teaching on campus during the 2026/27 academic year.”
The controversy escalated after an X user, Wuhan Fourth Turning Swan (@TheWuhanClan), shared screenshots and details of an exchange that began with a February 17, 2021 post by Anya about the late conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
In that exchange, Anya wrote, “Rush Limbaugh finally did something positive in life by dropping dead. Good Riddance to bad rubbish,” and then responded to a reply by telling the user, “Die first, white man, then ask yourself why I’m dancing.”
Musk, CMU, and X backlash
Carnegie Mellon addressed the controversy in a statement posted on X, saying “We are deeply concerned by recent hostile and threatening social media posts by Dr. Anya and are reviewing this matter closely,” and it added that the posts did not represent the university’s position.
The university also said, “To be clear: These posts incorrectly imply our university’s endorsement,” and it described them as contrary to its community standards and values.
The backlash drew attention from X owner Elon Musk, who posted, “This is a real professor at Carnegie Mellon University …,” while quoting a Grok discussion identifying Anya by her full name as Obianuju Anya.
Punch Newspapers reported that Anya’s X account became inaccessible after the backlash, with the paper saying it could not independently confirm whether she removed the account herself or whether it became unavailable for another reason.
Past posts and what’s at stake
The current review follows earlier international backlash tied to Anya’s posts about Queen Elizabeth II, including a September 2022 message posted hours before the monarch’s death that said, “May her pain be excruciating.” After the Queen’s death was announced, Anya wrote that she felt only disdain for the monarch and, in an interview with The Cut, said “Half of my family was slaughtered with guns and bombs that this queen sent to kill us,” linking her views to the Nigerian Civil War.
The Times of India said the latest controversy also drew attention from Elon Musk and that Anya’s X account became inaccessible amid the backlash, with reports suggesting the account had been deactivated. While the university did not specify what action could follow the review, Vanguard News said Carnegie Mellon had not announced that Anya had been suspended, dismissed or subjected to another disciplinary sanction over the posts.