Maria Shriver Refuses to 'Abandon' Disgraced Boyfriend Matthew Dowd After MSNBC Fires Him Over Charlie Kirk Death Remarks... as 'She's Been Through Scandals Before'

Maria Shriver is standing by her man, after her boyfriend, Matthew Dowd, was fired by MSNBC for divisive comments about conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk immediately following his assassination, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Shriver, 68, and Dowd, 64, have been together for 12 years, and the journalist is going to see the political analyst through his career crisis.

Shriver began dating Dowd following her 2011 split from her ex-husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, after it was revealed he had fathered a love child during their marriage with the family's housekeeper. Their divorce was finalized in 2021.

“Maria isn't going anywhere,” a source close to the couple told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who wrote about it in his Substack on Friday, September 12.

"She's been through scandals before with Arnold. She knows how brutal it gets, and she refuses to abandon Matthew when he needs her most," the insider continued.

A second source claimed: "She’s lived in the spotlight her entire life. She knows reputations can be rebuilt. She believes Matthew’s heart was in the right place, even if his words got twisted."

Dowd got canned by MSNBC over comments he made immediately after Kirk was hit by an assassin's bullet while speaking at a Turning Point USA event on the Utah Valley University campus on Wednesday, September 10.

Anchor Katy Tur asked Dowd about the "environment in which a shooting like this happens," during live coverage.

He responded with the bizarre speculation that a bullet fired by a fan might have hit Kirk. "We don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration. So we have no idea about this," he responded.

Despite the video showing the bullet piercing Kirk's neck with a devastating effect, Dowd insinuated that the Republican political insider could have brought the horrific incident on himself.

"He's been one of the most divisive – especially divisive younger figures – in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that is the environment we are in," Dowd declared.

He added: "You can't stop with these sorts of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place. And that’s the unfortunate environment we are in."

Hours later, MSNBC president Rebecca Kutle called Dowd's statements "inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable" in a post on X.

In a lengthy Substack post on Friday, September 12, a defiant Dowd blamed his network for overreacting when firing him.

"The right-wing media mob ginned up, went after me on a plethora of platforms, and MSNBC reacted to that mob. Even though most at MSNBC knew my words were being misconstrued, the timing of my words forgotten (remember I said this before anyone knew Kirk was a target), and that I apologized for any miscommunication on my part, I was terminated by the end of the day," he wrote.

"I am getting over the shell shock of the past few days, and will turn my gaze on adventures and the journey ahead. And a big part of that will be using my voice on this and other platforms to advocate for finding ways to unite our country around a common-sense vision of ideals and values," Dowd added.

Shriver, a lifelong Democrat, wisely chose her words after Kirk was assassinated. Her uncles, late President John F. Kennedy and late Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, were both killed by assassins' bullets.

"We should all condemn political violence. A young life cut down. A young family left to pick up the pieces. This is not just a tragedy for his family. This is a tragedy for our country," the NBC News personality wrote in a Facebook post.

She added: "No matter where you are on the political spectrum. This is something we can all condemn. This is a moment to stop."