Sam Kuffel, a weather forecaster for CBS 58 Milwaukee, was fired a day after she criticised Elon Musk on social media for his gesture, which many found similar to a 'Nazi salute', at the recent inauguration ceremony. The staff members were notified of the meteorologist's departure on Wednesday.
"Meteorologist Sam Kuffel is no longer employed at CBS58. A search for a replacement is underway," a staff memo obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, read.
"Dude Nazi saluted twice. TWICE. During the inauguration," Ms Kuffel wrote on Instagram. "You f**k with this and this man, I don't f**k with you. Full stop," In her second post, she shared a GIF from the FX sitcom It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia in which Rob McElhenney's character Mac says: "Screw that old b**ch. He's a Nazi."
Radio presenter Dan O'Donnell criticised Sam Kuffel's post, calling the remarks "vulgar" and accusing her of "spreading lies." Soon after, the station shared that Ms Kuffel had been fired from her job. Her bio and photo were taken down from CBS 58's website the same day.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk's gesture in question has sparked a debate. While some, such as historian and Strongman author Ruth Ben-Ghiat, asserted that Musk's action was obviously a "Nazi salute" and "belligerent," the Anti-Defamation League described it as an "awkward gesture."
Mr Musk defended his one-armed gesture during President Trump's inauguration and claimed that the left-wingers who accused him of giving a Nazi salute "need better dirty tricks".
"Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is so tired," he said in a post on X.
Mr Musk, one of the top donors to the Donald Trump presidential campaign, will oversee the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the new administration.
As of Thursday, Sam Kuffel's Instagram account had been made private. The meteorologist has made no comments about her firing.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms Kuffel joined Channel 58 in December 2019.
