The Wisconsin Brewery Post That Triggered a Firing

A single viral social media post set off a chain reaction that ended a high-level career in Wisconsin.

Brian Kellar served as senior vice president and president of regional markets for Aspirus Health, a major regional health system operating in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

He lost that position after commenting on a social media post tied to Minocqua Brewing Company following the failed assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.

I'd love to tell you about Kellar's long career with Aspirus — decades of dedicated service to an organization working to improve the health of Americans — and how shocking his removal was to people who worked with him for a long, long time.

Eh? Not so much: Brian Kellar started working at Aspirus Health on March 30. He wasn't around long enough to earn a coffee mug.

Aspirus Health President and CEO Matt Heywood confirmed the organization parted ways with Kellar.

Heywood issued a statement saying the organization has parted ways with an employee after learning the worker’s social media activity did not align with the health system’s values.

In a statement, Heywood said Aspirus is committed to “safe, respectful and compassionate care” and expects those standards from every member of the organization.

Heywood said the employee “is no longer with our organization.” The statement did not identify the employee or detail the social media activity.

Heywood’s statement said the incident has drawn significant public attention, but he explained the decision was made independently of outside commentary and instead reflects Aspirus’ commitment to its culture and to meeting patient and community expectations.

Heywood expressed the organization's expectation that employees, especially executives, reflect standards tied to safe, respectful, and compassionate care.

Kellar didn't just leave a quiet comment and move on. He had already posted a photo of himself wearing an anti-Trump shirt at a Notre Dame football game, bragging about the attention it drew and directing others to buy the same merchandise.

He then commented on a post tied to the brewery's messaging after the assassination attempt. The original post joked about “almost” reaching a goal of providing free beer. Teammate Matt Margolis correctly called out the company's depravity.

That was their tone.

Now comes the lecture.

Minocqua Brewing Company sits one hour and 45 minutes from my front door — we stare up at the same sky, so Kirk Bangstad and I live on the same planet. Yet the guy is totally whacked.

He swears Kellar lost his job not for the anti-Trump shirt comment, but because the hate group Libs of TikTok shared the picture and then Russian bots plus MAGA mouth breathers swarmed the company pages. Heywood caved in hours and tossed the longtime (29 days!) healthcare leader under the bus.

I've been a home brewer for over 25 years. Every once in a while, a brew turns skunky, when I didn't sanitize nearly as well as I should have, resulting in a terrible brew. I'm shiver-cringing at my memory of sipping such a skunky result. 

I say that to say this: I think Mr. Bangstad has been drinking not only his bathwater but also several pints of skunky beer.

He's a half a bubble off plumb, not the brightest bulb in the obra, not the sharpest crayon in the drawer. You get what I'm saying.

The man is completely off his rocker.

And lastly, I wanted to bring you this story of a healthcare executive who was fired for sharing a picture in our comments section on Facebook for wearing one of our shirts. 

 Let’s be honest, he wasn’t fired for wearing that t-shirt, he was fired because a hate group called Libs of Tik Tock posted his picture on their site, and then a wild world of Russian bots and MAGA mouth-breathers descended on Aspirus’ social media accounts and demanded that he be fired. 

From the story released Tuesday by WSAW, the ABC affiliate in Central Wisconsin, Aspirus’ CEO couldn’t take the heat and instead of waiting 24 hours for the Russian bots to go to sleep, he decided to throw a committed longtime nonprofit healthcare leader under the bus. 

Folks, let me reiterate. The day we’re not allowed to legally express our thoughts about what our government is doing to us is the day we no longer live in a free society. 

You may not like or agree with a single thing I say, but BY GOD, IF YOU’RE AN AMERICAN, YOU MUST STAND BY MY FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO SAY IT!

So let’s get this straight.

A social media post flirts with violence toward a sitting president. The follow-up dismisses the event and points fingers in every direction except inward. Then the same voice starts assigning labels and demanding moral clarity from everyone else.

And people wonder why there were such strong reactions. Kellar stepped into that mess and signed his name to it.

Defenders “pounced” with a familiar argument, claiming his First Amendment rights took a hit. They treated the firing as a constitutional crisis instead of what it actually was. Free speech exists.

Contracts exist too.

Kellar signed an agreement that included a morality clause addressing social media activity, especially around controversial topics. Executives carry added responsibility because they represent their organization whether they intend to or not.

He wasn't singled out; he was held to the standard he agreed to follow.

Aspirus didn't need a lecture from social media. It operates as a private organization, where private employers set expectations while deciding who represents their brand and who doesn't.

When a senior executive drags the organization into a political firestorm, leadership has every right to respond. It's not complicated.

The speed of the decision tells its own story; leadership didn't hesitate. They moved to shut down the distraction and returned focus to patient care, which remains the core mission of any health system.

Online outrage followed right on cue. Some insisted Kellar got punished for his views, while others ignored the contract entirely and framed the situation as censorship. There were a few that even defended the original brewery message while calling opposing voices dangerous.

It's a pattern that keeps repeating.

People push the boundaries in public, then act shocked when consequences show up. They sign agreements, ignore them, and expect exceptions when things go sideways, demanding accountability from everyone else while dodging it themselves.

Kellar made a choice, while Aspirus made one too.

Executives don't get the luxury of pretending their words stay personal when they post in public. Every comment carries weight, and every interaction reflects on the organization tied to their name. That reality doesn't disappear because somebody types from a phone instead of a podium.

Leaders across every industry closely watch situations like this. Social media turns private opinion into public liabilities in seconds. Contracts exist to draw a line before damage spreads.

Aspirus enforced a line that Kellar crossed.

I can't speak for you, but when consequences of actions by lefties happen, it's fun to watch.

https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2026/04/30/the-wisconsin-brewery-post-that-triggered-a-firing-n4952377