Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh is reviewing social media posts attributed to Dr. Uju Anya, an associate professor of second-language acquisition, after her online remarks drew widespread criticism. 

The university stated that Anya is currently on voluntary professional leave and is not teaching on campus for the 2026/27 academic year. The administration described the recent posts as hostile and threatening, emphasizing that they do not represent the institution's values or community standards.

The renewed controversy began when an X user shared screenshots of a past exchange involving Anya. In February 2021, following the death of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, Anya posted that he had done something positive by dying. When another user questioned her focus on the deaths of white individuals, Anya responded by telling the user to die first before asking why she was celebrating.

Following the backlash, Anya's X account became inaccessible. High-profile figures, including platform owner Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, have previously drawn public attention to her online commentary.

This follows a previous major controversy in September 2022, when Anya faced international backlash for posts regarding the late Queen Elizabeth II shortly before her death. In subsequent interviews, Anya explained that her harsh remarks stemmed from her family's history as colonial subjects and survivors of the Nigerian Civil War, alleging that the British monarchy supported the government responsible for atrocities that impacted her relatives.

Carnegie Mellon reiterated that the statements made on personal social media accounts do not imply institutional endorsement and that the situation is being closely evaluated.