The Megyn Kelly Show - September 11, 2025


Charlie Kirk's Extraordinary Life and Legacy, and What We Know About the Assassin ： AM Update 9⧸11


Episode Stats

Length

11 minutes

Words per Minute

163.99953

Word Count

1,831

Sentence Count

129

Misogynist Sentences

2

Hate Speech Sentences

4


Summary

He was a man of faith and family. He built an empire of influence. He talked about faith, faith, marriage, fatherhood, and fatherhood. He saw a lost generation of American men. He spoke directly to them about their worth, their dignity, and their dignity. He was shot and killed on campus at the Utah Valley University in Utah.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Now streaming on Paramount Plus.
00:00:02.860 Someone is trying to frame us.
00:00:05.160 Until our names are cleared.
00:00:07.720 We're fugitives from Interpol.
00:00:09.480 Like Bonnie and Clyde with better snacks.
00:00:12.880 Espionage?
00:00:13.560 You still as good a shot as you used to be?
00:00:16.600 Better.
00:00:17.400 Is there love language?
00:00:18.860 We like to walk that fine line between techno-thriller
00:00:21.380 and romantic comedy.
00:00:24.180 We make up our own rules.
00:00:25.940 NCIS Tony and Ziva.
00:00:27.400 Now streaming on Paramount Plus.
00:00:30.000 It's Thursday, September 11th, 2025.
00:00:35.860 I'm Megan Kelly.
00:00:37.620 Charlie Kirk has died.
00:00:39.560 The victim of an assassination on campus
00:00:41.700 at the Utah Valley University in Utah.
00:00:44.820 He was 31 years old and a lion of a man.
00:00:48.800 Nine years ago at age 22,
00:00:50.540 he was carrying Donald Trump Jr.'s bags
00:00:52.640 and getting him sodas on the 2016 campaign trail.
00:00:56.020 Five years before that,
00:00:57.520 he messaged Glenn Beck in a post on Twitter telling him,
00:01:01.380 I am 17, a high school student.
00:01:04.000 Listen to you every day.
00:01:05.540 Fight liberal bias.
00:01:07.340 By 2024, he had become an inspirational orator,
00:01:11.480 a happy warrior for Donald J. Trump's policies,
00:01:14.680 going from college campus to college campus,
00:01:17.440 an institution from which he proudly never graduated,
00:01:21.080 engaging with young voters
00:01:22.220 and converting them into Trump fans.
00:01:25.540 Can a 30-year-old person say,
00:01:27.440 I'm now 14?
00:01:28.460 No.
00:01:29.320 Okay, so then if we don't affirm that mental delusion,
00:01:31.740 why should we affirm the mental delusion
00:01:33.140 where men who think they are women
00:01:34.520 or women who think they are men?
00:01:35.780 Because why don't you believe that white privilege exists?
00:01:38.100 I just want to get your understanding first,
00:01:39.620 and then we can go from there.
00:01:40.600 Is there anything that you can't do that I can do?
00:01:44.040 No.
00:01:44.560 We could do the same things if we put our minds to it.
00:01:46.680 Good.
00:01:47.240 Then there's no white privilege.
00:01:48.380 What policy do you support to make it easier
00:01:50.620 for young people to buy homes?
00:01:51.860 Get rid of BlackRock purchasing a bunch of homes
00:01:53.720 and renting them back to us.
00:01:55.280 Okay, so like seize their assets?
00:01:56.940 Not seize their assets.
00:01:57.560 Make it illegal that asset managers
00:01:58.860 over $500 billion can't buy single-family homes.
00:02:01.680 Okay, I really agree with that.
00:02:03.040 That's great.
00:02:04.440 Thank you.
00:02:04.740 He and the grassroots conservative organization
00:02:07.620 he founded, Turning Point USA,
00:02:09.640 organized right-leaning young people
00:02:11.620 into a conservative force,
00:02:14.040 creating a place of belonging and mission.
00:02:16.460 Turning Point USA growing into the largest
00:02:18.660 youth organization in America,
00:02:20.640 spanning across more than 3,500 campuses.
00:02:23.920 In 2019, he expanded its mission
00:02:26.420 with Turning Point Action,
00:02:28.000 a political advocacy group allowing the movement
00:02:31.100 to get directly involved in politics.
00:02:33.000 A TikTok survey found that for Trump voters
00:02:36.100 under 30 in 2024,
00:02:38.580 Kirk was their most trusted person.
00:02:41.280 President Trump crediting Charlie
00:02:42.740 with delivering the youth vote for him in 2024
00:02:45.860 in numbers that stunned the nation.
00:02:49.040 Charlie himself gave the credit to God.
00:02:52.040 Host of a daily three-hour radio show
00:02:53.980 and popular podcast,
00:02:55.220 the larger-than-life figure
00:02:56.880 became a gifted public speaker and debater.
00:03:00.000 He engaged the opposition with good humor
00:03:02.060 and kindness and a willingness to listen.
00:03:05.060 And he did it understanding
00:03:06.380 there was risk involved.
00:03:08.640 Because I love talking with people I disagree with.
00:03:11.380 What have you done with your country?
00:03:12.820 Started an organization that's now
00:03:14.380 on 1,000-plus campuses
00:03:15.480 to save the greatest culture
00:03:16.700 and country ever to exist.
00:03:18.040 Is that necessary?
00:03:20.980 Well, considering I've been assaulted,
00:03:22.800 followed, stalked,
00:03:23.640 and had things thrown at me,
00:03:25.040 the greatest protection I have is cameras.
00:03:27.040 We record all of it
00:03:27.960 so that we put it on the internet
00:03:29.160 so people can see these ideas collide.
00:03:31.580 When people stop talking,
00:03:32.760 that's when you get violence.
00:03:34.060 That's when civil war hangs.
00:03:35.520 Because you start to think
00:03:36.320 the other side is so evil
00:03:37.360 and they lose their humanity.
00:03:38.940 Marriages break apart
00:03:39.800 when you stop talking.
00:03:40.780 Churches fall apart.
00:03:41.920 And I think what makes this country
00:03:43.960 on the verge of going to a place
00:03:45.660 we don't want it to go right now
00:03:46.900 is we're afraid to go to places like this
00:03:48.620 and have these conversations.
00:03:49.720 I'm not.
00:03:50.800 Above all,
00:03:51.620 he was a man of faith and family.
00:03:53.740 He leaves behind wife Erica
00:03:55.260 and two small children,
00:03:57.120 a toddler girl and baby boy.
00:03:59.500 Beautiful pictures of the family
00:04:00.820 at the beach abound.
00:04:02.560 Charlie is in a suit.
00:04:04.620 The man who liked to travel
00:04:05.700 with his family once told me
00:04:07.280 he didn't know what to do
00:04:08.620 with himself on vacation.
00:04:10.320 He needed to move,
00:04:11.420 to build,
00:04:12.120 to do.
00:04:13.260 He built an empire of influence.
00:04:15.860 He talked politics,
00:04:17.000 culture,
00:04:17.540 faith,
00:04:18.040 dating,
00:04:18.680 marriage,
00:04:19.380 fatherhood.
00:04:20.400 He saw a lost generation
00:04:21.760 of American young men
00:04:22.920 and spoke directly to them
00:04:24.400 about their worth,
00:04:25.940 their dignity.
00:04:27.440 He was shot down yesterday
00:04:28.600 doing what he loved,
00:04:30.240 speaking to young people
00:04:31.280 about tough political issues.
00:04:33.420 It was supposed to be
00:04:34.260 the first stop
00:04:34.900 of the American Comeback Tour,
00:04:37.140 a fall series featuring
00:04:38.280 the Prove Me Wrong table,
00:04:40.180 where Charlie invited anyone
00:04:41.500 to step up to the mic
00:04:42.660 and challenge his ideas
00:04:44.240 in civilized,
00:04:45.420 open debate.
00:04:46.460 The gathering began
00:04:47.820 with Charlie greeting
00:04:48.720 a large crowd
00:04:49.540 surrounding his tent,
00:04:50.920 a familiar sight seen
00:04:52.120 many times before
00:04:53.400 at college campuses
00:04:54.320 across this country.
00:04:56.060 Speakers lining up
00:04:57.000 to pose questions to Charlie,
00:04:58.880 doing their best
00:04:59.680 to stump the unstumpable.
00:05:02.320 On the second question,
00:05:03.500 an audience member
00:05:04.320 asking Charlie
00:05:05.120 about transgender shooters
00:05:07.100 when a single shot rang out,
00:05:09.760 striking Charlie in the neck.
00:05:11.580 His security team
00:05:12.880 quickly springing into action,
00:05:14.960 whisking Charlie
00:05:15.640 to a nearby hospital,
00:05:17.160 where he was later
00:05:18.040 pronounced dead.
00:05:19.540 As of midnight last night,
00:05:21.140 the perpetrator
00:05:22.040 still at large.
00:05:23.920 FBI Director
00:05:24.720 Kash Patel
00:05:25.440 announcing early
00:05:26.420 Wednesday evening
00:05:27.320 that a, quote,
00:05:28.340 subject was in custody,
00:05:30.000 but hours later,
00:05:30.840 Director Patel
00:05:31.520 announcing the individual's
00:05:32.860 release
00:05:33.360 following an interrogation.
00:05:35.680 Officials saying
00:05:36.320 the shooter
00:05:36.760 fired from a rooftop
00:05:38.120 approximately 200 yards
00:05:39.680 away from the courtyard
00:05:40.620 where Charlie
00:05:41.620 was hosting the event.
00:05:43.100 The assailant
00:05:43.880 captured on surveillance video,
00:05:45.720 appearing to be dressed
00:05:46.700 in all dark clothing.
00:05:48.540 In the chaotic moments
00:05:49.560 following the shooting,
00:05:50.620 law enforcement
00:05:51.180 arresting an elderly-looking
00:05:52.800 white man,
00:05:53.880 that video circulating
00:05:55.040 heavily on social media.
00:05:57.180 Officials later confirming
00:05:58.320 that the man
00:05:58.960 was not a suspect.
00:06:00.540 However,
00:06:00.940 he was booked
00:06:01.460 on obstruction
00:06:02.460 of justice charges.
00:06:04.460 Utah Governor
00:06:05.140 Spencer Cox yesterday
00:06:06.480 addressing the tragedy.
00:06:08.180 This is a dark day
00:06:09.500 for our state.
00:06:11.200 It's a tragic day
00:06:12.280 for our nation.
00:06:13.580 And I want to be very clear
00:06:14.700 that this is
00:06:15.720 a political assassination.
00:06:17.280 This great experiment
00:06:19.080 on which we embarked
00:06:20.040 together 250 years ago.
00:06:21.860 That we are endowed
00:06:22.920 by our creator
00:06:23.760 with certain unalienable rights.
00:06:25.580 The first one of those
00:06:26.420 is life.
00:06:27.540 And today,
00:06:28.820 the life was taken.
00:06:30.340 If anyone
00:06:31.320 in the sound of my voice
00:06:32.960 celebrated even a little bit
00:06:35.380 at the news
00:06:36.460 of this shooting,
00:06:37.420 I would beg you
00:06:38.360 to look in the mirror
00:06:39.580 and to see if you can find
00:06:41.000 a better angel
00:06:41.640 in there somewhere.
00:06:42.820 I don't care
00:06:43.420 what his politics are.
00:06:45.020 I care that he was
00:06:46.080 an American.
00:06:46.980 We desperately need
00:06:48.340 our country.
00:06:50.220 We desperately need
00:06:51.260 leaders in our country.
00:06:52.840 But more than the leaders,
00:06:54.100 we just need
00:06:55.100 every single person
00:06:57.460 in this country
00:06:58.440 to think about
00:06:59.560 where we are
00:07:00.280 and where we want to be.
00:07:02.080 To ask ourselves,
00:07:03.280 is this it?
00:07:05.620 Is this what 250 years
00:07:07.080 has wrought on us?
00:07:08.940 I pray that that's
00:07:09.820 not the case.
00:07:11.740 Charlie's legacy
00:07:12.580 cannot be overstated.
00:07:13.920 He will stand
00:07:15.040 as one of the most
00:07:15.860 important messengers
00:07:16.840 of our time,
00:07:18.520 changing hearts and minds,
00:07:20.320 intellectually grappling
00:07:21.180 with anybody
00:07:22.260 and everybody
00:07:23.160 on the most divisive issues.
00:07:25.580 Amassing nearly
00:07:26.260 20 million
00:07:27.060 combined social media
00:07:28.220 followers,
00:07:29.140 he was beloved
00:07:29.920 by so many
00:07:30.980 who watched him
00:07:32.160 grow up from a kid
00:07:33.400 into a man
00:07:34.560 of profound integrity
00:07:35.780 and consequence.
00:07:38.020 Statements of condolence
00:07:39.140 came from every living
00:07:40.360 former American president.
00:07:41.720 President Trump
00:07:42.920 ordered the flags
00:07:43.760 to be flown
00:07:44.300 at half-staff.
00:07:45.840 Yankee Stadium
00:07:46.620 honored Charlie
00:07:47.460 on its stadium screens.
00:07:49.520 Don Trump Jr.
00:07:50.540 described Charlie
00:07:51.280 as more than a friend,
00:07:53.080 like a little brother
00:07:53.800 to me, he said,
00:07:55.120 and one of the most
00:07:55.940 courageous,
00:07:56.660 principled men
00:07:57.340 I've ever known.
00:07:59.000 Charlie, he said,
00:08:00.440 dedicated his life
00:08:01.300 to something bigger
00:08:02.100 than himself.
00:08:03.300 He changed the direction
00:08:04.300 of this nation.
00:08:05.840 And President Trump
00:08:06.840 releasing this video
00:08:07.860 last night
00:08:08.460 from the Oval.
00:08:09.300 It's a long past time
00:08:11.540 for all Americans
00:08:12.600 and the media
00:08:13.380 to confront the fact
00:08:15.260 that violence
00:08:15.920 and murder
00:08:16.700 are the tragic consequence
00:08:18.760 of demonizing
00:08:20.400 those with whom
00:08:21.520 you disagree
00:08:22.440 day after day,
00:08:23.600 year after year,
00:08:25.100 in the most hateful
00:08:26.140 and despicable
00:08:26.940 way possible.
00:08:28.520 For years,
00:08:29.300 those on the radical left
00:08:30.960 have compared
00:08:32.140 wonderful Americans
00:08:33.280 like Charlie
00:08:34.120 to Nazis
00:08:35.120 and the world's worst
00:08:36.780 mass murderers
00:08:38.200 and criminals.
00:08:38.820 This kind of rhetoric
00:08:40.640 is directly responsible
00:08:42.460 for the terrorism
00:08:43.640 that we're seeing
00:08:45.020 in our country today
00:08:46.160 and it must stop
00:08:47.880 right now.
00:08:49.160 My administration
00:08:50.180 will find each
00:08:51.420 and every one
00:08:52.200 of those
00:08:52.660 who contributed
00:08:53.440 to this atrocity
00:08:54.740 and to other
00:08:55.960 political violence,
00:08:57.180 including the organizations
00:08:58.600 that fund it
00:08:59.620 and support it,
00:09:00.840 as well as those
00:09:01.940 who go after
00:09:02.780 our judges,
00:09:04.280 law enforcement officials,
00:09:05.900 and everyone else
00:09:07.280 who brings order
00:09:08.220 to our country.
00:09:09.960 Tonight,
00:09:10.420 I ask all Americans
00:09:11.500 to commit themselves
00:09:12.780 to the American values
00:09:14.300 for which Charlie Kirk
00:09:15.640 lived and died,
00:09:17.380 the values of free speech,
00:09:20.080 citizenship,
00:09:21.440 the rule of law,
00:09:22.720 and the patriotic devotion
00:09:24.260 and love of God.
00:09:25.960 Charlie was the best
00:09:27.180 of America
00:09:27.880 and the monster
00:09:28.840 who attacked him
00:09:29.740 was attacking
00:09:30.920 our whole country.
00:09:32.640 An assassin
00:09:33.260 tried to silence him
00:09:34.720 with a bullet,
00:09:35.800 but he failed
00:09:36.520 because together
00:09:37.440 we will ensure
00:09:38.660 that his voice,
00:09:39.680 his message,
00:09:40.400 and his legacy
00:09:41.240 will live on
00:09:42.480 for countless
00:09:43.240 generations to come.
00:09:45.620 Last year,
00:09:46.300 Charlie was asked
00:09:47.060 on the George Janko podcast
00:09:48.400 how he was able,
00:09:50.020 despite death threats,
00:09:51.060 to continue his work
00:09:52.260 on college campuses.
00:09:53.840 He spoke of his wife,
00:09:54.980 Erica,
00:09:55.780 and their joint resolve.
00:09:57.780 I mean,
00:09:58.080 my wife is the best
00:09:58.840 person ever
00:09:59.400 and she's a patriot
00:10:00.280 and she's a believer
00:10:01.060 and we don't want
00:10:02.640 to have to be accountable
00:10:03.660 to God
00:10:04.100 when this life passes
00:10:05.100 and he asks,
00:10:06.400 why did you not trust in me
00:10:07.540 and not fight evil?
00:10:09.480 Because we as Christians
00:10:10.200 are called to fight evil.
00:10:11.160 It's one of the lesser
00:10:12.060 known scriptures,
00:10:13.420 Psalm 9710,
00:10:14.380 for those of you
00:10:14.760 that love God,
00:10:15.400 you must hate evil.
00:10:16.380 Yep, amen.
00:10:17.020 And again,
00:10:17.740 everyone is called
00:10:18.340 to something different
00:10:19.040 in the body of Christ.
00:10:20.160 Some people are called
00:10:21.020 to heal the sick.
00:10:22.820 Some people are called
00:10:23.620 to mend broken marriages.
00:10:25.520 Some people are called
00:10:26.260 to do outright
00:10:27.120 hot gospel teaching.
00:10:28.940 My call is to fight evil
00:10:30.640 and to proclaim truth.
00:10:32.000 That's it.
00:10:35.120 And that'll do it
00:10:36.160 for your AM update.
00:10:37.400 I'm Megan Kelly.
00:10:38.380 Join me back here
00:10:39.160 for The Megan Kelly Show
00:10:40.220 for more on Charlie's
00:10:41.460 extraordinary life
00:10:42.640 and legacy.
00:10:44.260 Live on SiriusXM Triumph
00:10:45.500 channel 111 at noon east
00:10:46.780 on youtube.com
00:10:47.820 slash megankelly
00:10:48.640 and on all podcast platforms.
00:10:51.020 I'm Chris Hadfield,
00:10:56.380 astronaut and citizen
00:10:57.620 of planet Earth.
00:10:58.720 Join me on a journey
00:10:59.660 into the systems
00:11:00.540 that power the world.
00:11:02.040 No politics,
00:11:03.040 just real conversations
00:11:04.400 with real people
00:11:05.560 shaping the future
00:11:07.060 of energy.
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