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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Andrew Kolvet Delivers Emotional Tribute to Charlie Kirk as Prophet and Friend at Memorial Service
Andrew Kolvet, longtime friend and executive producer of the Charlie Kirk Show, delivers a powerful tribute that reframes eight years of work together. Speaking at Charlie's memorial service alongside the production team, Kolvet reveals intimate details about Charlie's dedication to his audience, including how he secretly debated listeners via email during live shows. In an emotional revelation, Kolvet declares that what they called campus tours were actually tent revivals, and the daily show was Charlie confronting cultural lies. He calls Charlie Kirk a biblical prophet who proclaimed truth with kindness and love, desperate for the best for his audience and country.
Andrew Kolvet introduced himself to the assembled crowd as spokesman for Turning Point USA, business partner, and executive producer of the Charlie Kirk Show. But most importantly, he emphasized, he was a longtime friend. Over eight years, Kolvet and Charlie built the show brick by brick, creating something both men were immensely proud of. Standing behind Kolvet on stage were the production team members who made the show possible every day—the camera operators, board operators, producers, editors, and social media specialists who had heroically continued their duties through the excruciating week following Charlie's passing.
Kolvet thanked the audience for helping the team work through their grief and broken hearts live on camera. He hoped they had been able to help the audience do the same in some small way. The show had to go on because that's exactly what Charlie would have wanted.
The Show That Became Charlie's Favorite Routine
Kolvet marveled at how Charlie found time for a daily radio show and podcast amid everything else in his life—fundraising, traveling, speaking, and running two organizations. Yet the show became the favorite part of Charlie's daily routine, his one constant amid never-ending change. They did the show even when Charlie was on the road, even when he was overseas, even during Amfest and conferences.
The show worked primarily because Charlie loved his audience. He read every single email sent to freedom@charlkirk.com, which is why he asked for them every single day, encouraging people to send their thoughts whether they agreed or disagreed. Kolvet urged the audience to keep sending those emails.
The Secret Email Debates During Live Shows
Kolvet shared a remarkable true story about Charlie's dedication to his audience. At the end of every show, Kolvet had a ritual of checking the sent folder of freedom@charlkirk.com. Every single show, he would find debates Charlie was having with audience members who disagreed on some minor point. There would be email chains six or seven emails long—all written while Charlie Kirk was simultaneously hosting his own show. It was truly remarkable.
The Audience as Charlie's Secret Weapon
The audience—the grassroots, the muscular class—were Charlie's firewall for freedom, his north star. When fancy elites tried to take him off course and tell him what regular people really cared about, Charlie knew better because he knew his audience. He had a secret weapon, and it was them. He never forgot about his listeners because he loved them and respected their wisdom.
Campus Tours Were Really Tent Revivals
In a powerful moment of clarity, Kolvet revealed what he was only now beginning to realize about the years spent with Charlie. What they called campus tours were really tent revivals, complete with an actual tent. What they called the Charlie Kirk Show was really just Charlie confronting the lies in the culture and pointing to the truth, day in and day out. And millions tuned in.
Charlie Kirk Was a Biblical Prophet
Kolvet declared that he now sees clearly that Charlie Kirk was a prophet—not the fortune-telling kind that could predict the future, but the biblical kind. Charlie confronted evil, proclaimed truth, and called people to repent and be saved. And he wasn't mean about it. He was kind and loving. You could hear in his voice that he desperately wanted the best for everyone.
Grieving With Hope
Looking around at the assembled crowd who had been worshiping, singing, and finding joy amid grief, Kolvet reminded everyone that Christians do not grieve as the world grieves. Scripture says, "Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting? Christ has overcome death."
Kolvet expressed gratitude for the harvest that Charlie's life and legacy is producing all around us. The workers in the field are far more numerous than before. He closed with the familiar sign-off that every fan of the Charlie Kirk Show would recognize: "We will see you Monday. Until then, buckle up. Here we go."
