Brett Cooper Pays Tribute to Charlie Kirk's Courage, His Faith, and His Generosity Toward Others
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Brett Cooper Pays Tribute to Charlie Kirk's Courage, His Faith, and His Generosity Toward Others
Brett Cooper sets aside a planned maternity leave episode to address the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who was shot from roughly 200 yards away while hosting a college event in Utah on September 10th. She describes Kirk as someone who genuinely lived up to his public persona, recalling his personal kindness to her, including reaching out when she left The DailyWire+ simply to offer support, and his long history of quietly helping young creators and students who had been cancelled or needed a hand. She argues Kirk's killing feels uniquely significant for her generation, comparing it to assassinations like Martin Luther King Jr. or John F. Kennedy that older generations lived through, and plays clips of Kirk explaining that conversation breaks down when violence begins, and describing his wish to be remembered for the courage of his faith.
Brett Cooper opens by explaining she set aside a planned maternity leave episode because she did not feel right releasing scheduled content or staying silent on the day after Charlie Kirk's assassination. She confirms Kirk was shot on September 10th while hosting one of his college events in Utah, struck from an estimated distance of over 200 yards in what she describes as a clean, evidently trained shot, and that he was airlifted to a hospital for emergency surgery but had lost too much blood to survive.
A Public Figure Who Matched His Reputation
Cooper reflects that meeting someone whose public persona matches who they truly are is rare, and says Charlie Kirk was one of the people who genuinely lived up to his online image. She describes him as an incredible friend and mentor who quietly supported many people over the years, citing stories that surfaced after his death of messages he sent offering encouragement and collaboration to students and creators, including some who had been cancelled.
A Personal Connection
Cooper shares that Kirk was one of the first people to reach out to her, not for business reasons, simply to offer support, when she left The DailyWire+. She recalls him as consistently gracious in their interactions, including at Turning Point events.
Why This Feels Different
Cooper says many people online have described Kirk's assassination as feeling different even from the attempt on President Trump's life, arguing that attacks on sitting presidents, while tragic, have occurred multiple times in American history, whereas the murder of a commentator and activist who held no political office in broad daylight feels distinct. At 23 years old, she says her generation has not lived through an assassination like that of Martin Luther King Jr. or John F. Kennedy, and that this moment feels comparable to those historical events.
What Charlie Kirk's Work Was Really About
Cooper argues that, beneath the political debates and viral clips, Kirk's core mission was promoting goodness, understanding, and democratic dialogue rather than simply winning arguments. She notes that even people who disagreed with him have shared online that attending his events left them surprised by how respectfully and warmly they were treated.
Charlie Kirk on Conversation and Violence
Cooper plays a clip of Kirk explaining why he traveled to universities to hold open, challenging conversations, in which he says that when people stop talking to each other, that is when violence begins.
How Charlie Kirk Wanted to Be Remembered
Cooper plays a clip from the Iced Coffee Hour podcast in which Jack Selby asks Kirk how he would want to be remembered if everything he built disappeared. Kirk answers that he would want to be remembered for the courage of his faith above everything else. Cooper says that will undoubtedly be his legacy, describing him as someone who continued showing up to public events despite known threats to his life.
A Broader Moment of National Grief
Cooper closes by reflecting on a string of recent violent tragedies, including events in Charlotte, a shooting at a Catholic school, and a school shooting in Colorado the day before, describing the country as facing a difficult period that demands continued effort toward healing and empowerment. She closes by praying for Charlie Kirk's wife Erika, their two children, his close friends, and the country as a whole.
