Samantha Ponder Faces Vicious Backlash After Honoring Charlie Kirk Following His Tragic Death

[00:07] KAYLEIGH: IT'S BEEN OVER TWO

[00:07] WEEKS SINCE THE WORLD LOST A

[00:08] LEADER IN CHARLIE KIRK, AND

[00:09] WHILE MANY CONTINUE TO MOURN,

[00:11] SOME OF THE RESPONSES ARE

[00:12] NOTHING SHORT OF DISTURBING.

[00:15] SPORTSCASTER SAM PONDER SAW THIS

[00:18] FIRSTHAND LIKE SO MANY OF US.

[00:19] SHE POSTED A HEARTFELT TRIBUTE

[00:21] TO HIM ON HER SOCIAL MEDIA

[00:23] ACCOUNT.

[00:23] BUT INSTEAD OF GETTING

[00:24] SYMPATHETIC MESSAGES BACK, ALL

[00:26] SHE GOT WAS E HATE FOR MOURNING

[00:27] A HUSBAND,A FATHER OF TWO YOUNG

[00:29] CHILDREN AND A FRIEND WHO WAS

[00:30] TAKEN FROM HIS FAMILY FAR TOO

[00:33] SOON.

[00:34] SAMANTHA PONDER, YOU'LL REMEMBER

[00:35] HER FROM ESPN, SHE JOINS ME NOW.

[00:37] SAM, I LOVE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

[00:39] ACCOUNT.

[00:39] I FOLLOW YOU, AND E HEAR ABOUT

[00:41] THESE DMs, AND I'M NOT

[00:43] SURPRISED.

[00:43] WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN JUST FOR

[00:45] HONORING SHAR ARELY?

[00:46] >> YEAH.

[00:48] THE STRANGE THING WAS I REPOSTED

[00:50] A VIDEO OF HIS FAMILY BECAUSE I

[00:51] THOUGHT IT WAS SO RELATABLE TO

[00:53] SEE A DAD.

[00:54] YOU FORGET WHEN YOU WATCH PEOPLE

[00:56] ON TV SOMETIMES, THIS IS JUST A

[00:57] DAD WHO'S A HUSBAND AND HAS

[00:59] THESE LITTLE KIDS, SO I REPOSTED

[01:01] A VIDEO OF THEIR FAMILY ON

[01:03] VACATION.

[01:03] AND, MAN, I IMMEDIATELY LOST

[01:05] THOUSANDS OF FOLLOWERS.

[01:06] WHO CARES, THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME.

[01:07] IT WAS MORE ABOUT SEEING WHAT'S

[01:09] GOING ON IN OUR COUNTRY NOW.

[01:11] AND GOT JUST VICIOUS MESSAGES

[01:12] WHICH ANY OF US WHO HAVE WORKED

[01:14] IN TV GET ALL THE TIME, I'M USED

[01:16] TO THAT.

[01:16] BUT IT WAS THE RESPONSE TO

[01:18] SOMETHING THAT THE I THOUGHT WE

[01:20] COULD ALL AGREE ON, MAN, IT'S

[01:22] SAD WHEN SOMEONE'S MURDERED.

[01:24] I THOUGHT THAT WAS SOMETHING THE

[01:25] GENERAL PUBLIC COULD AGREE ON.

[01:26] I THINK IT SAID A LOT ABOUT

[01:28] WHERE WE ARE AS A COUNTRY, BUT I

[01:29] ALSO THINK IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT

[01:31] THE ALGORITHMS THAT WE'RE

[01:32] DEALING WITH BECAUSE, KAYLEIGH,

[01:35] I SAW SO MANY PEOPLE MESSAGE ME

[01:36] SAYING HE WAS A RACIST, HE WAS A

[01:39] BIGOT.

[01:39] I THOUGHT, OH, LET ME DO A

[01:41] LITTLE RESEARCH.

[01:41] YOU KNOW WHAT I FOUND?

[01:43] I FOUND HIGHLY EDITED VIDEOS OF

[01:45] SHORT CLIPS WHERE YOU COULD MAKE

[01:47] ANYONE SOUND TERRIBLE ALL PUT

[01:50] TOGETHER.

[01:50] THESE PEOPLE, I JUST DON'T BLAME

[01:52] THE PEOPLE WHO FELT THAT WAY

[01:54] BECAUSE THEY ARE BEING LIED TO.

[01:55] THEY ARE BEING TRICKED.

[01:56] THEY'RE NOT SITTING AND WATCHING

[01:58] A LONG DEBATE WITH CHARLIE KIRK.

[01:59] THEY'RE SEEING WHAT THEIR

[02:01] ALGORITHM GIVES THEM.

[02:02] I HAD PEOPLE SAYING I DIDN'T SEE

[02:04] ANYBODY MOURNING HIS DEATH.

[02:05] OF AND I'M THINKING, I'M SEEING

[02:07] DOCTORS, NURSES, TEACHERS, MOMS

[02:09] THAT WERE LAUGHING ABOUT HIS

[02:12] DEATH, HIS MURDER THAT WE ALL

[02:13] SAW IS.

[02:14] THOSE PEOPLE WEREN'T SEEING IT

[02:15] ALL.

[02:16] SO THAT THAT TELLS US WE'RE

[02:17] SEEING TWO TWO DIFFERENT

[02:18] AMERICAS, AND A LOT OF IT IS

[02:19] BECAUSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

[02:21] ALGORITHMS THAT WE ARE ALL JUST

[02:24] CHRONICALLY ONLINE ADDICTED TO

[02:25] WHICH IS A REAL PROBLEM.

[02:27] KAYLEIGH: IT'S SO TRUE AND

[02:29] THAT'S INCREDIBLY WELL SAID.

[02:30] SAM, YOU HAD A 20-YEAR CAREER IN

[02:32] SPORTS BROADCASTING.

[02:33] A LOT OF PEOPLE WATCHING TODAY

[02:35] WATCH COLLEGE FOOTBALL, WATCH

[02:37] NFL ON SUNDAYS, PEOPLE RECOGNIZE

[02:39] YOU.

[02:39] AND, YOU KNOW, MY HUSBAND, HE

[02:41] PLAYED MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL,

[02:42] AND THERE IS THIS PRESSURE THAT

[02:43] IF YOU HAVE A MAINSTREAM

[02:44] CONSERVATIVE VIEWPOINT IF ON ANY

[02:46] ISSUE, YOU CAN'T SAY IT OUT

[02:48] LOUD.

[02:48] [LAUGHTER]

[02:48] AND YOU WERE VERY BOLD IN

[02:49] TALKING ABOUT BIOLOGICAL MEN IN

[02:52] WOMEN'S SPORTS, AND YOU INCURRED

[02:54] BACKLASH FOR THAT.

[02:55] >> I HAVE TO ADMIT, I WAS BOLD

[02:58] EVENTUALLY -- AND WHEN I SAY

[03:00] BOLD, I WASN'T CHARLIE KIRK

[03:01] BOLD, I WAS A LITTLE SPURTS HERE

[03:04] AND THERE AFTER BEING A COWARD

[03:06] FOR A LONG TIME.

[03:07] I KEPT MY MOUTH SHUT.

[03:09] I CLAIMED TO BE A FOLLOWER OF

[03:11] CHRIST AND A BELIEVER, BUT I SAW

[03:13] MY VALUES AND WHAT I WAS

[03:15] CHOOSING WAS CARED A LOT ABOUT

[03:16] PUBLIC OPINION, CARED A LOT

[03:17] ABOUT THE MONEY I WAS MAKING,

[03:19] DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE MY PAYCHECK.

[03:21] AND IN HINDSIGHT, I CAN SEE THE

[03:25] COWARDICE AND THE HYPOCRISY

[03:26] ABOUT THE WAY I WAS LIVING, AND

[03:28] I FEEL SHAME ABOUT THAT NOW.

[03:29] THERE IS NO WAY THAT IN THIS

[03:30] COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY IN SPORTS,

[03:32] YOU SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SAY ON

[03:33] YOUR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS I

[03:35] DON'T THINK MEN SHOULD BE IN

[03:36] WOMEN'S SPORTS.

[03:37] THIS IS SOMETHING -- I TALK TO

[03:39] ATHLETES ALL THE TIME.

[03:42] 99.9% OF PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES,

[03:44] WE KNOW, THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

[03:45] AND THE FACT THAT WE HAVEN'T

[03:47] BEEN ABLE TO SAY IT BOLDINGLY

[03:49] BUT WITH KINDNESS AND SOME HUE

[03:52] HUMILITY IS INSANE.

[03:53] IT IS INSANE THAT WE'VE GOTTEN

[03:54] TO THIS POINT IN SPORTS THAT WE

[03:56] CAN'T JUST BE HONEST ABOUT

[03:57] WHAT'S TRUE AND NOT BE A JERK

[03:59] ABOUT IT, BUT JUST SAY, YEAH,

[04:01] YOU'RE NOT PUTTING A MALE IN MY

[04:02] DAUGHTER'S ROCKER ROOM.

[04:04] CONCERN LOCKER ROOM, IT'S NOT

[04:06] HAPPENING.

[04:06] KAYLEIGH: YOU WERE AT ESPN, YOU

[04:08] WERE HOSTING THESE THINGS THAT,

[04:09] BY THE WAY, 80% OF AMERICA --

[04:12] PROBABLY MORE LIKE 90% AGREE

[04:14] WITH.

[04:15] YOU MENTIONED THAT CHARLIE

[04:16] KIRK'S ASSASSINATION HAS

[04:18] EMBOLDENED YOU.

[04:19] HOW?

[04:19] >> IT'S A REMINDER OF THE LEGACY

[04:22] OF FAITH THAT I WAS RAISED IN.

[04:24] I WAS RAISED IN A FAMILY WHERE

[04:26] PEOPLE LIVE OUT THEIR FAITH.

[04:27] WHERE THEY DON'T VALUE SAFETY

[04:29] ABOVE ALL ELSE.

[04:30] LOOK AT HOWDY SIGNINGS' LIVES --

[04:34] DISCIPLES' LIVES ENDED.

[04:34] WE ARE NOT PROMISED SAFETY.

[04:37] WHICH IS SCARY.

[04:38] BUT I'VE GOT A DAD WHO WAS THE

[04:39] HEAD COACH OF THE PALESTINIAN

[04:42] NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM.

[04:43] THE TRUTH IS THERE'S GOING TO BE

[04:45] CONFLICT WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING

[04:46] THE TRUTH.

[04:46] IF WE'RE GOING TO LIVE OUT OUR

[04:48] FAITH, YES, THERE'S GOING TO BE

[04:50] BACKLASH.

[04:50] THERE ARE GOING TO BE PEOPLE WHO

[04:52] DISAGREE, BUT WE HAVE TO KEEP

[04:53] TALKING.

[04:53] AND SEEING THE BETA CHARLIE

[04:55] LIVED, YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE

[04:57] WITH EVERY ARGUMENT, I DON'T

[04:58] EVEN AGREE WITH EVERY ARGUMENT

[05:00] I'VE MADE, OKAY?

[05:02] WE'RE NOT GOING TO AGREE ON

[05:03] EVERY ARGUMENT, BUT WE'VE GOT TO

[05:04] GET OUT IN THE PUBLIC SCARE. --

[05:07] SQUARE.

[05:07] WE'VE GOT TO HAVE REAL

[05:08] CONVERSATIONS WITH REAL PEOPLE

[05:10] THAT WE DISAGREE WITH AND GIVE

[05:12] SPACE FOR UNDERSTANDING.

[05:14] LIKE, THAT CANNOT DIE WITH

[05:16] CHARLIE, AND I THINK WE ARE

[05:18] SEEING SO MUCH THAT PEOPLE ARE

[05:20] BEING EMBOLDENED TO SPEAK UP IN

[05:21] THE PUBLIC SQUARE, AND I THINK

[05:22] THAT IS AN INCREDIBLE LEGACY

[05:24] THAT HE'S LEFT US.

[05:26] KAYLEIGH: NO DOUBT.

[05:26] YOU ARE BRAVE, YOU ARE BOLD, AND

[05:29] I'M SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU

[05:30] TODAY.

[05:30] I LOVE FOLLOWING YOU