About

Charlie Kirk was an American conservative political commentator and activist who notably founded Turning Point USA and hosted debates at colleges and universities, often challenging left-wing people's stances and attempting to spread right-wing ideologies. Though Kirk had many fans, mainly among conservatives and Christians, his political beliefs were considered controversial by many, particularly his opposition to things like abortion, DEI programs and gun control, as well as his contentious takes on the LGBTQ+ community and their rights.

Throughout the 2020s, Kirk became the subject of memes and discourse throughout his career. For instance, Charlie Kirk's Smile gained memetic attention in the 2020s due to a widely held perception that it was creepy. In September 2025, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University by an assassin, which sparked significant international media coverage and discourse online. In the wake of his death, numerous memes, such as Charlie Charlie Kirky, "We Are Charlie Kirk" and Kirkified Memes, among others, became widespread trends in late 2025 and 2026.

Online History

Charlie Kirk was a controversial figure in various online spheres, both in life and death, due to his outspoken conservative beliefs, widely publicized death and its cultural consequences.^[4]

Turning Point USA / TPUSA

Charlie Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) with Tea Party-backed candidate Bill Montgomery in 2012. He became known for visiting college campuses and participating in informal debates with students.^[1]

Video clips of these appearances were widely shared online and contributed to increased visibility for both Kirk and the organization. This online circulation helped generate a consistent stream of donations, supporting Turning Point USA’s growth into a large political organization that later hosted rallies featuring prominent conservative speakers.

Charlie Kirk Hands On Hip Image

On October 7th, 2017, Charlie Kirk tweeted a picture of himself in a white shirt and khakis with his hands on his hip. The image was captioned, "God is real, Taxes are theft, There are only 2 genders, USA is the best country ever, Socialism kills, Hillary should be in prison." Within two days, the post received more than 6,600 comments, 3,000 retweets and 9,800 likes.

Shortly after the picture was posted, people began posting parodies of the picture, using it as a reaction image for humorous captions online.

Diaper Protest

On October 18th, 2017, members of Turning Point USA staged a protest at Kent State University in which they dressed up like toddlers, wore diapers, sucked on bottles and played in a child's play pen in an effort to demonstrate what they perceived "safe spaces" looked like to the outside world.^[5]

This led to jokes about the protest spreading on social media platforms like Twitter throughout the following days.

Assassination, Death and Aftermath

On September 10th, 2025, Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, during an outdoor campus debate. A gunman, Tyler James Robinson, fired a single shot from a nearby rooftop, striking Kirk in the neck. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.^[2]

About an hour after the shooting, Robinson asked members of a private Discord group chat he belonged to whether they had seen the news, and was purported to have been radicalized by certain internet communities.^[2]

Uncensored videos of the shooting spread rapidly across social media. Although most graphic videos were removed within a day, they continued to appear in searches and algorithmic feeds, particularly on Reddit, Twitter / X and TikTok.^[2]

Firings, Doxxing and Boycotting Campaigns

Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, numerous workers and students were fired, suspended, doxxed or investigated over social media posts about his death, with some receiving threats. Some companies were also boycotted for comments from staff or owners following Kirk's death.^[6]

Far-right figures, including Laura Loomer, called for retaliation and engaged in doxxing, while a related website collecting tens of thousands of comments was later removed for violating platform policies.

Etsy Witch Curse

On the day of the assassination, Jezebel^[3] removed a satirical article published two days earlier titled We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk, which referenced people selling “hexes” on Etsy. The outlet later republished the piece with a revised headline and added clarification emphasizing that it was intended as humor and not meant to cause harm to Charlie Kirk.

Related Memes

We Are Charlie Kirk by Spalexma

'We Are Charlie Kirk' by Spalexma, also known as the "We Are Charlie Kirk, We Carry the Flame" AI Song, refers to an AI-generated song honoring late right-wing political pundit and organizer Charlie Kirk, sung by a male AI voice. The song went viral on TikTok and Twitter / X in November 2025.

Charlie Kirk Face Swaps / Kirkified Memes

Charlie Kirk Face Swaps, also known as Kirkified Memes, Kirkification or Kirkify Memes, refers to a Photoshop and AI edit trend of face-swapping deceased right-wing political pundit Charlie Kirk's likeness onto different memes and reaction images as an exploitable element. The trend started on Twitter / X with a face swap of Kirk on the IShowSpeed Smiling Trying Not to Laugh clip in late September 2025, following Kirk's death earlier that month. Kirkified Memes spread to TikTok comment sections heading into October 2025, where the term "Kirkification" was coined.

Charlie Charlie Kirky

Charlie Charlie Kirky is a song about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk featuring the lyrics, "Charlie Charlie Kirky, I just popped a perky." The song was created by TikTokers and musicians @intentionsmichigan and @flatroom_vr and released as "Charlie's Barn Yard Song" under the name Randy Diggs featuring Green Little. It went viral after it was reposted to the @thealienarms TikTok page on December 5th, 2025.

Search Interest

External References