Stephen Colbert spoke out about the death of Charlie Kirk on the most recent episode of The Late Show, reminding viewers that “political violence does not solve any of our political differences.”
“Good evening, everybody,” Colbert said as he opened the late-night show. “After our scripts for tonight’s show were finished, we learned that Charlie Kirk, a prominent right-wing activist, was killed at a speaking engagement in Utah. Our condolences go out to his family and all of his loved ones. I am old enough to personally remember the political violence of the 1960s, and I hope it is obvious to everyone in America that political violence does not solve any of our political differences. Political violence only leads to more political violence. And I pray with all my heart that this is the aberrant action of a madman and not a sign of things to come.”
While Jimmy Kimmel didn’t address Kirk’s death on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he did post his thoughts on Instagram. “Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” Kimmel wrote. “On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents, and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”
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Kirk was shot dead while speaking to students at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday. The right-wing political influencer and activist, who co-founded Turning Point USA to foster a culture of conservatism on school campuses around the nation, was 31. News of Kirk’s death generated shock throughout the U.S. political ecosystem. Donald Trump ordered that flags at the White House be flown at half-mast until Sunday afternoon.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote Wednesday afternoon on Truth Social. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
“We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” wrote former President Barack Obama. “Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
From Rolling Stone US
