Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel condemn Charlie Kirk’s shooting death

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Notable names from the world of entertainment have spoken out after the shooting death of 31-year-old conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah Wednesday afternoon.

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Late-night host Stephen Colbert, who has been involved in a long-running war of words with U.S. President Donald Trump, said in his monologue Wednesday night that “political violence does not solve any of our political differences.”

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“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,” Colbert said. “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.”

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Colbert’s fellow late-night personality Jimmy Kimmel called Kirk’s murder “horrible and monstrous” in a post shared to social media.

“Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human? 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,” Kimmel wrote on Instagram.

Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called Kirk’s death “a horrible tragedy.”

“My heart is with Charlie Kirk’s family, and with the United States,” Schwarzenegger wrote on X. “Politics has become a disease in this country, and it’s deadly. But don’t listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure. There is a cure. It is inside of us. We must find our better angels and walk back from the extremes. If we can’t agree on anything else, we must find agreement that we don’t solve our debates with violence.”

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Kid Rock called Kirk a “true PATRIOT,” while Brittany Aldean said his killing was “a heartbreak so many of us will never get over.”

“Charlie was a father, husband, son, friend and so much more. One of the most intelligent people we’ve ever met, fighting for everything right in this world. He put everything on the line to be a voice for those who weren’t able. I admired him. His courage, his intelligence, his faith…. there will truly never be another like him. Charlie you will forever be missed,” Aldean wrote on Instagram.

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Kirk, a conservative influencer and the co-founder of Turning Point USA, died after he was shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon.

Trump hailed the father of two, who was a close ally of the president, in his own social media post.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” President Trump said on Truth Social. “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!” 

The president also took aim at the “radical left,” blaming their “rhetoric” for Kirk’s murder.

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“It is long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonize those with whom you disagree, day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible.

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“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now. My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity, and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials and everyone else who brings order to our country.”

Trump also referenced the assassination attempt on his life in the summer of 2024.

Meanwhile, MSNBC reportedly fired analyst Matthew Dowd after he said, in part: “Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”

After the interview, Dowd apologized for his comments in a statement he posted to his Bluesky page, writing that his “thoughts & prayers are w/ the family and friends of Charlie Kirk.”

Federal, state and local authorities are still hunting for the shooter who they believe managed to flee amid as chaos descending onto the Utah Valley University campus.

mdaniell@postmedia.com

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