On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was gunned down while speaking at Utah Valley University — a brutal, public assassination of a man killed for standing up for his beliefs and championing free speech. Americans who value liberty should be horrified that political violence has come to campus podiums and that the nation’s media seems more interested in shaping narratives than demanding justice.
Less than two weeks later, tens of thousands of patriots packed State Farm Stadium in Glendale on September 21, 2025, to mourn, to pray, and to vow that Kirk’s work would not die with him. Political leaders and ordinary citizens showed up not for spectacle but to honor a life spent fighting for conservative youth and for open debate — and his widow, Erika Kirk, publicly forgave the accused while pledging to carry the torch.
And yet, in the middle of this national tragedy, the media elite pivoted to protect one of their own — Jimmy Kimmel — and to make his obvious missteps the center of coverage. ABC pulled Kimmel’s show after his on-air monologue about the killing drew fierce backlash, a move that many on the right see as a curious inversion of priorities when a conservative leader had just been murdered onstage. The network’s decision to preempt programming amid outrage only underscores a media class that answers to reputation management before truth.
Make no mistake: powerful broadcast groups like Nexstar and even regulators weighed in, and the controversy over Kimmel exploded into calls for punishments and license scrutiny — while questions about motive, the suspect’s texts, and the broader context of political violence were still being investigated. This isn’t about defending tasteless jokes; it’s about the glaring inconsistency of outrage when a left-wing star stumbles versus when a conservative speaker is assassinated. The American people deserve even-handed scrutiny, not selective sanctimony.
We also know the legal system is moving: the alleged shooter, identified as Tyler Robinson, has been arrested and charged in the killing, and prosecutors are pursuing the strongest penalties available as they unravel motive and possible premeditation. Families deserve closure, the rule of law must run its course, and the nation must recognize that this was not a random tragedy but a targeted attack on political expression.
Too many on the left and in legacy media want to reframe this moment into a narrative about celebrity grievance instead of confronting the rot that allows political violence to fester. Conservatives are not interested in revenge; we want consequences for those who cheer violence, accountability for institutions that enable it, and a return to a culture that prizes discourse over death. This is not a time for performative empathy — it is a time for principled action.
Patriots should take this grief and anger and turn it into resolve: defend free speech on campuses, demand honest reporting from our newsrooms, and hold bad actors accountable whether they sit in late-night studios or on cable news panels. Charlie Kirk gave his life for the argument; the least the rest of us can do is stand united in memory and purpose, and refuse to let the media’s double standards bury the truth.
