In mid-September 2025, just days after the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, a video circulated that claimed to show a message from the conservative commentator in the event of his death, released posthumously. The video began with Kirk speaking before transitioning to a series of clips of Kirk at various gatherings and of U.S. President Donald Trump, with Kirk continuing to speak in voiceover.
The video that spread on TikTok was also shared with the following caption on Facebook: "Charlie Kirk had foreseen this day's arrival. This is a personal message from him. He only requests that you sustain the message's momentum, preserve the faith, and empower others to rise up and spread his message, as the truth cannot be halted."
Kirk appears to say:
Hello everyone, I'm Charlie Kirk. If you're seeing this, I recorded it knowing this day might come. I knew the risks of standing up for what I believe in and I knew the opposition would stop at nothing. Still, I am not afraid, I will not bow down to fear. I believe with all my heart, that what I've done is for the good of this country, for the future of America. I've always said free speech, strong families, limited government, these aren't just slogans, they're what make America great. Even if I'm not here tomorrow, there will be others to stand up, more voices will rise, more patriots will answer the call. Because an idea rooted in truth cannot be killed and because America is worth every sacrifice. I want to say sorry to my wife Erika, my daughter, my son, I know I've failed you more than once. I haven't always been the husband or father I'd promised I would be. But I did what I did because I believed it was necessary. I believed you would understand. I believe you will understand. So now I leave this with you. Will you stand up when they try to silence us? Will you carry on if I am gone? Will you stay unafraid and keep pushing for what is right?
However, the above footage and audio is fake. Kirk's family did not posthumously release such a video and Kirk never made the above statement. The audio is likely AI-generated and edited over an older video of Kirk that was recorded when he was alive, before serving as voiceover for a range of clips.
The video and audio was suspicious for a range of reasons. In the first few seconds of the video, Kirk's mouth is not matching with the audio. Then the video relies completely on voiceover, making it clear that the audio was edited onto old footage of Kirk.
We also found the original video (archived) of Kirk seated in a car, wearing the same shirt, and moving his head in the same way as the above TikTok. In the original footage, posted on Facebook and TikTok on Sept. 10, 2025, at noon Eastern Time, Kirk said:
Okay everybody, you've probably heard the situation that happened in North Carolina. Say the name Iryna Zaruska. Iryna Zarutska was just riding public transit, by the way, she was a refugee from Ukraine of all places. And she came to Charlotte, North Carolina, and a terrible person — well you saw what happened, I can't describe it here on TikTok without some sort of community guideline being violated, but if you haven't seen the video you absolutely should. This individual should not have been on the streets, 14 prior arrests and it really makes you wonder. Why are we putting up with this? Why are we allowing so many people who have committed these crimes to keep on being released?
Kirk was referring to the fatal Sept. 8 stabbing of Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, while she was traveling on a light rail train in Charlotte. Kirk was shot a few hours after this video was uploaded.
It is clear that an AI-generated voice was edited over the first few seconds of Kirk's Sept. 10 video. We also found no footage or audio evidence from Kirk's verified social media accounts showing he made such a statement. If authentic footage of such a message had been shared by his family or supporters after Kirk's shooting, then it would have been much more widely covered by the news media.
We have investigated numerous rumors about Kirk and his assassination, including fact-checking his last words, and claims about the shooting suspect, like whether he was a Trump donor (false).