09/10/2026
ONE YEAR WITHOUT CHARLIE KIRK
Like so many Americans, I will always remember exactly where I was on September 11, 2001. And I will never forget where I was on September 10, 2025—the day Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
We were recording a show at our radio station when our producer suddenly said, “Charlie Kirk was just shot.”
Our immediate response was, “Is he okay?”
I will never forget the expression on our producer’s face as he watched the horrifying video. I have never seen it myself, and I never want to. When Drew and Rick told me they did not believe Charlie could have survived, my mind simply refused to process what they were saying. It could not be true. Not Charlie. Not a young husband and father with so much life still ahead of him and so much work left to do.
We jumped up and ran into the main studio, where we were broadcasting live. We tried to understand what was happening while watching the coverage unfold on television and keeping our listeners informed on the radio. Like all of you, we prayed and begged God to save him. It was one of the most painful and surreal moments we have ever experienced inside our station.
When we left that afternoon, I was still holding on to hope. I continued praying that God would give us a miracle. Then the words came across the television: Charlie Kirk had died.
Like so many of you, I was overwhelmed with grief, not only because of the enormous loss, but because someone could commit such an evil act against another human being over political differences. In an instant, a wife lost her husband, children lost their father, loved ones lost someone precious to them, and America lost one of its most influential voices for reaching the next generation.
Charlie’s death was deeply personal to Rick and me because his voice had been an important part of the mission behind the Real Talk Radio Network.
When we launched our network, bringing Charlie’s program to our airwaves was incredibly important to us. As the parents of four sons, we believed deeply in reaching young Americans, igniting their love for this country and encouraging them to become informed, engaged, and involved. In our eyes, no one connected with young people more effectively than Charlie Kirk.
In 2022, we made the decision to place Charlie’s program in the time slot previously occupied by Dan Bongino. Charlie was so excited about that opportunity that he personally visited our stations, met our team, and allowed each of our hosts to interview him for their own segments. That visit meant more to us than he probably ever realized.
Rick and I recognized something rare in Charlie. He could walk into places where conservative ideas were often rejected, speak directly to young people, listen to their questions, and challenge them to think for themselves. He reached a generation that traditional politics had too often failed to reach. He made young Americans feel that they had a voice, that their involvement mattered, and that they had a responsibility to help shape their country’s future.
When Charlie was taken from us, America did not merely lose a radio host or political commentator. We lost an extraordinary leader whose influence had already reached hundreds of thousands of young people and whose work had the potential to shape our country for generations.
The movement Charlie helped build remains, and the people he inspired continue carrying his message forward. But his personal leadership, courage, energy, and remarkable ability to connect with young Americans can never simply be replaced.
The shock and unity we felt on the day Charlie was killed reminded me of what so many Americans felt after September 11, 2001. For a moment, our differences seemed small compared with the tragedy before us. We grieved together, prayed together, and remembered that there should be some lines political hatred must never be permitted to cross.
That is why it has been especially painful to watch division return and continue to deepen. Because we operate conservative talk-radio stations and discuss politics every day, we witness that division firsthand. We see how quickly disagreements become personal attacks, how easily people turn against one another, and how often the greater purpose becomes lost in the battle to prove who is right.
I cannot pretend to know exactly what Charlie would say about everything that has happened during the past year. But his life demonstrated the importance he placed on participation, open discussion, reaching young people, and refusing to remain silent about deeply held beliefs.
I believe the most meaningful way to honor Charlie is not merely to share his picture or speak his name often as we all do. We honor him by continuing the work. We educate ourselves. We ask questions. We engage peacefully. We encourage young people to become involved. We stand firmly for what we believe without allowing disagreement to become hatred.
My heart especially breaks for Charlie’s wife, children, and loved ones, who have endured a loss most of us cannot begin to comprehend. Whatever disagreements may exist in politics, attacking or mistreating a grieving family should never be acceptable. They deserve our compassion, our respect, and our continued prayers.
Every day, I pray for healing and unity throughout our nation. I pray that Americans will remember that our political opponents are still human beings, that violence is never the answer, and that disagreement does not have to make us enemies.
May we seek God, return to His Word, speak the truth with courage, and never take our freedoms or responsibilities for granted.
Charlie’s voice may have been silenced, but the responsibility he placed before us remains.
Remember him. Pray for his family. Reach the next generation. Get involved and never allow hatred to have the final word 💔🙏🏼🇺🇸
We miss you Charlie Kirk ♥️
