In the year since Charlie Kirk’s death, the political podcaster’s murder has been overshadowed by an onslaught of internet memes.
Growing access to artificial intelligence, coupled with Kirk’s controversial image and the internet’s dark-humor culture, has sparked enormous waves of jokes mocking the death of the late content creator.
“Gen Z especially is prone to not take it seriously,” suggested Valerie Davis, a junior at Kennesaw State University. “They’re going to make a joke, they’re going to make a quip, they’re going to make a meme. That’s how we cope, perhaps, as a generation.”
Kirk was a 31-year-old American right-wing political activist and media personality, known for his ultra-conservative views, which he promoted on his podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show, and through his nonprofit, Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
On September 10, 2025, Kirk was assassinated at an event at Utah Valley University. The alleged shooter is 23-year-old Tyler Robinson, who has pleaded not guilty and remains on trial for the murder.
Immediately following the shooting, roughly 600 online users who posted material glorifying, praising, celebrating, or expressing their hatred for the podcaster were fired, suspended, or punished, according to a report by Reuters.
“I have a lot of disdain for this man,” said Davis when asked about her opinion on Kirk. “I don’t think he’s done a single good thing for anyone on this planet. His views are deeply regressive, misogynistic, hateful, and the fact that anybody could use him as a poster child for this nation is so deeply saddening.”
Republican officials such as Vice President JD Vance reinforced these punishments. On an episode of the Charlie Kirk Show, which Vance has frequently hosted since Kirk’s death, Vance said, “So when you see someone celebrating Charlie’s murder, call them out. And, hell, call their employer. We don’t believe in political violence.”
Despite being denounced by public officials and many people online, social media users continued in the year following Kirk’s murder to create and distribute content mocking him.
An AI-generated song, titled “We Are Charlie Kirk,” credited to Spalexma and Sargis Poghosyan, was published on September 16, mere days after Kirk’s murder. The song is used in the background of over 636,000 TikTok videos making light of his death, with the top videos garnering tens of millions of views.
Other AI-generated content includes digitally altered pop culture images, memes, and videos turned into versions sporting Kirk’s face. The internet has coined this as “Kirkification.” Popular examples include a 2013 Vine video of rapper Lil Uzi Vert dancing in a kitchen, the Michael Jackson “Thriller” album cover, a 2020 Playboi Carti Instagram photo, and an IShowSpeed meme from a 2024 livestream. Another notable meme comes from the end of the 2023 superhero movie “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” The video shows a character removing his mask, and instead of revealing The Prowler, it is Charlie Kirk.
Kennesaw State University freshman Hope Purvis supports Charlie Kirk’s viewpoints. After watching his debate clips online, she found herself agreeing with the influencer and many of his ideals. Purvis admits that at first she found some memes amusing, but after thinking about the impact it would have on his children in the future, she began to condemn them.
“It is very disrespectful,” she said. “If you’re going to call someone inhumane for their actions and that they deserve to die, take a look at your own actions because you’re literally wishing death and worse upon somebody.”
The audio of Kirk’s murder has also gained traction, with the audio of the moment he was shot being clipped on TikTok and used as a transition for prom looks, makeup, and hair dye reveals. The app has removed some sounds, but more appear as creators continue making videos. One remaining sound at the time of writing has 40,000 posts, a majority of which make light of the event. Some feature Roblox or Fortnite gameplay. Others show toys reenacting the moment Kirk was shot.
Davis compared the Kirk memes to those of rapper P Diddy, who is in federal prison for sex trafficking-related crimes. Around the time of Diddy’s trial, jokes circulated online about the celebrity, specifically around the discovery of his massive collection of baby oil.
“I don’t like those jokes either,” she said, referring to Diddy. “I think it waters down the severity of what their impact was. It takes focus away from the fact that [Kirk] was a harmful individual.”
She added, “I think it’s more important to take seriously the ramifications of talking about minorities and immigrants. Why are we making jokes about this man? [Kirk] doesn’t need any type of attention, actually.”
In March of this year, comedian and actor Druski posted a skit on social media in which he wore a costume that undeniably resembled Erika Kirk, the wife of Charlie Kirk. The caption read, “How Conservative Women in America Act.” The two-minute video amassed 26.6 million views on TikTok and 8.4 million likes on Instagram.
The post provoked many online users, with some, including Erika Kirk, claiming it featured “whiteface.”
“Seems to me that nothing will ever be enough for the evil in this world. Our country has become unrecognizable,” said Erika Kirk in the introduction of a YouTube video uploaded to Charlie Kirk’s channel, titled “A Message From Erika Kirk.”
Despite the hateful rhetoric that many believe Kirk spewed, Purvis concluded, “You shouldn’t be making fun of someone who is dead, regardless, because it shows your character. It doesn’t matter what his standpoint was. He lost his life for speaking out. And you can’t say people can have their voice … when people are literally getting killed for speaking their truth.”
