Megyn Kelly Breaks Down in Tears While Live Reporting Charlie Kirk’s Death

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Megyn Kelly got emotional as she live-reported the news of the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

On a livestream of The Megyn Kelly Show on Wednesday, the conservative commentator had been speaking with her guest, Glenn Beck, about the shooting, before news broke that Kirk had succumbed to his injuries. Kelly, 54, burst into tears as she revealed the news.

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“They’re reporting that Charlie has died,” Kelly said, crying. “That he’s dead at the age of 31, which he would have to be if that video was real.”

“There’s no way he survived that. The only good thing is: It had to have happened quickly,” added Beck, a fellow right-wing commentator.

“If you see the video, you do not see any suffering,” Kelly replied, referring to the graphic viral video. “He appears to have been spared the horrific moments after. … He went down quickly.”

Kelly recalled her immediate reaction to the shooting, comparing it to when John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

“It looked like when JFK was assassinated,” she said. “The violence with which he keeled back, was hit, the thrust of it. It was very clearly a direct hit. It was obviously, I don’t know, some sort of a rifle or shotgun. It had severe velocity, 200 yards away.”

“Obviously, this person had been practicing,” she snapped. “This f–ker had been out there practicing to take his life.”

Charlie Kirk, Right-Wing Activist, Dead at 31 After Utah Shooting: Stars & Politicians React

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On Wednesday afternoon, Kirk had been speaking at a student Q&A at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when he was shot and killed by a sniper from a nearby building. He was 31.

The Turning Point co-founder married a fellow podcaster, Erika Frantzve, and former Miss Arizona USA winner in 2021. They welcomed their first child in August 2022, followed by a second in May 2024.

On her podcast, Kelly said while wiping away tears with a tissue, “His children have lost their father. Erika’s lost her love.”

“And we have lost one of the most important voices that we’ve had in my lifetime on the right,” she added tearfully. “One of the most important messengers. Someone sent by God to change minds and hearts on the most important, divisive, difficult issues of our time.”

Kirk was best known for co-founding Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was just 18 years old. It has since grown into one of the largest conservative organizations for high school and college students. He served as executive director.

He was a loud voice in support of President Trump, as well as conservative talking points like critical race theory, COVID-19 conspiracy theories, election fraud, and climate change denial.

“One of the reasons why we got Trump is Charlie Kirk,” Kelly said, referring to Kirk being credited for rallying conservative young voters in the 2024 election. “We all play our part in some small way, but there is no denying the effect Charlie Kirk had on this election.”

Following the news of his passing, celebrities and politicians from across the political spectrum took to social media to react. See the widespread response, here.