On September 10, 2025, political commentator and activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while hosting an event at Utah Valley University (UVU). Kansas Wesleyan University (KWU) students, along with millions of other Americans, witnessed live video of the murder of a major political and cultural figure. With the first major political assassination in American politics in the lifetime of Generation Z, KWU students chose to speak out on what they witnessed and how it affected them.

Hearing the News

Like most students, Kirsten Lamia found out about the assassination on social media, “I was at work putting a baby to sleep and scrolling on TikTok when I saw President Trump’s post saying, ‘pray for Charlie Kirk’. I was confused and clicked on the comments where people were saying he was shot in the neck. My heart dropped.” She said, “ I followed every post from influencers, politicians, and even Charlie’s close friends.“

Charlie Kirk at UVU Rally, Sept 10, 2025. Photo by Trent Nelson / The Salt Lake Tribune via Reuters

Lamia, a KWU sophomore, is heavily involved in KWU’s Monday Night Alive program and Students for Life organization. She saw Kirk as a role model.

“I started watching his videos about a year ago, and I can honestly say he changed my life” 

Senior Alissa Eck had a similar reaction to the assassination,

“His assassination has opened my eyes even more to the darkness and evil that exists around us. It was heartbreaking to see people I know celebrate his death because he had different beliefs than they did. His passing has been a wake-up call, not just for me, but for many others to stand firm in the truth and to speak out.“

A Different Perspective

However, not everyone felt the same admiration. Freshman Alphonse “Tre” Brown did not know of Kirk until the assassination broke news. 

“I saw the video on reels, hasn’t affected me really just not a valid reason to kill someone over their beliefs” 

One anonymous student commented, “Violence should never be a solution. Hatred and contempt are both signs of an extremist attitude…but to say that Charlie Kirk himself wasn’t an extremist would be completely unrealistic. He has taken his right-wing political views to the extreme in every interview or podcast.”

This student continued, “the majority of our current problems stem precisely from this lack of empathy. Across the world, in almost every major country, there is a political divide between right and left. And this gap has widened enormously in recent years. Extremism should be a marginal idea that should never become the order of the day. People like Charlie Kirk hold extremist opinions, and the dangerous thing about them is that they provide an opportunity for incitement. As much as I am sorry for his death, with his populist, inflammatory speeches, he extremitized people and contributed to the ever-widening gap between right and left”

Reaction to Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel. Photo by ABC

In the week following the assassination, many media personalities commented on Kirk. One such comment came from late night show host, Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel joked, saying the assassin was ‘right-wing.’ The Kimmel show quickly received news that it was canceled by the network for the comment.

Lamia stated, “I am not 100% on either side of the argument. He definitely should not have said what he did, and I do believe this was the straw that broke the camel’s back within his career.” She continued, “For years he has used his platform to push a certain agenda, and at times is has been hateful and harmful. This was no exception. However, it wasn’t only Kimmel who lost his job. There are dozens of people behind the scenes who went out with him. People who have families to support and their own financial stresses. I pray for those people.”

Brown claimed he had not heard the news of Kimmel’s firing.

Eck similarly heard of the firing and was indifferent.

“I am more of a Jimmy Fallon fan,” she said.

As of September 21, 2025, the Jimmy Kimmel Show will return to the air after being saved from cancellation.

The Fallout

After the assassination, President Trump announced that flags would be flown at half-staff from the 10-14 of September. President Trump would go on to speak at the Charlie Kirk Memorial Service. 

An anonymous student said, “…this is the political exploitation of his death. Exploited by the US government, it serves to further divide its own people.”

However, other students look back on the events differently.

Eck said, “I will try to remember the good that came from this tragedy rather than the evil. I will remember the revival that happened all over. I got the opportunity to go to a vigil at WSU. I was in the middle of the crowd and I could see no end to the crowd, it was the biggest gathering I have ever been to. The whole place was filled with prayer and worship and listening to the gospel. The speaker there gave us great wisdom, ‘Before you die for Jesus, you have to live for him.’”

For more information on the Charlie Kirk assassination, click here.