The controversy was sparked after a video circulated online showing three women in casual clothes standing in a room. After a while, the video cuts to them wearing party-style outfits. The transition is a short six-second audio clip that is said to capture the final moments of Kirk’s murder, including his voice and the sound of the fatal shot, as well as screams in the background. Kirk’s last words can be heard in the clip: “Gang violence or not.”
The use of such audio in an aesthetically pleasing video format has caused controversy. Turning Point USA, a conservative group founded by Kirk, denounced the trend on the X website.
“Turning Point America condemns in the strongest possible terms the TikTok audio trend that exploits or references the assassination of our founder Charlie Kirk for entertainment purposes,” the group said in a statement posted on X.
The statement continued: “Charlie Kirk was the victim of a real act of political violence. To turn it into viral content is grotesque and dehumanizing. There is nothing harmless, funny, or acceptable about it. It reflects a culture that trivializes violence and reduces real human losses to punchlines.”
The group called for action, adding: “This has no place on TikTok or anywhere. This audio needs to be removed.”
The video appears to follow a familiar social media trend in which users switch between outfits or moods in sync with dramatic audio cues. However, for many social media users, using audio related to violent death crosses a line, especially when presented in an entertainment context such as TikTok or Instagram.
Charlie Kirk’s wife Erica Kirk also condemned recent trends and memes involving the use of Charlie’s photos in humorous ways. Erika now leads TPUSA.
On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was assassinated after being shot in the neck by a sniper while delivering a speech to college students at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Tyler James Robinson, 22, was charged as the killer and later arrested. Vice President Vance attended his memorial service, and President Donald Trump also called Kirk a martyr and a victim of “left-wing violence.”