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

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.

"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."

Beck noted that he asked a "surgeon friend" about what "could be done" to help Kirk following the shooting, saying the doctor told him that it appeared Kirk's artery had been "completely decimated."

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."

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.

A couple of hours later, President Donald Trump announced Kirk's death on Truth Social, writing, "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!"

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.