Charlie Kirk Biography
Charlie Kirk was an American right-wing political activist, conservative, Trump supporter, and one of the most influential voices in the conservative youth movement in the United States. As founder of Turning Point USA, he transformed a small student group into one of the country's largest conservative youth organizations in record time. His life was tragically cut short on September 10, 2025, at the age of 31.
Source:
CNN
Childhood and Family
Charles James Kirk was born on October 14, 1993, in Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb in Illinois, and grew up in nearby Prospect Heights. His mother worked as a mental health counselor, while his father was an architect.From an early age, Charlie showed natural leadership qualities and drive – he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout. Even in high school at Wheeling High School, the future political activist showed his true colors. As a senior, Kirk organized a campaign against rising cookie prices in the school cafeteria – it might seem trivial, but it revealed his willingness to fight for what he believed was right.
Education
After high school, Kirk briefly enrolled at Harper College but dropped out to dedicate himself fully to political activism. This decision changed the entire course of his life.Later, in 2015, during a Silicon Valley speaking engagement, Kirk shared that he'd applied to the United States Military Academy at West Point but wasn't accepted. He claimed the spot he believed was rightfully his went to a "far less qualified candidate of a different gender and orientation." This statement later became part of his criticism of diversity policies.
However, Kirk did eventually earn a degree while already an established activist. In 2019, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Liberty University.
Career
Kirk's political career kicked off during his high school years. In 2010, he worked on Mark Kirk's (no relation, just a shared surname) U.S. Senate campaign.In 2012, as a high school senior, he wrote a column for right-wing media outlet Breitbart News, arguing that students were being brainwashed by textbooks with a liberal bias. The piece caught attention and led to appearances on Fox Business Network and speaking gigs at nearby colleges.
Founding Turning Point USA
In May 2012, 18-year-old Charlie Kirk delivered a speech at Youth Government Day at Benedictine University. Impressed by the presentation, retired marketing entrepreneur and Tea Party activist Bill Montgomery advised Kirk to skip college and dive into politics full-time.A month later, the day after Kirk graduated high school, they launched the nonprofit organization Turning Point USA. Montgomery became Kirk's mentor and worked behind the scenes, handling the organization's paperwork and setup.
At the 2012 Republican National Convention, Kirk met Republican donor Foster Friess and convinced him to fund their organization. This became the turning point – with reliable financing, TPUSA began expanding rapidly.
Soon, TPUSA had a presence on over 3,500 high school and college campuses nationwide, boasting more than 250,000 student members and over 450 full-time and part-time staff. The organization became the largest and fastest-growing conservative youth activist group in the U.S.
Kirk expanded the organization's influence through initiatives like Professor Watchlist and School Board Watchlist. Activists worked to get professors fired or silenced for expressing views that Turning Point opposed.
Kirk became the youngest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention and the opening speaker at the 2020 convention. His phrase "big government sucks" made him a household name across the country.
From October 2020 until his death, Kirk hosted a daily three-hour talk show called The Charlie Kirk Show on Salem Media's radio channel "The Answer." According to internal Turning Point USA data, Kirk's podcast was downloaded between 500,000 and 750,000 times daily in 2024.
He also launched related projects including Turning Point Endowment, Turning Point Action, and Turning Point Faith, actively expanding his media presence through his own show Charlie Kirk Today on Trinity Broadcasting Network, his radio program on The Answer, and a popular YouTube channel with over 3.8 million subscribers.
Political Views and Initiatives
Kirk was known for his hardline conservative positions. He opposed gun control, abortion rights, and LGBTQ+ rights, criticized the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Martin Luther King Jr., and promoted Christian nationalism.During debates organized by Jubilee Media, Kirk argued that there might be situations where abortion could be medically necessary if the mother's life was at risk. However, he also maintained that abortion is murder and opposed exceptions for rape victims.
Kirk actively campaigned against school diversity & inclusion programs, supported expanded gun rights, condemned aid to Ukraine as an unnecessary expense for the US, and insisted on prioritizing America's domestic problems.
Kirk had particularly close ties with Donald Trump. He was considered one of Trump's most loyal media allies, regularly attending Republican events and serving as a featured speaker at Trump campaign rallies.
On January 5, 2021, one day before the Washington protests that led to the January 6 Capitol riot, Kirk tweeted that Turning Point Action and Students for Trump were "sending 80+ buses full of patriots to DC to fight for this president."
Charlie Kirk's Personal Life
In May 2021, Charlie Kirk married Erica Frantzve, a businesswoman, podcaster, and philanthropist who won Miss Arizona 2012. They met at a Turning Point USA event in 2018. Kirk recalled that after a "very, very long dinner," he knew she was "the one."
Source:
@charliekirk1776
The couple had two children: a daughter in August 2022 and a son in May 2024. They worked hard to keep their children's names and faces off social media. "We have a girl and a boy, and it's nobody's business what their names are or what they look like," Kirk said.
Interestingly, before the early 2020s, Kirk was described as secular and critical of religious influence on politics and government. "We have separation of church and state, and we should maintain that," Kirk told Dave Rubin in 2018.
Murder
On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was shot at an event he was hosting at Utah Valley University. Shortly after noon, someone in the crowd fired at him, hitting him in the neck, and fled the scene.The great and even legendary Charlie Kirk is dead. No one understood or felt the heart of America's youth better than Charlie. He was loved and respected by ALL, especially me, and now he's gone. Melania and I extend our condolences to his beautiful wife Erica and family. Charlie, we love you!
Interesting Facts
- In 2018, he was included in Forbes' "30 Under 30" list of rising young entrepreneurs.
- By age 28, Charlie had appeared on Fox News, FOX Business News, and CNBC more than a thousand times combined.