Brantley Gilbert Holds Moment of Silence For Charlie Kirk

Brantley Gilbert led his crowd in a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk during his set at Maryland’s Great Frederick Fair on Friday night (Sept. 12.)

“How powerful was silence,” he reflected as the moment concluded. “But how powerful is the freedom of speech.”

In addition to that reverential tribute, Gilbert had one more thing he wanted to get off his chest.

He spoke about the different viewpoints that have been circulating the Internet since Kirk was fatally shot on Wednesday (Sept. 10), and said he was troubled by the faction of people who have celebrated or made light of the incident.

“I don’t. care if you’re left, right, Black, white, who you wanna be today or tomorrow, whatever the f–k,” Gilbert continued, “You never celebrate an act of cowardice like that.”

He also promised to step in if he ever saw any of that behavior in real life.

“If you’re one of those people that poked fun or celebrated his death in the last few days, I hope for your sake you don’t make the mistake of doing that in front of men like me,” the singer continued.

Gilbert saved his strongest condemnations for the people who would pick up a gun and shoot someone they disagree with, as well as those who perpetrate mass shootings at schools.

A mass shooting at Colorado’s Evergreen High School took place the same day that Kirk was assassinated.

Gilbert’s message to those “cowardly” enough to commit such crimes was simple: “I hope you meet Jesus by any means necessarily.”

Why Would People Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Death?

Kirk, a conservative commentator and the founder of Turning Points USA, held and widely proclaimed viewpoints that many saw as hate speech.

Per The Guardian, Kirk opposed the Civil Rights Act, condemned a supposed Democrat goal of making the U.S. “less white” and once said that Black women “do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously” without affirmative action initiatives.

Reuters reports that Kirk often took strong stances on divisive issues: He frequently espoused anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-immigration viewpoints, and claimed that liberals were using Islam to destroy America.

He was staunchly anti-abortion, and said in 2024 that if he had a 10-year-old daughter who got pregnant via rape, he would force her to carry the pregnancy to term.

In the wake of his death, many social media users highlighted one particular quote on gun violence that Kirk gave in 2023. That statement was that it was “worth it” for the country to have “some gun deaths” each year, in order to preserve the integrity of the second amendment.

Kirk was polarizing. To those that agreed with his viewpoints, he was beloved for his energy, his conviction, his faith and his method of engaging with America’s youth.

But many disagreed with him so staunchly, they openly supported his death.

What Consequences Are People Facing For Allegedly Celebrating Kirk’s Death?

On Sunday (Sept. 14), CNN reported that some people have been fired from their jobs for allegedly celebrating Kirk’s death online.

An anonymously-registered site called “Expose Charlie’s Murderers” is dedicated to amassing social media messages celebrating Kirk’s death, with the intent of exposing the posters so that their employers can fire them.

The website proclaims itself to be “the largest firing operation in history,” and says it has received over 30,000 submissions as of Sunday (Sept. 14.)

In Nashville, a Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) employee was fired after allegedly writing publicly that they had “ZERO sympathy” for Kirk’s death.

Other companies confirmed to have terminated employment relationships with people for allegedly celebrating the assassination include the Carolina Panthers and Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, per CNN.

How Did Charlie Kirk Die?

Kirk was fatally shot during a public speaking event on Wednesday (Sept. 10) at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was 31 years old.

The event was part of Kirk’s American Comeback Tour. In the moments before his death, Kirk was in a dialogue with an audience member over mass shootings in America.

He is survived by his wife, Erika Franztve Kirk, and two young children.

On Friday, U.S. president Donald Trump announced that a suspect named Tyler Robinson was in custody.