Bill Maher has denounced the online mockery and justification of the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, calling it a “very ugly week in America with violence of all kinds.” During his monologue on HBO’s Real Time, Maher criticised those who celebrated Kirk’s death, stating: “The people who mocked his death or justified it, I think you’re gross. I have no use for you.”
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University. He died shortly after, and President Donald Trump announced his death on Truth Social, later pledging to award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was described by Maher as a “stay-at-home son” who “acted alone.”
Maher also condemned the broader political climate, noting that both sides engage in inflammatory rhetoric. “The only way this starts to get better is if both sides admit, ‘OK, let’s not have this debate about who started it. Let’s not debate about who’s worse because, plainly, both sides do it now,’” he said.
The host criticised social media as a “cancer” for amplifying divisive comments. He referenced Kirk’s own past remarks, including that “empathy is a made-up, new age term,” which some online invoked to justify his killing. Maher warned that such attitudes fuel political violence, which has risen in the US, including recent assassinations and attacks on politicians.
