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Riley Gaines mourned the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who she called “a friend and mentor,” in a lengthy, emotional video in which she condemned the act of political violence against the popular conservative activist.
Gaines, the host of OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls” podcast and a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer, shared her thoughts in a video posted by OutKick Thursday. The video came after the killing of Kirk, who was fatally struck by a single bullet during a speaking event on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah, prior to the assassination. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
“I’ve lost a friend, a mentor, the person I go to,” Gaines began. “The intellectual mind and genius that is Charlie Kirk, the generational talent, I truthfully believe that his impact alone as one person and what he’s been able to do through Turning Point, which I’m a very very proud contributor of, I talk about it on this show all the time, what he’s been able to do is transform a nation, revive a culture. A culture of young people, people just like me.”
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Gaines, who sat alongside Kirk for the “American Comeback Tour” event at San Francisco State University in May, mourned for Kirk’s wife and two young children.
“I lost a friend and a mentor, Erika lost her husband, I can’t help but think about her. This is one of the most kind and compassionate women you can possibly imagine. This was her greatest fear, I mean we had talked about it. This is her greatest fear, I won’t go into the details there, two children lost their father. They will be haunted forever by the videos that can’t be scrubbed from social media.”
Like many who have spoken out on social media following the assassination, Gaines called the lack of tolerance for open discourse in the U.S.
Allison Hemingway-Witty cries after Charlie Kirk is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
TIMELINE OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION
“This nation has lost the best and most effective, most influential activist it’s ever had and I’m not even just talking about a conservative activist. I’m talking about on both sides,” she said, later adding, “We don’t have to live like this. We shouldn’t have to live like this, in fear of speaking the truth – raw and unfiltered.”
Gaines said that despite the tragedy of Kirk’s killing, her shared faith values with Kirk have kept her “grounded.”
“I’m so grateful, that’s really like the thing keeping me is – any amount of grounded – is knowing that Charlie knew Jesus. Knowing that he was a man who fought for the hope and the promise of eternal life, nothing of this world mattered to Charlie. Of course he loved his family, of course he loved this nation, he loved the truth, but he was fighting for eternal life and so my message to everyone listening is this: Is to take up the cross, is to live a life like Charlie Kirk did, to live a Christ-like life.”
Riley Gaines gives a speech at Penn State. (Riley Gaines)
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Gaines went on to commend Kirk for his willingness “to go into the belly of the beast” and speak out about the values he cared about.
Police confirmed Friday that a suspect in Kirk’s killing was arrested. He was identified as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox stated that a family member of Robinson’s contacted a family friend who then reached out to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office “with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident.”
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