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What did Charlie Kirk call Martin Luther king
Executive Summary
Charlie Kirk publicly attacked Martin Luther King Jr. on multiple occasions, calling him “awful,” saying he was “not a good person,” and asserting King was “not worthy of a national holiday” or “godlike status.” These claims are documented in audio and contemporaneous reporting: early January 2024 reporting captured Kirk’s lines about King being “not worthy” of a holiday [1], while verified audio from a December 2023 America Fest speech later authenticated by fact-checkers and journalists records Kirk saying “MLK was awful. He’s not a good person” and that King “said one good thing he actually didn’t believe” [2] [3]. Below is a focused, sourced analysis that extracts the core claims, traces reporting and verification, and places the statements in political and chronological context.
1. What Kirk actually said — the blunt quotations that circulated
Reporting and audio evidence establish two related but distinct sets of quotes attributed to Charlie Kirk. In mid-January 2024 coverage, Kirk was quoted saying Martin Luther King Jr. “is not worthy of a national holiday” and “is not worthy of godlike status,” framing his objection as harmful hero-worship [1]. Separate reporting and later verification of an audio recording from a December 2023 Turning Point America Fest event captured more explicit language: Kirk said, “MLK was awful. He’s not a good person. He said one good thing he actually didn’t believe.” Snopes and other outlets later confirmed the audio’s authenticity after journalist William Turton provided the recording [2] [3]. These two clusters of remarks form the factual basis for the dispute.
2. How those quotes were verified and who reported them
The trajectory from initial reporting to verification shows independent steps. Media Matters published an account in January 2024 highlighting Kirk’s remarks about King being unworthy of a holiday and “godlike status” [1]. Later, investigative reporting secured an audio recording of Kirk’s December 2023 America Fest remarks; that recording was provided to fact-checkers and journalists and used to confirm the more direct line that “MLK was awful” and “he’s not a good person” [2] [3]. Fact-check write-ups and verification pieces in September 2025 reiterated the direct quotes after reviewing the audio; those pieces make clear the shift from an initial paraphrase to a confirmed verbatim statement [2] [3]. The evidence chain moves from reported paraphrase to authenticated audio.
3. A short timeline showing how the narrative developed
The timeline begins with Kirk’s December 2023 America Fest speech where the most inflammatory quotes were reportedly made; audio later surfaced. Media coverage in January 2024 emphasized comments about King not being worthy of a national holiday and criticized the “godlike” public status afforded to King [1]. Journalists continued examining the remarks; by September 2025, multiple fact-checks and reporting pieces had access to and corroborated the audio that recorded the direct “MLK was awful” wording [2] [3]. The narrative therefore evolved from initial reporting of Kirk’s criticisms to audio-backed confirmation nearly two years after the speech, illustrating how verification unfolded across separate reporting cycles [1] [2] [3].
4. How different outlets framed and contextualized Kirk’s remarks
Different outlets emphasized different elements: some highlighted the attack on King’s character and worthiness of a holiday as a cultural critique [1], while others focused on the rawness of the language—labeling King “awful” and “not a good person”—and the implications of airing such claims on a high-profile conservative stage [2] [3]. Fact-checkers concentrated on verifying the audio verbatim and confirming who had access to the recording [2]. Advocacy and partisan organizations amplified or condemned the remarks according to their agendas: outlets aligned with civil-rights defenders emphasized harm and offense, while Kirk’s base framed the comments as part of a broader effort to reexamine historical narratives [4] [5]. These framing choices reflect distinct institutional priorities and audience signaling.
5. What is settled, what remains open, and why this matters
It is settled that Charlie Kirk publicly denounced Martin Luther King Jr. using the phrases documented above: calling King “awful,” asserting he was “not a good person,” and arguing King was “not worthy of a national holiday” or “godlike status,” with audio verification supporting the most explicit quotes [1] [2] [3]. Open questions concern Kirk’s broader intent and whether the remarks represent a tactical campaign to “discredit” King timed to King’s birthday, as some reporting suggested Kirk planned content to challenge mainstream narratives [4]. The dispute matters because the statements touch on national memory, political strategy, and how public figures use provocative reinterpretations of historical leaders to rally or polarize constituencies; the documented quotes and their verification are therefore significant beyond mere rhetorical provocation [4] [5].