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What exactly did Charlie Kirk say about African American women and when were the remarks made?

Checked on November 21, 2025
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Executive summary

Charlie Kirk publicly said that “several prominent Black women do not have brain processing power to be taken really seriously,” a line cited in multiple outlets after his Sept. 10, 2025 shooting and death at Utah Valley University [1] [2]. Reporting and opinion pieces also place that quote among a broader pattern of Kirk remarks about race and gender that journalists and commentators documented in the weeks after his killing [3] [4].

1. What exactly he said — the quoted line and how it circulated

Multiple outlets reproduce the same formulation: that Kirk said “several prominent Black women do not have brain processing power to be taken really seriously.” Snopes summarized the viral claim and traced videos and posts circulating after Kirk’s shooting, and The Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah cited a screenshot of Kirk saying several prominent Black women “do not have brain processing power to be taken really seriously” when defending her own social‑media posts [1] [2]. Opinion pages and advocacy outlets repeated the phrasing as central to critiques of Kirk’s record [5].

2. When and where the remarks are reported to have been made

Available sources do not provide a single on‑the‑record date and program for that exact quoted sentence in the provided collection. Snopes noted viral posts and a Rumble link to a July 13, 2023 clip of Kirk but did not assert that the specific “brain processing power” line originated in that July 2023 video; it treated the line as a circulating claim after the Sept. 10, 2025 shooting [1]. In short: reporting ties the resurfacing of the quote to the aftermath of Kirk’s Sept. 10, 2025 shooting and death, but the precise original date and broadcast context for that exact wording are not identified in the provided reporting [1] [2].

3. Context: how journalists and commentators framed the comment

The Guardian and Irish Times assembled many of Kirk’s incendiary remarks as part of obituaries and roundups of his public statements, placing the “Black women” line within a larger portfolio of racially and sexually charged rhetoric — including phrases like “prowling Blacks” and invocation of “great replacement” themes [3] [6]. CBC cited scholars noting Kirk had “said it’s probably the right call for gay people to be stoned, that Black women aren’t smart enough to hold certain positions,” characterizing the quote as consistent with his prior commentary [4]. Opinion pieces used the line to argue that his rhetoric contributed to a toxic political climate [5].

4. Disagreements, verification efforts and limits of available reporting

Fact‑checking and news outlets documented the circulation of the claim but, in the sample of sources provided, did not publish a definitive provenance chain (original clip timestamped and verified) for the exact “brain processing power” wording; Snopes catalogued related viral posts and videos but focused on evaluating multiple circulating claims without establishing an original broadcast date for that particular sentence [1]. The New York Times, Guardian and others quoted or summarized a range of Kirk statements, but the materials here stop short of identifying a primary source that timestamps the quoted line [7] [3]. Therefore, definitive attribution of when and on which program he first used that exact phrasing is not found in current reporting.

5. Why this matters — agendas and how the quote was used

Journalists and critics used the sentence to illustrate what they described as a pattern in Kirk’s rhetoric; supporters and some outlets emphasized his role as a provocateur and organizer, while critics tied the comment to broader charges of racism and sexism [4] [5]. In the charged aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, social‑media posts, opinion columns and fact‑checks amplified or re‑examined old clips — an environment where context, date‑stamping and provenance become especially important for verifying quotations [1] [7].

6. Bottom line and recommended next steps for verification

Available reporting in this set shows the quote was widely attributed to Kirk and widely cited after his Sept. 10, 2025 shooting, but the exact original airing or posting date for the “brain processing power” line is not documented in the provided sources [1] [2]. If you need a provenance chain (original video, timestamp, and program), consult primary video archives or the full Snopes article and the original reporting cited there — those sources, or broadcasters’ archives, are the next step to confirm the precise moment and context [1].

Want to dive deeper?
What is the full transcript and video source of Charlie Kirk's remarks about African American women?
When and where did Charlie Kirk make the controversial comments, and who else was present?
How have major media outlets and fact-checkers reported on and contextualized Kirk's statements?
What have political leaders and activists said in response to Kirk's remarks about African American women?
Have there been any disciplinary actions, platform responses, or advertiser reactions tied to Kirk's comments?