Stephen Colbert condemned the shooting of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday night’s episode of “The Late Show.” His statement came in a pre-taped segment that aired before the opening credits ran as normal.
“Good evening, everybody,” a solemn Colbert said. “After our scripts for tonight’s show were finished, we learned that Charlie Kirk, a prominent right-wing activist, was killed at a speaking engagement in Utah. Our condolences go out to his family and all of his loved ones. I am old enough to personally remember the political violence of the 1960s, and I hope it is obvious to everyone in America that political violence does not solve any of our political differences. Political violence only leads to more political violence. And I pray with all my heart that this is the aberrant action of a madman and not a sign of things to come. And now, ladies and gentlemen, the show that we had prepared for you.”
Kirk died on Wednesday after he was shot at a college event in Utah. He was 31.
Colbert isn’t the only late-night host to speak out against Kirk’s shooting. Jimmy Kimmel took to Instagram to demand an end to “the angry finger pointing” in the wake of the incident.
“Can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” Kimmel wrote. “On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”
Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death on Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon. In his post, he wrote, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”