Jillian Michaels said Charlie Kirk welcomed engagement across ideological lines and urged Americans to reject demonization and violence in the wake of his death.
In a column published by the Daily Mail, Michaels recalled being invited by Kirk to speak at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit in Tampa and described moments that, she said, revealed his commitment to dialogue. "Fortify your minds with different perspectives. The vision you have for yourself—and for the world—requires cooperation. You're not just fighting to win an argument; you're fighting to win people over. And you do that by truly listening to understand," she quoted herself telling the audience, describing those words as aligned with Kirk’s approach.
Michaels, a fitness entrepreneur who said she did not agree with Kirk on all issues, wrote that he often reached across the aisle, inviting dissenting voices onto his podcast and sharing posts from people outside his usual base. She described a personal anecdote in which her young son flew to a Turning Point event to meet Kirk; despite a demanding schedule she said included what she believed to be a fourth consecutive 14-hour day, Kirk took time to talk with the child, take a photo and make him feel special.
Michaels wrote that Kirk, 31, spoke directly to young men at a time when many feel vilified, urging responsibility, faith, family and stewardship rather than dominance. She said he framed patriotism as gratitude for freedom and a call to preserve it for future generations. She added that Kirk was a husband, son and father, and cited his wife, Erika Frantzve, and their children — a three-year-old daughter and a 16-month-old son — as central to the values he carried into public life.
The column placed Kirk’s approach in contrast to what Michaels characterized as a contemporary political culture that profits from outrage and othering. She argued that when public discourse strips people of their humanity by labeling them with terms such as "Nazi," "racist" or "fascist," it can make violence against them more likely in some minds. Michaels wrote that outrage mobilizes, saying that "outrage pays" and warning that the practice risks eroding democratic norms and safety.
Michaels urged readers to resist returning hate for hate and to demand better from leaders and institutions. She called for engagement across divides, insisting that listening is a form of courage and that dialogue is necessary to preserve democratic discourse. "We cannot answer hate with hate, nor can we surrender to it," she wrote. She added that most people on both left and right want the same core things: safety, opportunity, dignity and a future for their children.
The column concluded with a personal appeal to honor Kirk’s memory through action rather than division. "Rest in peace, Charlie. May we honor you not only in memory, but in action—by carrying forward the best of what you stood for," Michaels wrote.
Michaels’s comments come amid renewed debate about political rhetoric and safety for public figures. Her piece frames Kirk’s outreach and outreach’s limits as part of a broader argument for civility in public life and a rejection of demonizing language that she said contributes to a climate in which violence becomes conceivable.
The Daily Mail published Michaels’s column on the same day commentators and public figures continued to react to Kirk’s death, with calls from some for reduced demonization in political discourse and for renewed emphasis on listening and persuasion rather than dehumanization.