High school and college students have posted videos on TikTok and Instagram mocking the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on the one-year anniversary of his death. The videos, which appear to celebrate Kirk's killing, have been widely shared and criticized.
Kirk, a prominent conservative commentator, was fatally shot in the neck on the University of Utah campus on September 10, 2025, during a Turning Point USA event. The anniversary of his death saw the emergence of several online posts featuring students performing dance reenactments that mimic the fatal shooting.
One video shared on TikTok featured students simulating neck cracks, a nod to Kirk's involuntary reaction to the gunshot. The caption for this video read, "happy kirkaversary to those who celebrate." Another video, posted by Libs of TikTok, showed a young girl mimicking a gunshot with finger guns, prompting her peers to perform a choreographed dance.
The choreography in some of these videos is reportedly set to a mash-up of the post-mortem anthem "We Are Charlie Kirk" by Spalexma and Soulja Boy's 2007 hit "Crank That." This audio mix is used as a soundtrack for the students' reenactments.
Naima Troutt, a 24-year-old influencer who gained online recognition after a 2022 debate with Kirk, also posted a video on Instagram on September 10. Troutt's video used a mix of live audio from Kirk's final moments and a rap song. She is seen mouthing Kirk's last words, "counting or not counting gang violence," before snapping her head to the right as a gunshot sound effect plays. The video then transitions to Troutt winking and giving a peace sign while wearing a dress featuring an illustration of the Virgin Mary. Troutt captioned the post, "This is how i grieve, leave me alone."
Thousands of commentators on Instagram criticized Troutt for her actions, with one user calling the video "sick and disgusting" and questioning the lack of humanization towards those with opposing views. Troutt did not respond to requests for comment.
Reports also indicated that students at Georgetown University and the University of South Carolina allegedly planned to hold "Charlie Kirk lookalike contests" on the anniversary of his death. However, both universities stated that no official student-organized events of this nature took place.