Stephen A. Smith Condemns Leftists Celebrating Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith stepped outside his usual lane this week to deliver a powerful message after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, blasting those who mocked or celebrated the killing as morally bankrupt.
Speaking on Mad Dog Sports Radio, Smith described the horror of the shooting at Utah Valley University where Kirk, a 31-year-old husband and father of two, was gunned down in broad daylight while addressing students.
“We saw this man speaking … and we saw him struck by a bullet in his neck,” Smith said. “A 31-year-old father of two was gunned down in front of his wife and children. And the horror of it transcends politics. It’s about a life lost — a husband, a father, a fellow American — executed for simply expressing his beliefs.”
Smith made clear that partisan politics should not matter when confronting such an atrocity. “I don’t care what his political beliefs were. I don’t care what he felt. I care about the fact that a man was gunned down in front of two of his children who are 5 years of age or less. That his wife is a widow. That his children are fatherless because his ideas and his beliefs differed from somebody else.”
Turning his attention to those online who celebrated Kirk’s death, Smith condemned them in no uncertain terms. “Shame. Shame on you,” he declared. He warned that such reactions represent a dangerous shift in America’s moral compass.
“At some point in time, we got to remember that there’s far more love in this world than hate and not allow evil and hate to dominate us and to strip us of what truly makes us the greatest nation in the world,” Smith said. “Someone forgot about that yesterday and murdered Charlie Kirk. Others forgot about it by parading online and celebrating an evil, vile occurrence.”
Smith emphasized that humanity must come before politics. “He’s gone at 31 just because he expressed thoughts that differed from somebody else. Some might blame it because he was friends with the president and they may not be a Donald Trump supporter. I’m saying bump all that. He’s a human being living in the United States of America. We’re not supposed to condone stuff like this. We’re not supposed to say it’s okay.”
The ESPN personality, proud of his journey and platform, said he experiences daily moments of unity that remind him of what America should be. “I see people looking at me and smiling and saying, ‘What’s up, Stephen?’ and they don’t look anything like me. And I don’t care — because they’re showing me love, and I’m showing it right back.”
In his closing words, Smith urged Americans to reject hate and remember the value of life. “I don’t give a damn who you are. Black, white, or anything in between. You’re a human being. That’s your fellow man and fellow woman out there.”
Read more: NBA Writer Fired After Series of Controversial Posts on Charlie Kirk’s Assassination