Days after his assassination in front of thousands of students at Utah State University, there was no mention of the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at the 2025 Emmy Awards.
The absence of any recognition of the controversial figure, whose killing has upended American politics, drew some criticism from conservative commentators and fans of Kirk. The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards took place at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday evening – around the same time a televised memorial service to Kirk was held in Washington D.C. at which senior republican figures paid tribute.
While Kirk did not work in the industry - and as such would not qualify for the In Memoriam section recognising people who had died in the last year - other political causes were mentioned during the evening Sunday, including ICE and Gaza. A number of high profile actors, including former Parks and Recreation star Chris Pratt, have previously spoken out about the influencer’s killing.
Several actors and celebrities highlighted their support for the Palestinian people during the course of the night, including Javier Bardem who wore a keffiyeh on the red carpet and gave an interview saying he would not work with anyone “who justifies or supports the genocide” in Gaza.
Hacks actor Megan Stalter wore a purse with “Ceasefire!” written on it, and her co-star star Hannah Einbinder, who picked up the award for best supporting actress in a comedy, ended her acceptance speech with: “F*** ICE and free Palestine!”
Kirk’s supporters took to X to express their disgust that Kirk wasn’t acknowledged during the broadcast.
“Yeah he’s not an actor, but he was an activist and had a TV presence - and he was just assassinated 5 days ago,” one wrote on X.
Another added: “So they decided to be non-political this year... is why NO Moment of Silence for Charlie Kirk at the #Emmys. What a joke Hollywood has become.
“I’m sure ratings will be at the lowest levels again... find out tomorrow.”
Ahead of the Emmys, its host, the Christian comedian Nate Bargatze, said he would not make the show political, and that that had been the plan even before the fatal shooting of Kirk.
Asked ahead of the event how political his role in the awards would be, the 46-year-old told Entertainment Weekly: “Not at all. I know there's heartbreaking stuff that's been happening right now, but I want this night to be an escape and I think that's why I was brought on.”
Acknowledging Kirk’s killing as "the saddest thing in the world," Bargatze added there were no last-minute script changes needed in the wake of his death since "we were never really gonna do anything [political] to begin with."
Writing in The Hollywood Reporter, journalist James Hibberd suggested the silence on Kirk may have been a case of: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say something at all,” given the perceived gulf between Kirk’s political views and many of those in attendance.
