{"id":2024042,"date":"2025-09-15T16:40:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T16:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2024042"},"modified":"2025-09-15T16:40:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T16:40:18","slug":"rfk-jr-calls-charlie-kirk-his-soulmate-at-massive-kennedy-center-vigil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/rfk-jr-calls-charlie-kirk-his-soulmate-at-massive-kennedy-center-vigil\/","title":{"rendered":"RFK Jr. Calls Charlie Kirk His &#8216;Soulmate&#8217; at Massive Kennedy Center Vigil"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Robert F. Kennedy Jr. paid tribute to Charlie Kirk after the conservative media pundit was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at an engagement in Utah<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While at the Kennedy Center on Sept. 14, RFK Jr. described Kirk as his &#8220;spiritual brother&#8221; and &#8220;soulmate,&#8221; adding that he was central to his &#8220;unification&#8221; with President Donald Trump<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kirk&#8217;s funeral will take place on Sept. 21, and Trump is expected to attend<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/robert-kennedy-jr\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Robert F. Kennedy Jr.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> felt a special bond with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/charlie-kirk-what-to-know-11807589\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Charlie Kirk;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Charlie Kirk<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The 71-year-old health secretary commemorated the 31-year-old conservative media pundit \u2014 who was <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/charlie-kirk-dead-utah-college-shooting-11807587\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:fatally shot;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">fatally shot<\/a> on Wednesday, Sept. 10 \u2014 during a Sunday, Sept. 14, ceremony at the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/donald-trump-floats-new-kennedy-center-name-11789305\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kennedy Center;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Kennedy Center<\/a> in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">RFK Jr. opened his speech with an anecdote about his 17-year-old niece getting ready to attend college in Europe. He said that she packed a Bible and told her mom that she wanted &#8220;to live like Charlie Kirk.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;There are millions and millions of kids around the country who he inspired who now want to live with Charlie Kirk. And that&#8217;s a great thing for our country,&#8221; RFK Jr. told the cheering audience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He continued, recalling meeting Kirk in 2001 and saying that they rapidly became &#8220;soulmates.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I think we approached each other with a lot of trepidation at that time,&#8221; he admitted, adding that it didn&#8217;t last long. &#8220;We were spiritual brothers, and we were friends.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After crediting Kirk for being &#8220;the primary architect of my unification with President Trump,&#8221; the politician shared a serious conversation that they had about death and the risks of living in the public eye.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He said that they &#8220;were talking about the danger that we both faced from challenging entrenched interests.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\">\n<p>AP Photo\/Rod Lamkey, Jr.<\/p>\n<p> Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;And he asked me if I was scared to die. I said to him, &#8216;There&#8217;s a lot worse things than dying,&#8217; &#8221; adding that &#8220;chief among them is losing our constitutional rights and having our children raised in slavery. And I said to him at that time, I said, &#8216;Sometimes our only consolation is that we can die with our boots on. We can die fighting for these things.&#8217; &#8220;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">RFK Jr. highlighted Kirk&#8217;s dedication to &#8220;free speech,&#8221; saying that he viewed it as &#8220;intertwined&#8221; with his faith.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;He thought conversation was the only way we were going to heal our country, that we had to learn to talk to each other without vitriol, without poison, without anger. We had to be able to listen to ideas. We had to be able to say what we mean without being mean and to talk to each other across this divide. It&#8217;s the only way to end the polarization that&#8217;s driven now by these algorithms and by all these other forces in our society,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On the topic of loss, he said that he spoke to his mom, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/ethel-kennedy-dies-complications-stroke-7502928\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Ethel Kennedy;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Ethel Kennedy<\/a>, about the 1984 death of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/all-about-ethel-kennedy-robert-f-kennedy-children-7557923\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:his brother David;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">his brother David<\/a>, sharing wisdom that he learned from her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I asked her, I said, &#8216;Does the hole that they leave in you when they die, does it ever get any smaller?&#8217; And she said, &#8216;No. It never gets any smaller, but our job is to build ourselves bigger around the hole.&#8217; We do that by taking the best virtues and character traits of the person that we lost and using discipline and restraint and practice integrating those character traits into our own character. And in doing that, we make ourselves larger, and the hole gets proportionally smaller. And we also give the person a kind of immortality because the best parts of them are now living on us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Concluding, RFK Jr. said, &#8220;Charlie gave his life so that the rest of us would not have to suffer those fates worse than death. Now it&#8217;s our job. He&#8217;s no longer [here] to lead us, to rush in and fill the breach and win this battle for our country, for God and for our families.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Roger Askew\/Shutterstock\u00a0 Charlie Kirk\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/2OAkDutOcJzTm9BsJwpGFQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/46730ec3469c4cc43fd23c0495e8ce99\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\">\n<p>Roger Askew\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n<p> Charlie Kirk<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:PEOPLE's free daily newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"> PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when he was <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/charlie-kirk-shot-from-building-200-yards-away-11807765\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:shot in the neck;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">shot in the neck<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After an extended manhunt, 22-year-old <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tyler-robinson-charlie-kirk-suspect-allegedly-confessed-to-family-gov-says-11808850\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Tyler Robinson was arrested;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Tyler Robinson was arrested<\/a> as a suspect in the case on Friday, Sept. 12.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to reporting by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/09\/15\/politics\/charlie-kirk-memorial-arizona-security\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:CNN;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">celebrity.land<\/a>, Kirk&#8217;s funeral will take place on Sunday, Sept. 21 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. President <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Donald Trump;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Donald Trump<\/a> is expected to attend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/rfk-jr-calls-charlie-kirk-his-soulmate-at-massive-kennedy-center-vigil-11809926\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source uk.news.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW Robert F. Kennedy Jr. paid tribute to Charlie Kirk after the conservative media pundit was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at an engagement in Utah While at the Kennedy Center on Sept. 14, RFK Jr. described Kirk as his &#8220;spiritual brother&#8221; and &#8220;soulmate,&#8221; adding that he was central to his [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2024043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[340116,372464,312609,309938,133047],"class_list":["post-2024042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-charlie-kirk","tag-conservative-media","tag-kennedy-center","tag-president-donald-trump","tag-robert-f-kennedy-jr"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/RFK-Jr-Calls-Charlie-Kirk-His-Soulmate-at-Massive-Kennedy.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2024042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2024042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2024042\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2024043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2024042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2024042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2024042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}