Transcription
Not a political commentator and college freshman, Brillan Hollyand. And he is a close friend of Charlie, and he's been in touch with the Kirk family all day long.
Um, Brillin, thanks for being with us here today. Brian, you've been with me before. Brian, I, I apologize first of all for mispronunciation. I also am very sorry for this day. I know you have a relationship with Charlie and his family, and I'm glad you could be with us here today. Um, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Well, thank you for having me. Um, extremely heartbroken, extremely shaken up. Charlie Kirk was one of my closest friends in this business, in a business where you don't have a lot of friends, that seems so lonely at times. Um, Charlie Kirk was my mentor. I've talked to him just in the last two days. He was so excited about going to Utah. So excited to get back on college campuses. Um, Charlie Kirk was a walking, talking beacon of hope. Will, I know you know that. And, and I want to be really clear to your audience that the only reason that Donald Trump is sitting in the Oval Office this afternoon is because of Charlie Kirk and because of Charlie Kirk's tireless work ethic.
Charlie and I first met in the fourth grade when I started my podcast. And not a lot of people wanted to go on a fourth grader's podcast, but Charlie took a chance on me when he didn't have to. Uh, and I, I want to tell you my favorite Charlie story that just kind of brought a smile to my face a moment ago as I was thinking of it again. Um, I asked Charlie after the interview. I said, "Charlie, you're such a huge figure. What advice do you have for an 11-year-old like me?" And he said, "Brian, the left may have all the money in the world, but they can never outwork me. I will wake up as early as I need to. I will stay up as late as I need to, and I will never stop fighting for this country." And that was so many years ago.
And we'll spend this week remembering Charlie and remembering his legacy. And a lot of people have a lot of things to say about the impact that Charlie had on this nation and on the youth movement and getting Gen Z off the sidelines. But I just want your audience right now, right now, to remember Charlie as a family man, as a man who, even during the election cycles, all of us were criss-crossing the nation, still took the time to take the Sabbath, still took the time to turn his phone off on Sundays, to go to church with his kids, to go to church with his wife. And those are the people I'm thinking of right now. His, his amazing wife Erica, his two young children.
Well, what do you say to them now? Do you say that Dad went to speak on a college campus, a place of free expression, and he never came home? And, and you know this, I've been with Charlie at dozens of these speeches. He goes and he opens a microphone and the first thing that he says to his audience is, "If you disagree with me, come to the front of the line. Please have a conversation." This person that clearly disagreed with him could have saved all this by talking. Well, if anything, I hope that this pisses us off so much that we start talking again because I'm outraged that we are living in a nation where civil discourse is bygone. And, and if anything, Charlie would want us to have conversations because that's what he lived his life to be.
Wonderful sentiments, brother. It really is. Um, and, uh, you're absolutely right. The, the thing to remember in this moment is exactly how I think Charlie would want to be remembered, and that is as a family man. And our thoughts and our prayers are with Erica and his two children. And he was a man of God, Charlie. He was a believer. Um, and as a previous guest said, that should give us some solace of hope and some, some peace about where Charlie is today. Um, his destination was always known. He knew it, and that's now where Charlie is.
It's also an incredible story that you share with us, really quickly, Brillin, about, um, fourth grade, uh, a podcast. That's incredible. And Charlie Kirk appears on your podcast. Tell me about the role he played for you as a mentor.
Yeah. Again, somebody that didn't have to do that. He was on Fox News every other hour that year. He didn't have to make time for me as an 11-year-old with this upcoming podcast in the fourth grade to come on and join me. But he did. And not only was it a one-time thing, I've interviewed hundreds of people that I've never talked to again. He stayed a mentor. And he texted me up until this week when I was on another Fox show, congratulating me. Like, he didn't have to do that. He could have viewed me as competition. He could have, have said, "Oh, I'm not going to give this kid time." But he did. And, and what I think the larger theme here is, the left loves to preach tolerance. They love to preach tolerance. And in situations like this, that's the last thing we're seeing. The media coverage on the other side of the aisle is not like this.
I was just scrolling through channels and obviously the person that took this live. This is heartbreaking, Will, and I really hope if anything that people get off the sidelines this weekend. I'm going to a youth rally in South Carolina and you better believe that I've already had my team shoot me texts saying, "Brian, you really need to caution this. You really need to think about not standing in the middle of a park and, and speak to the next generation." But I am more energized than ever to carry on this torch, to carry on this legacy because that's what Charlie would have wanted. He would have wanted us to continue to fight the good fight just like he did.
No doubt, Ryland. No doubt. Thank you so much. Our thoughts and sentiment are with you as well today.