Former ‘Playmate’ Jenny McCarthy says Charlie Kirk’s death ‘broke’ her

Television host Jenny McCarthy says Charlie Kirk’s assassination sparked a spiritual awakening for many people — including herself.

In a Dec. 11 interview with podcast host Alex Clark, the “Masked Singer” judge and former Playboy Playmate discussed her political shift to the right, her involvement in the Make America Healthy Again movement, and the personal impact Kirk’s life and death had on her.

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.

McCarthy said Kirk’s courage and willingness to speak openly about his views, even while facing threats, left a lasting impression on her.

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“It was so sad because the work he was doing was so good,” she said. “And it’s amazing to me how people really do have two realities, because there’s a certain group of people in the world that were fed only one narrative of Charlie and they really, to be fair to them, they didn’t see the other side. They were fed one narrative and that’s what they believed.”

She said part of the reason his death affected her so deeply is that she has faced backlash for her activism, which she said has taken a toll on her career.

McCarthy recalled the day Kirk was shot, describing it as a “dark day” for countless supporters and saying she prayed constantly for his recovery.

“I was so broken,” she said. “When he was shot, I prayed and prayed and prayed, and then I called like every doctor I possibly could, saying tell me that this wound is something that could be healed. And you know, I kind of knew it wasn’t. It was such a dark day. It is still a dark time, I think, for so many people.”

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She said she has tried to find meaning in the tragedy, pointing to what she describes as a spiritual “mass awakening” that followed Kirk’s death.

“With every horrible thing, if you find the good, it can help you move forward. Look at the mass awakening. Look at how many people came closer to God, even including myself,” she said.

McCarthy said she was raised Catholic and has always had a strong faith, but Kirk’s death renewed her devotion in a profound way.

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“I’ve always been a follower of Christ, but when he passed, I completely surrendered,” she said. “I am so devoted. I mean, I started Bible study immediately.”

She added that she believed Kirk understood the risks of his activism and that the response to his death showed how widely he was admired.

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“I feel like Charlie knew exactly what he was doing,” she said. “And I know now that he knew the sacrifice he was making and watching his memorial and feeling it. Couldn’t you feel it around the country, you guys, around the world? Like, I felt it the mass awakening.”

Faith leaders told Fox News Digital in September that they have seen rising church attendance and increased faith engagement among college students nationwide, which some attributed to the “Charlie Kirk Effect.”

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Bible sales also jumped 36% in September from the previous year, following his assassination, according to sales data cited by the Wall Street Journal.