“We don’t know shit”: Bill Maher shuts down Ben Shapiro’s claim that the man who shot Charlie Kirk was politically left-leaning

The shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University has sparked a wider discussion across the nation about political violence and the tone of public conversations today. On Friday (September 12), Bill Maher went into detail about the incident during his show Real Time on HBO, describing how it led to Kirk's death.

Maher began the show by discussing the broader issue of violence in America. He pointed out the strained atmosphere in Congress and mentioned how lawmakers have reacted. He brought up Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert, who responded during a congressional session with a prayer. The prayer soon turned into a heated back-and-forth with her colleagues about recent school shootings. Maher also brought up President Trump’s remarks on the situation. The President seemed uninterested in calls to bring the country together after the incident.

“It’s a very ugly week in America with violence of all kinds: political violence, regular violence, a lot of people talking about a civil war. And then today in Congress, because Charlie Kirk got assassinated, [Colorado Representative] Lauren Boebert stood up and said, ‘We need to have a prayer.’ So they started to have a silent prayer. And then she started screaming, ‘No! Silent prayers get silent results.’ As if praying out loud gets big results,” Maher expressed. “Then the Democrats started screaming at her that there was a school shooting in her state. I tell you, so far, the civil war is not very civil.”

Maher talked with Ben Shapiro, who started The Daily Wire, and Tim Alberta, a political writer at The Atlantic, during the roundtable.

“Today, they asked the President, ‘What are you going to do to bring the country together?’ And he said, ‘I know this is going to get me in trouble, but I could care less,” Maher continued. “He’s a different kind of cat. His message is, ‘Let the healing stop.'”

Shapiro brought up worries about how younger generations think about political violence. He pointed to a poll that showed many young Americans might view violence as an acceptable reaction to speech. Alberta agreed and said Kirk’s death seems to show how extreme actions are becoming more common in some parts of society.

Shapiro said that a poll showed that “only 57% of Gen Z say there is no excuse for violence in response to speech.”

“There are at least 42% that believe that there are some times that the violence ought to be a response to speech, which is deeply terrifying,” Shapiro said. “I never, honest to God, thought that we were going to get to this point. Even the assassination of political figures is not the same thing as just being shot in the throat for the crime of debating issues in the public square. And I thought wrong.”

Maher highlighted how social media is shaping all of this.

“The governor of the state said, ‘Social media is a cancer,’ which I think is true. When you read some of the comments from people, they really are in such a bubble that they don’t understand that it’s happening on both sides. The only way this starts to get better is if both sides admit, ‘Okay, let’s not have this debate about who started it. Let’s not debate about who’s worse because, plainly, both sides do it now.’ And the right has done it too. A lot,” Maher said.

Shapiro said the kid was “of the political left,” citing The Guardian and Tablet Magazine.

“It’s two days out. We don’t know shit. The internet is undefeated in getting it wrong to begin with,” Maher reacted.

“The assassination of political figures is not the same thing as just being shot in the throat for the crime of debating issues in the public square.”@benshapiro discusses the terrifying reality of Charlie Kirk's assassination with @billmaher - and what it means for our nation. pic.twitter.com/Ny1KXjMdNa

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 13, 2025

Suspect Tyler Robinson arrested in connection to Charlie Kirk shooting

Charlie Kirk, 31, was a known conservative activist who co-founded Turning Point USA, a group that works to get young voters involved. The shooting happened during a debate event, and Kirk was declared dead at the hospital after the attack. Police confirmed they arrested a suspect after an intense search.

Following a large-scale manhunt, US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson had been taken into police custody in connection with the killing of the conservative activist.

Law enforcement officials reported that the tip leading to Robinson’s arrest came from a family member who contacted a friend, prompting the police to act.