Fact Check: Did Eminem release a song honoring Charlie Kirk after his shooting death?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A claim that Eminem recorded a tribute song for conservative activist Charlie Kirk went viral online following the Turning Point USA founder's horrific shooting at Utah Valley University on September 10.
The claim especially gained traction after the Facebook page RAP Talk (archived) made a post on September 12, alongside photos of Eminem and Kirk’s family.
Claim: Eminem dropped a tribute song in memory of Charlie Kirk
The post was captioned, “Eminem Breaks His Own Rules: Rap Legend’s Heart-Shattering Tribute to Charlie Kirk After Assassination — A Message to His Daughters That Made the World Cry!”
“The world expected anger, silence, or even indifference. Instead, it got something no one could have imagined. Eminem, hip-hop's fiercest anti-MAGA voice stunned the globe when he set politics aside and delivered a devastatingly human tribute after Charlie Kirk was gunned down mid-speech at Utah Valley University. His words were raw, trembling, and unforgettable: 'I hate them, but as a father, Kirk was a great father, and it's heartbreaking for the two girls to lose their dad too soon,'" it further read.
The post, which received tens of thousands of reactions, claimed Eminem set aside his anti-MAGA stance to honor Kirk as a father and record a “devastatingly human” tribute.
Similar versions of the claim spread on Facebook and Instagram, often linking to advertisement-heavy blogs.
Fact Check: No, Eminem did not release a tribute song for Charlie Kirk
There is no evidence that Eminem ever released a song, statement, or tribute related to Charlie Kirk’s death. Searches across Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo turned up no credible reports about Eminem recording such a track. The rapper's official YouTube channel, EminemMusic, also contained no mention of a tribute.
Snopes and other fact-checkers reviewed the claim and found it originated from fabricated, AI-generated content. The RAP Talk page has previously published questionable stories featuring AI-generated photos with unnaturally smooth skin textures and exaggerated colors. One of the widely shared images tied to the claim was flagged by the AI-detection site Sightengine as 99% “likely” to have been AI-generated.
The language of the viral articles also showed signs of AI text generation, exaggerated emotional phrasing, vague sourcing, and dramatic storytelling designed to boost clicks.
YouTube videos further amplified the hoax. One titled “Eminem - Charlie Kirk Home With The Lord | Emotional Tribute Song" amassed more than 68,000 views. However, the video itself contained no authentic Eminem material and relied on AI-created thumbnails.
Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University event
Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at age 31 during a campus event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
The Turning Point USA founder was hosting one of his hallmark "Prove Me Wrong" sessions as part of his "American Comeback Tour" when the attack occurred. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition and was later pronounced dead.
President Donald Trump announced the conservative activist's death in a Truth Social post.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” the POTUS wrote. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Kirk leaves behind his wife, former Miss Arizona USA Erika Kirk, and their two young children, a three-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son.
