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Following Charlie Kirk’s shocking assassination, 19-year-old Brilyn Hollyhand, widely dubbed Kirk’s heir, has stepped into the spotlight as one of the most talked-about young conservatives today.
Hollyhand first crossed paths with the Turning Point USA founder in 2018, when he was just a fourth-grader. From that meeting, he came to view Kirk as both a mentor and a model for his own activism.
Since then, Hollyhand has amassed nearly half a million followers on social media, rallying young conservatives in a manner reminiscent of his late mentor.
In the wake of the far-right leader’s killing, Hollyhand says he has faced a surge in death threats. But that hasn’t slowed him down — he has vowed to be “louder” and “bolder” in carrying on Kirk’s legacy.
Who is Brilyn Hollyhand?
Brilyn Hollyhand’s political journey started early, when he was just 11. He launched his own podcast, The Brilyn Hollyhand Show.
At first, getting guests was a struggle, but everything changed when he scored an interview with Charlie Kirk.
Hollyhand recalled on his Substack, later picked up by Fox News, “When I was in the fourth grade, I launched a podcast from my bedroom with nothing but a cheap microphone and a dream."
“At that age, most kids were worried about Little League or video games. I was worried about whether anyone would agree to come on my show. My first big guest was an up-and-coming conservative leader named Charlie Kirk.”
He added: “I remember nervously typing out my first message to him: ‘Hey, this is Brilyn! Thank you, Mr. Kirk!!!’ His response came quickly: ‘Pls call me Charlie haha.’ That was Charlie in a nutshell — humble, approachable and encouraging. Over the years, he became not just a figure I looked up to, but a mentor and, eventually, a friend. He poured into me the kind of words every young person needs to hear: ‘You are terrific! Keep the hustle and the focus. You are going places.’”
Since then, Hollyhand has built a strong presence in conservative media. He founded The Truth Gazette, a political website, and gained attention for his articulate and fearless commentary.
Now a college freshman, he has already achieved several milestones: he was named co-chair of the Republican National Committee’s Youth Advisory Council in 2023 and authored the book One Generation Away: Why Now is the Time to Restore American Freedom.
Also read: ‘Missed you’: What Trump, Musk spoke about at Charlie Kirk’s memorial
Carrying Kirk’s legacy forward
Hollyhand now plans to step into a larger spotlight. He’s set to launch his own national speaking tour, the 10-stop One Conversation at a Time Tour, sponsored by Turning Point USA, beginning this Thursday at the University of Arkansas.
But Hollyhand’s visit hasn’t come without risk. Following Kirk’s assassination, threats against him have more than tripled.
“I feel like I’m living a completely different life than I woke up in, you know, a few Wednesdays ago before he passed,” he told The New York Post. Campus security now escorts him to classes at Auburn University in Alabama, and he has a personal security team in place.
Despite the danger, Hollyhand remains determined. In a post on X on September 12, he wrote, “You can kill a man but you can’t kill a movement. Tonight, I stood before hundreds of students who are proof of Charlie’s legacy. It’s tempting to give up and walk away to safety. That’s not happening. To my friend Charlie: we’ll take it from here, one conversation at a time.”
Rumours have begun circulating that Hollyhand could assume a spokesperson role at Turning Point USA, though no official announcement has been made regarding who will replace Kirk.
Friends and advisers have urged him to reconsider the tour, but Hollyhand insists that continuing Kirk’s work far outweighs the personal risk. “That’s what they want. The coward who assassinated my friend wanted to shut my generation up and instead he woke us up,” he said.
He added, “I feel like this is a time where we have to get louder, we have to get bolder, we have to get more courageous, because that’s the life that Charlie loves. And so we can’t cower, we can’t be silent, we have to go to these campuses now, more than ever before.”
With input from agencies