Charlie Kirk’s funeral and memorial service expected to draw nearly 100,000 people to Arizona: Live updates

According to Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk’s memorial service at State Farm Stadium on Sunday will be live-streamed on the conservative activist’s Rumble account.

Some news outlets, including Fox News and ABC News Live, also plan to broadcast the event.

Megachurch pastor Jack Graham was in the middle of his Sunday message to Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, this past weekend when he paused to cue up an unusual sermon illustration. After encouraging people to respond to the killing of conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk by turning to God, he instructed the congregation to listen to a roughly minute-long audio clip of what sounded like Kirk delivering a short speech.

“Hear what Charlie is saying regarding what happened to him this past week,” Graham said.

As the clip, which encouraged listeners to “pick up your cross, and get back in the fight,” ended, the congregation burst into applause. A few seconds later, they rose to their feet in a standing ovation.

But the clip they listened to was not, in fact, Charlie Kirk from beyond the grave. As Graham made clear when he introduced the segment, the congregation was listening to a production generated entirely by artificial intelligence: The clip, which has gone viral online, was a cloned version of Kirk’s voice delivering what appeared to be an AI-generated response from a chatbot asked what Kirk would say in the wake of his own death.

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“For so many of us, it has felt as if the ground was shaken,” said Johnson, R-La.

The killing of Kirk, the prominent conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder, has unnerved lawmakers in both parties, amplifying their long-standing concerns about safety in a heated political climate where threats against political rivals and calls to violence have become frighteningly common.

According to Turning Point USA, Sunday’s memorial service for Charlie Kirk will feature remarks by his widow, Erika Kirk, who is now leading the organization, as well as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

In addition to the president, other speakers include Marco Rubio, Secretary of State; Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health & Human Services; Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense; Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence; Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff; Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff; and Sergio Gor, Director of Personnel.

There will also be remarks from Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump Jr.

Worship will be led by Christian singers Chris Tomlin, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe Carnes, and Cody Carnes.

There will also be performances by Lee Greenwood and Steve Amerson.

Turning Point USA has warned those wanting to attend Sunday’s memorial service at State Farm Stadium that “enhanced security measures are in place, which may result in longer wait times than usual.”

“We appreciate your patience and understanding,” the group says on its website.

The event will be on a first-come, first-served basis based on stadium capacity. Indoor overflow will be available next door at the Desert Diamond Arena.

With so many administration officials set to attend and speak, security is especially tight.

TP USA also advises that there will be a no bag policy in effect.

“Guests arriving with bags, even clear bags, will NOT be permitted entry. You will be required to return the bag to your vehicle and rejoin the line from the end.”

State Farm Stadium is a multipurpose, retractable roof stadium that can accommodate up to 73,000 people for its largest events. It’s located in Glendale, a suburb just west of Phoenix.

Its most recognizable tenant is the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, and the franchise has played at the facility since it opened in 2006. The Cardinals do not own the stadium and confirmed through spokesman Mark Dalton that the team was not involved in booking Kirk’s memorial service.

College football’s Fiesta Bowl is also held each year at the stadium.

The facility is owned by the Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority and operated by ASM Global, which manages events. AZSTA spokeswoman Kristen Pflipsen stated in an email that the Kirk memorial is a “paid, private, contracted event. As with all private events, we do not release specific contract details.”

The stadium is the largest facility in the Phoenix metropolitan area and also features air conditioning, which is especially useful in the Sonoran Desert where temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), even in late September.

The Cardinals will not be in Glendale on Sunday; instead, they will play in California against the San Francisco 49ers. That leaves the stadium available for rental on short notice.

State Farm Stadium is no stranger to major events, hosting three Super Bowls, including the most recent in 2023 when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.

The facility also hosted the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four in 2017 and 2024, along with two soccer matches in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June.

The stadium has also hosted many non-sporting events over the years, including concerts by the Rolling Stones, U2, One Direction, Metallica, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and Morgan Wallen. There are also smaller events like trade shows, corporate functions, and weddings. The State Farm Stadium website states it is booked approximately 120 times per year.

With reporting from the AP

The memorial for conservative icon Charlie Kirk will be held on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the home of Turning Point USA, his organization, and a short distance from his home in Scottsdale.

Kirk, 31, was a close confidant of President Donald Trump, who will attend the service and speak. So will a number of senior administration officials.

The conservative activist was fatally shot on September 10 while speaking with students at an open-air event at Utah Valley University.

Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder and other crimes related to the shooting.