“Dukes of Hazzard” star John Schneider opened up about the meaning behind the song he wrote in honor of Charlie Kirk.
On Friday, the 65-year-old actor and musician released “Charlie’s Words,” which he described as an anthem to Kirk, the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder and conservative activist who was assassinated on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Schneider, who has pledged to donate the proceeds from the song to Turning Point USA, reflected on whether “Charlie’s Words” was intended as a call to action in the wake of Kirk’s tragic death.
“I think we’ve already been called to action,” Schneider said. “I think this song is certainly a tribute to a wonderful guy. It’s a song for those who’ve already been called to action. So now it’s kind of a battle cry.”
“It’s a call to battle,” he continued. “But it’s a battle of wits. It’s a battle of intelligence. It’s the battle of good versus evil. I mean, I truly do believe we’ve been involved in a battle of good versus the evil in the last four or five years. And it amazes me how people can’t see that.”
“But I’m a Christian guy who drinks bourbon. So what do I know?” Schneider joked. “But I’m hoping that this will let people realize that they can make a difference. They can make a difference today in their household. They can make a difference in their town, on their street, in their state. And we really must, we must make a difference.”
Schneider shared his view that the country is at a crucial moment, saying that he believes the political world has “tilted over onto the side of sanity and of common sense.”
“There’s a tendency with folks like us to then get comfortable with that,” he said. “We must not get comfortable with the position that we all fought and kicked and clawed to get to, that Charlie Kirk gave his life for. Keep the ball. Let’s keep going. Let’s make it better for our kids to go to school. Let’s make it for our elderly in their twilight years. Let’s make it better. Let’s make it great.”
“It’s a pretty good saying, right? Make America great again,” Schneider added, referencing President Donald Trump‘s famous political slogan.
Kirk died after being shot while hosting an outdoor Turning Point USA event in front of a crowd of thousands on the UVU campus. At the time of the shooting, Kirk was fielding a question at one of his signature “Prove Me Wrong” debates, in which he invited students to challenge his political and cultural views.
Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested Sept. 12 in Washington County, Utah.
Prosecutors and Robinson’s family said he had become more politically engaged, particularly in support of LGBTQ+ rights, which differed from his family’s conservative leanings. Some of his text messages indicated an ideological motive, including a belief that Kirk was spreading hate.
On Tuesday, Robinson was formally charged with aggravated murder and felony discharge of a firearm causing bodily injury, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and one count of committing a violent offense in front of children. He will remain in custody without bail as prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty in the case.
Since Kirk’s assassination, many people, including teachers, pilots and health care workers have been fired or disciplined for posting hateful, celebratory or mocking social media messages about his death.
Schneider told Fox News Digital that he was initially inspired to write “Charlie’s Words” after being stunned by the online vitriol.
“What first moved me was the ignorance of the people who don’t seem to understand or did not seem to understand that this man was giving voice to people,” he said of Kirk.
“A lot people get it, a lot of people love him, but I’m just amazed at the anger and the hatred I’m seeing out there,” he continued. “I knew about Charlie, absolutely, my God, what an outspoken, amazing guy that I’d like to say, he went up there and said, ‘Change my mind. You know, if you’re going to bring something other than a participation award to this debate.'”
“So when people didn’t and they kind of huffed off, that’s what people are remembering,” Schneider added. “‘Oh, look, he made so-and-so cry.’ Oh, come on. We’re adults. So I wanted to write a song that explained at least my understanding of how this man was such an incredible communicator.”
“It’s so tragic,” he said.
While speaking with Fox News Digital, the “Smallville” alum also reflected on how Kirk had personally inspired him.
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“His absolute belief publicly and display of his belief in Jesus Christ, for one, makes you a very strong person,” Schneider said. “But again, I’m going to go back to his willingness, his encouragement of people to bring their A-game to the little conversation.”
“A lot of people don’t do that, you know, the recently fired talk show hosts. You know, they don’t do that. They bring their opinion, their voice, their power, their machine, and they beat people over the head with it,” Schneider continued. “I don’t think Charlie ever did that. I think he was grossly misunderstood by people who never bothered to take the time to listen to a debate. And maybe now they will.”
WATCH; JOHN SCHNEIDER HOPES HIS SONG FOR CHARLIE KIRK ACTS AS A ‘BATTLE CRY’
Schneider noted how some of the lyrics in “Charlie’s Words” were inspired by the words of Kirk himself, as well as the late media personality’s wife, Erika Kirk. Last Friday, Erika spoke out for the first time since Kirk’s death, delivering an emotional tribute to her husband and vowing to keep his mission alive.
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“One of the lines in here is, ‘He gave strength to people even when they disagree. Speak it loud, speak it proud with a voice God gave to them,'” Schneider said. “And then from his beautiful widow, I got that word, ‘They have no idea what they’ve done.’ They have called into action legions of otherwise sleeping people of faith.”
“And this doesn’t mean they’re going to go out and get sticks and rocks,” he continued. “They are going to go and bring their A game to debate. They will bring their A game to church. They’re going to bring their A game to local politics. They’re going to bring their A game everywhere.”
“Because now they are speaking their words, yes, but their words have been so fueled and fired by Charlie’s words,” Schneider added. “But now we have a responsibility, I feel, to Charlie, to his legacy, to his family, to the indelible mark that he made on our society and societies all over the world.”
“We have to get off the fence. We can just sit on the fence anymore and watch Charlie fight our battles. It’s our turn.”
The public memorial for Kirk is scheduled for Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Kirk was a close ally of Trump, who is slated to speak at the event. In addition, the event will also feature addresses from Vice President J.D. Vance and other top Trump administration officials.
Schneider told Fox News Digital that he and his wife, Dee Dee, will be watching the memorial, which will be aired on major networks and live-streamed on Kirk’s Rumble account.
“I’m sure it’s going to be unbelievably amazing,” Schneider said. “He deserves it to be unbelievably amazing. So we’ll be there in spirit.”
