Viral post claims Charlie Kirk bullied author in high school amid online reaction to Kirk’s assassination

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A viral social media post alleged that conservative commentator Charlie Kirk bullied the author in high school so severely that the author attempted suicide before age 18, and the post sparked a large online debate about accountability and empathy following Kirk’s assassination.

The post, authored by a user identifying himself as Nick Caputo, said Kirk “bullied me relentlessly in high school to the point that I had an attempt before the age of 18,” and added that he lost his father at a young age, which he said Kirk knew while tormenting him. Caputo wrote that he felt sympathy for Kirk’s wife and children but said he would “never, under any circumstances, feel sympathy for this terrible person.”

Caputo’s account quickly drew widespread attention, accumulating more than 20.9 million views, over 1,900 replies and nearly 500 quote reposts. Some respondents said they sympathized with Caputo and described having experienced or witnessed bullying themselves. Others questioned the timing and motive of the post and criticized Caputo for appearing to justify or minimize the lethal attack on Kirk.

Responding to critics, Caputo stated, “You will never hear me say that he deserved what he got,” and later called for legal accountability for the shooter, saying the shooter “should be charged with first-degree m*rder and sentenced appropriately under Utah state law.” He also described the shooter as “a terrible person” and said he wanted the matter closed.

Comments on the original post included users who said they remembered Caputo’s family circumstances and others who denounced his tone as reframing the assassination as “karmic justice.” The exchange reflects heightened online polarization and intense public reaction in the wake of Kirk’s killing.