Controversy erupts over Piker's performance
Left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker faced criticism after leading a live audience in singing the "We Are Charlie Kirk" meme song during a recent stop on his "Fear&LIVE" tour. Video circulating on X shows Piker performing the song in front of a crowd, with his podcast co-hosts laughing on stage.
Piker appeared at San Francisco's Golden Gate Theatre on Saturday, the opening night of the tour's West Coast run, alongside fellow hosts Will Neff, QTCinderella, and AustinShow. In the video, Piker leads the audience in a chant referencing Kirk, singing, "We are Charlie Kirk, we carry the flame. We'll fight for the Gospel, we'll honor his name." He was heard remarking that the moment felt like one of the most surreal of his life. Piker later appeared to nod to the performance, posting a photo from the show captioned "carried the flame tn," a reference to the song's lyrics.
The song, released September 10, 2025, days after Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University, was written in the style of a Christian power ballad and has since been widely used online as a meme targeting Kirk and his supporters. According to Fox News, the song is reportedly AI-generated.
Conservative backlash
Conservative streamer Lauren Chen shared the video of Piker singing and criticized him, noting that they had previously met and been amicable. "Hasan met Charlie many times," Chen wrote on X. "I was on a panel with them at Politicon. They were fiery on stage, but still jovial and amicable with each other once it was done. Charlie would have mourned Hasan had he been shot. Hasan, on the other hand, chooses to mock Charlie. For shame."
Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet also condemned Piker, saying he was "engaging in pure, unadulterated evil" and quoting Proverbs 17:5: "Whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished."
Broader political context
The performance comes as Democrats continue to face pressure over their ties to Piker. Democratic strategist Jon Reinish has called Piker "repugnant" and "wrong for the Democratic Party," while Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Ro Khanna, along with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have all appeared on his podcast. Piker has previously drawn scrutiny for saying America "deserved" the 9/11 attacks and calling Orthodox Jews "inbred."