Claim:
After conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10, 2025, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson pledged to financially support Kirk’s family.
Rating:
Rating: False
Context:
In a statement to The Minnesota Star Tribune, the Vikings confirmed the claim was misinformation.
Following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, 2025 during an event at Utah Valley University, a claim spread on social media that Justin Jefferson, star wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, had pledged to cover all living and education expenses for Kirk’s widow and children. The claim did not provide any concrete evidence to support the allegation.
Immediately after Charlie Kirk passed away, Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson immediately stepped in, pledging to pay all living and educational expenses for Kirk’s two children. This action not only eased the burden on Kirk’s family during this time of grief, but also caused a stir on social media, as many people expressed their admiration for Justin Jefferson’s kindness in this tearful moment…
Snopes found that the rumor was false — that is, Jefferson never made a promise to cover expenses for Kirk’s family.
Neither Jefferson, the Minnesota Vikings, nor anyone related to Kirk had posted about the claim on social media or released a statement announcing the supposed donation. Additionally, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported on Sept. 11 that the Vikings confirmed the claim was false.
In sum, the rumor appeared to be made up for the purpose of gaining views and likes, likely in the hopes of receiving advertising revenue from social media platforms. Often such claims spread thanks to the help of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney.
For further reading, Snopes also confirmed several statements Kirk made in the past, including calling the passage of the Civil Rights Act a “huge mistake,” saying that “Jewish dollars” were ruining U.S. culture and claiming that some prominent Black women did not have “the brain processing power” to be taken seriously.
Sources:
Curtis, Charles. “Did Justin Jefferson Pledge to Pay for Charlie Kirk’s Kids’ Expenses?” For The Win, https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2025/09/11/justin-jefferson-charlie-kirk-kids-fact-check/86089157007/. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
Jackson, Zoë. Viral Social Media Post Falsely Claims That Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Pledged to Support Charlie Kirk’s Family. 11 Sep. 2025, https://www.startribune.com/justin-jefferson-charlie-kirk-vikings-family/601472055.
LaMagdeleine, Izz Scott. “6 Claims We’ve Fact-Checked about Charlie Kirk Following Assassination.” Snopes, 12 Sep. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//collections/charlie-kirk-shooting-collection/.
Loe, Megan. “Charlie Kirk Once Said Passing the Civil Rights Act Was a ‘Huge Mistake.'” Snopes, 11 Sep. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kirk-civil-rights-act-mistake/.
Rascouët-Paz, Anna. “Charlie Kirk Once Said Jewish Money Was Ruining US Culture.” Snopes, 11 Sep. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/charlie-kirk-jewish-money-quote/.
———. “Charlie Kirk Once Said Prominent Black Women Didn’t Have ‘brain Processing Power’ to Be Taken Seriously.” Snopes, 12 Sep. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/charlie-kirk-black-women/.
