When Charlie Kirk was shot on September 10th, 2025, I initially believed that Brandon Tatum was sincerely heartbroken. He appeared visibly emotional in his videos, crying and defending Charlie’s legacy while calling out others — like Nick Fuentes and Admirin Gains — for being fake in their reactions. I truly thought he was genuine, until the YouTuber Saint in the Center presented evidence suggesting otherwise.

According to Saint in the Center, Brandon Tatum’s display of grief was an act — a performance meant to appear heartfelt but lacking sincerity. At first, I didn’t believe it. I thought, “There’s no way — Saint in the Center doesn’t know Officer Tatum personally, nor Charlie Kirk.” But then, new information came out that made me question everything.

It was revealed that Brandon Tatum was not invited to speak at Charlie Kirk’s memorial. Shortly after, Tatum posted a video explaining that he had also been excluded from Turning Point Faith events — despite, in his words, being “one of the biggest Christians in the movement.” He expressed disappointment but tried to sound gracious, saying that God had given him his own platform and that he would continue doing his own faith-based work.

Still, beneath his calm tone, there was frustration. Tatum admitted he was upset with Charlie Kirk for not including him at certain events but said he had never brought it up directly. He justified the situation by pointing out that figures like Tucker Carlson were invited to speak — someone he claimed had said negative things about Jews — implying that hypocrisy was at play. He concluded that while he didn’t agree with everything Turning Point USA did, he still loved Charlie and the organization’s mission.

However, this wasn’t the full story. Many observed that Brandon Tatum had long felt sidelined. He was one of the first Black conservatives to rise to prominence on the right, helping Charlie Kirk through the Blexit movement to reach Black audiences. Over time, though, he seemed to believe that certain sponsors or internal figures within Turning Point wanted him out — and that his exclusion was racially motivated.

A TikToker named theorod went viral for breaking this dynamic down bluntly, saying, “Brandon, you can marry all the white women you want, but you’ll never be white. You’ll always be the Black guy.” His argument was that Tatum’s efforts to fit perfectly into conservative spaces dominated by white voices would never earn him true belonging.

Ironically, Brandon Tatum isn’t particularly controversial. He’s married to a white woman, has biracial children, and tends to stay away from divisive topics — except when criticizing anti-Israel sentiment or the political left. Yet his resentment seemed to grow over time.