What was said at 'The Turning Point Tour' event on OU campus

Gov. Kevin Stitt, Russell Brand and Savannah Chrisley spoke at an OU Turning Point USA event held Thursday at the Lloyd Noble Center as part of "The Turning Point Tour." 

The tour follows the death of Turning Point USA founder and conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Sept. 10 during an event at Utah Valley University. Kirk was scheduled to visit OU later in the fall, according to Rep. Tom Cole.

Russell Brand Q&A

Brand said the accusations made against him contributed to his turn to Christianity.

“In my country, I got accused of sex crimes — real serious sex crimes,” Brand said. “At the same time, my little son was born with a heart condition that requires surgery. Everything fell apart.”

Brand said that anyone who has endured the loss of a child or has had to look after a sick child knows, meaning is often found in pain.

“For story is meaning, and that meaning you may often find in pain, and I pray you don't have to find it in the severe pain that I've alluded to and that we're all aware of, given the nature of this event,” Brand said. “I found our Lord in pain, in great pain, but through that, I have experienced his glory.”

Brand said he believes Kirk would be honored by the movement that his life and death have created and responded to a question about a film with coincidental similarities between the events of the film and Kirk’s assassination. 

“Once you've acknowledged the supernatural world, … it is difficult to manage and monitor the amount of information that you can receive,” Brand said. “But we have guidance, we have the word and we have the truth. It is extraordinary when there appears to be prophecy or pre-cognition or awareness of events.”

In response to a question about transgender ideology, Brand said it is not his job to judge and, as a Christian, he believes God would be loving to everyone.

“Perhaps they think that the culture holds up ideas of maleness and femaleness that are hard to live up to,” Brand said. “That's not a view that I have, but I do know what it's like to feel like I don't fit in and I'm not good enough.”

Brand said if American people want to improve their country, they should move past aggression and assertion. 

“There are all sorts of unusual and particular ways of being a human,” Brand said. “I'm not suggesting you should let people push you around. I'm not suggesting that you should (not) honor your traditions, your Christianity, your faith, your ideas of maleness and femaleness, all those things you have every right to, but as people of God.”

Ojas Padalkar, an OU student, was the only attendee that asked a question challenging Brand’s viewpoints. Padalkar asked if he believed there should be a separation of church and state in the U.S., and Brand said he did not. Some attendees booed Padalkar’s question. 

“In my country right now, I'm seeing that the state is laying claim to the powers of a God it denies exists,” Brand said. “(A) surveillance state that seems determined to achieve maximum control, not only over your actions, but your force and your language, and it's terrifying. And I feel that you need God to oppose the devil.”

Brand closed out the event with a prayer.

“I would ask for new conversations that pursue the lines that Charlie Kirk was pursuing in earnest, open discourse,” Brand said. “Show me how we can interact lovingly with people of different faiths and different dispositions, and show us Lord how the miracle of new technology might be used to create maximal freedom.”

Russell Brand

After being introduced by a video of Kirk, Brand walked onto the stage and said he was honored to be in Oklahoma. 

“I appreciate you letting me be here,” Brand said. “(I) appreciate being in exile. I appreciate the refuge in this beautiful and incredible country.”

Brand is facing one allegation of rape, one allegation of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault in England, according to the BBC. The alleged incidents involved four women and are said to have taken place in central London and Bournemouth between 1999 and 2005.

Brand pleaded not guilty to the charges in May and is set to stand trial in June 2026.

In February, Brand told The Sunday Times of London he left the United Kingdom and moved to Florida, citing attacks from the British media and government following the allegations.

Despite the allegations against him, Brand made multiple mentions of sex during his address. He said that for a Hollywood star, many modern values center around putting oneself first. Brand said self-worship should not be the sole focus of who one is.

“You're young people. You'll be fascinated by your sexuality, you'll be fascinated by pleasure, you'll be fascinated by distraction. You'll be fascinated by the glory of falling in love,” Brand said. “All things must be second to him and through him.”

Brand referenced his own experiences with fame, calling his former lifestyle harmful.

“It didn’t work for me to make movies or hang out with Diddy,” Brand said.

Despite being part of the event, Brand said he does not know anything about U.S. politics.

“I don't understand what we should be doing. I don't have a clear political vision for a country so vast at a time so pivotal, fragmented and divided,” Brand said. “What I know from my own experience and from my own brokenness, is that the solution must involve Jesus Christ.”

Brand said he came to speak at the event to talk about his religious journey. 

“I'm here to talk to you about my own journey of faith,” Brand said. “I'm here to commemorate and honor Charlie Kirk and Erica Kirk and his children, and to participate in Turning Point in the only way that I know how to: through a spirit of inquiry and fun and playfulness, honoring Jesus Christ as we do.”

Brand referenced his own fame, alluding to being “cast in a kind of ghoulish play,” but said that it is not just celebrities challenged by distractions from religion. 

“Materialistic, atheistic and nihilistic ideas make it to the forefront because, above all else, it seems that those that govern the global culture do not want you to believe in something bigger, bolder, greater than yourself — a God that loves you, that made you,” Brand said.

Brand said that as a celebrity, his endeavor towards the U.S.'s “great mythology,” became too important. 

“I wanted to be valuable and important and powerful,” Brand said. “I didn't know until embarrassingly recently, that I am valuable because of who loves me, not because of who I am.”

Brand said institutions, whether national or global, tend to take supremacy amid people’s ideological hierarchies. Brand said the institutions he was referring to included the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund, NATO and the World Health Organization.

“Unelected institutions, sometimes governmental and sometimes non-governmental, sometimes philanthropic, that seem to have a great deal of power and indeed the ability to extract revenue from you,” Brand said. “You can't vote for them, against them, and you can't get rid of them, which is a kind of form of tyranny.”

Following his speech, Brand answered questions from the audience.

Savannah Chrisley

After thanking the university for welcoming her, Chrisley said students at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, where her sister is a student, were not allowed to wear red ties in Kirk’s honor due to dress code violation. 

“There are Democrats from the top down running this school,” Chrisley said. “And these kids are now suffering because they didn't get the chance to honor Charlie how he should have been honored.” 

Chrisley said she saw an image of a dumpster filled with OU Turning Point USA posters ahead of the event. She said though it initially stung, seeing the image strengthened her.

“(You can) throw my face in the trash, but you can't throw away the truth,” Chrisley said. “You can rip up signs, but you can't rip up conviction. You can hate my presence, but you cannot cancel purpose.”

Chrisley said fighting for truth may sometimes result in loneliness. 

“Standing for what you believe in will always cost you something,” Chrisley said. “If someone tells you otherwise, then they haven't stood up for anything.”

Chrisley shared a prayer that she said still moves her in the midst of grieving Kirk’s death. 

“It's called the ‘I don't know’ prayer. It's when you come before God and whisper, ‘I don't know what's next. I don't know how to carry this, and I don't know why it hurts so bad, because we're all hurting really bad,’” Chrisley said. “Then you say, ‘but you do.’”

Before concluding her address, Chrisley cautioned attendees of conspiracy theories she has seen floating around, which she said are an attempt to distract from Kirk’s mission. 

“Don't fall into it, because that's not what Charlie would do,” Chrisley said. “They're trying to distract us from what Charlie's true mission was, and that was faith, family (and) freedom. And all of you in here right now, this was Charlie's 10 year goal, and look at what you've done in a matter of a month.”

Chrisley spoke for just under 15 minutes. 

OU Turning Point USA president

Kalib Magana, OU Turning Point USA president, asked attendees to stand and hold up posters of Kirk provided by the event. Magana then led the crowd in singing happy birthday for Kirk, who would have been 32 on Oct. 14. 

Magana spoke for about five minutes.

Gov. Kevin Stitt

Stitt opened the event as the first scheduled speaker. He said Turning Point USA will shift ideologies on college campuses to become more conservative.

“We hear a lot about how liberal or ‘woke’ college campuses are,” Stitt said. “That may be true, but we're going to change that starting tonight.”

Stitt said this event is a great opportunity to celebrate Kirk’s legacy. He said Kirk would have been proud of the support for Turning Point USA at OU. 

“Look around this room for just a second, and it's filled with students who are committed to godly conservative principles,” Stitt said. 

In his speech, Stitt referenced a biblical story in which figures did not bow down to idols.

“Nobody remembers the guy who stands down, so be the one who steps up, boldly stands up for what's right, just as Charlie did, and just as Erika (Kirk) is doing today,” Stitt said. “We all have that same choice.”

Stitt then invited the crowd to join him in prayer. During his prayer, Stitt said he invites God to OU to work in every person’s heart.

“Give us boldness to face the enemy, …” Stitt said. “We just thank you for what you're doing in the state of Oklahoma in the lives of all these young people in this room.” 

Following the prayer, Stitt concluded his address. He spoke for about 15 minutes.

Pre-show presentations

Before the event, a video tribute to Kirk was presented. 

Laine Schoneberger, managing partner and chief investment officer at Yrefy, a national specialty consumer finance lender that focuses on distressed private student loans, thanked Turning Point USA and spoke about the organization’s mission.

“Now to those capitalists out there, the folks that are looking for a way to help, we raise all of our capital by working with individuals,” Schoneberger said. “We don't do anything with institutions. If you're an accredited investor and you're looking to do well by doing good, which is our motto, it's what we do.”

Schoneberger credited Kirk with helping support Yrefy’s establishment and growth.

Schoneberger’s remarks were followed by a performance of the national anthem and “God Bless the USA” by Alexis Wilkins, a country music singer and PragerU personality.

Event speakers

Brand is an English actor, comedian and media personality known for “Despicable Me” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” In recent years, he has gained millions of followers on YouTube posting videos about conspiracy theories.

Chrisley is a TV personality and social media influencer best known for the USA Network shows “Chrisley Knows Best” and “Growing Up Chrisley.”

In May, President Donald Trump pardoned Julie and Todd Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley’s parents, who were serving federal prison sentences after being convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion in 2022.

Event security

Kalib Magana, OU Turning Point USA president, told OU Daily on Oct. 8 that the event would be relocated from McCasland Field House to Lloyd Noble Center.

Magana said the decision was made after the organization received over 6,000 RSVPs for the event. Lloyd Noble Center has a capacity of over 10,000 people, while McCasland Field House has a capacity of 3,325 people. 

Magana said security for the event is being modeled closely to university football games and confirmed OU’s Turning Point USA chapter paid for an increased OU Police Department presence at the event.

Attendees are required to show ID and enter the event through metal detectors. No bags are allowed. 

Turning Point USA canceled an event scheduled on Oct. 7, the two-year mark of the war in Gaza, due to security concerns. The event would have featured Mary Karp, a Christian advocate with StandWithUs — an “Israel education organization” intended to fight antisemitism.

Magana said Karp’s team felt the event was unsafe due to a number of death threats she received on social media, forcing OU Turning Point USA to cancel the discussion.

“We did not have adequate enough security available for this event because we were not expecting any death threats or serious security concerns surrounding our speaker,” Magana said. 

Event response

OU College Democrats are protesting Turning Point USA's event outside Lloyd Noble Center.

Zane Smith, deputy director of communications for OU College Democrats, wrote in a statement to OU Daily Thursday that the organization condemns providing Brand with a platform on OU campus.

"We think it's disgusting and absurd that TPUSA is giving a platform to Russell Brand, who has charges of rape and assault, and a long history of allegations. It is disappointing that the University would allow him to speak at Lloyd Noble," Smith wrote. 

OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said in a sit-down interview with OU Daily on Oct. 8 that it is not the university’s job to endorse the speech of any individual or group, but to provide a forum for students to be exposed to all points of view. 

“Our job in education is not to say we're for this speech or against this speech … but to provide the forum where students can have that experience … and to allow student groups to bring to campus those speakers that they choose to bring, and then to make sure that the students that choose to attend or don't choose to attend, that if they feel like their rights are being infringed, there's an outlet for them too,” Harroz said.

Magana said the organization applauds those with opposing views who plan to attend the event, but he said the protest is "causing a scene."

"Students who oppose our views, we welcome everybody. We want everybody to be there, but it has to be respectful. We actually applaud people who are going there in honest faith for a discussion," Magana said. "We don't need perpetrators to be hurting people, just causing a scene. We want an honest discussion."