EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Kirk's Loved Ones 'Raging Over Kanye West Documentary' Makers 'Exploiting' His Memory By Releasing Footage of His Meeting With 'Nazi-Loving' Rapper
Charlie Kirk's loved ones are 'furious over filmmakers using footage of his Kanye West meeting.'
Sept. 24 2025, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
Charlie Kirk's loved ones allegedly has condemned a new Kanye West documentary for releasing footage of a private meeting between the late conservative activist and the rapper, calling it a cynical attempt to profit from his death, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Loved Ones Calls Film 'Disrespectful and Cruel'
Kanye West’s documentary includes late activist Charlie Kirk without approval.
The footage appears in In Whose Name?, a two-hour film that traces kooky self-confessed Nazi-lover West's turbulent personal and professional life through years of iPhone recordings.
The meeting in question took place in 2018 and shows Kirk, then 24, sitting with West, now 48, and political commentator Candace Owens, now 35.
Kirk was fatally shot at a student rally in Utah on 10 September, and loved ones say the decision to include him in the documentary is "disrespectful and cruel."
A friend of Kirk's loved ones said: "Charlie is gone, and to drag him into Kanye's world of controversies like this is shameless. They feel the filmmakers are exploiting his memory for headlines."
Another pal said: "It was a private meeting between Charlie and Kanye that had nothing to do with the rapper's controversies, and now his name is being splashed everywhere in connection with Charlie."
Private Footage Fuels Anger
Family say filmmakers are exploiting Kirk’s death for headlines.
The film, directed by Nick Ballesteros, captures West debating culture and politics with Owens while Kirk listens quietly.
It sits alongside a string of behind-the-scenes moments that have already gone viral, including footage of West shouting at Kris Jenner and a clip of West and Elon Musk laughing about Kim Kardashian, the rapper's former wife.
Kirk's loved ones have privately said the inclusion felt like a betrayal.
Filmmaker Defends Decision
Director Nick Ballesteros defends including Kirk in the documentary.
According to pals, Ballesteros allegedly stands by his decision to include the footage.
He described the project as an attempt to offer a deeper view of West beyond the sensational headlines.
"I didn’t make this to tell a story of descent or unraveling," Ballesteros has said about his West film.
"I made it to tell a beautiful, deep story of an American figure. We live in such a headline-based society, so I believe this is the body text underneath those headlines. I'm not trying to persuade anyone. I want it to be like a Rorschach test."
West Praises Film, Family Rejects It
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West praised the film as 'deep,' likening it to an out-of-body experience.
West has seen the film in its entirety and, despite having no editorial control, praised the result.
In a text to Ballesteros, the rapper wrote: "That doc was very deep. It was like being dead and looking back on my life."
But Kirk's loved ones remain unmoved.
A friend of Kirk's loved ones added: "They don't care how artistic the makers or Kanye thinks it is. To his loved ones, it's using Charlie's image to stir controversy and make money off a tragedy. It's exploitation, plain and simple."
