The Charlie Kirk Show

Episode: Jay Feely’s Fight for Arizona and Iran’s Fight for Freedom
Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Charlie Kirk
Guests: Jay Feely (Republican congressional candidate), Alika Laban (Iranian-American activist)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Charlie Kirk Show features two main segments:

1. Jay Feely’s Congressional Run in Arizona’s 1st District:
   Jay Feely, former NFL kicker and broadcaster, discusses his campaign for Congress, focusing on the economic and social challenges facing Arizona and the broader U.S. He shares personal motivations, conservative values, and the influence faith has had on his public life.

2. Iran’s Fight for Freedom:
   Alika Laban, an Iranian-American activist, analyzes the ongoing uprising in Iran, dispelling Western media misconceptions, describing the regime’s repression, and connecting the fight in Iran to wider global stakes.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Jay Feely’s Run for Congress

Background and Motivation

• Feely, a Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson-endorsed candidate, is running for Arizona’s 1st district, representing Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Paradise Valley, and parts of Phoenix.
• He describes the district as affluent, highly educated, and economy-focused.
  [02:16] Jay Feely: “If you think of Scottsdale, it's Scottsdale, it's Fountain Hills, it's Paradise Valley, a little bit of Phoenix ... Over 50% of the people in that district have a college degree or more ... they care dramatically about the economy and where the economy's going.”

Economic Messaging

• Feely’s central theme is economic revitalization and reversing trends of disinvestment in the U.S., crediting Trump’s economic policies and forecasting 5–6% GDP growth.
• Critiques prior administrations for unsustainable foreign investment balance and rising debt.
  [03:43] Jay Feely: “In 2024, we had minus 26 trillion in investment into our country versus out of our country, and no one talked about it.”

Decision to Enter Politics

• Left a comfortable broadcasting career, feeling called by faith and out of concern for America’s trajectory.
• Emphasis on servant leadership, strong Christian principles, and the desire to create equal opportunity.
  [04:45] Jay Feely: “If I was selfish, I would have just said, I'm going to keep my broadcasting job. ... But I've always been more concerned about trying to follow the path of where I think I can help people.”

Christian Faith and Family

• The importance of strong Christian values in public service; Feely and his family have taken in two young men from Haiti after the earthquake, supporting them through education.
  [07:57] Jay Feely: “We have four of our own. And then we have two that we kind of adopted from Haiti. ... It was the hardest thing I ever did to me, honest with you ... But he moved into our house. We got him into Grand Canyon University.”

Reflections on Charlie Kirk's Legacy

• Feely was closely involved in organizing Kirk's memorial and credits Kirk with inspiring his entry into politics.
• Disappointed in post-assassination GOP infighting, emphasizing the need for unity for conservative principles. [14:52] Jay Feely: “My biggest disappointment has been the way the Republican Party has acted after his death, that we haven't coalesced together.”

Challenges Facing Young Americans

• Feely ties Gen Z disillusionment to affordability crises; calls for making the American Dream tangible for young people.
• Discusses Biden-era inflation, immigration, rent prices, and the sense of hopelessness. [16:46] Jay Feely: “He [Charlie Kirk] brought hope to young people, and that's what our politicians need to do. ... I think so many young people right now don't see that they don't have hope that if I do the right things, that I'm going to be successful.”

Lighter Moments

• Feely’s sports background is recounted, including living with Tom Brady at Michigan and working four Super Bowls.
• Quick-fire with broadcaster-vs-quarterback debate:
  [19:30] Jay Feely: “Romo. Who's a better quarterback? Brady.”

2. Iran’s Fight for Freedom

Setting the Stage: Media Blackout and Uprising

• The episode covers Iran’s mass protests, a violent government crackdown, and the Western media’s muted response.
• Charlie Kirk explains Iran is experiencing internet and communication blackouts, with reports of hundreds to thousands of deaths, while the U.S. government considers how to respond.

On-the-Ground Perspective from Alika Laban

• Laban emphasizes the protests are not only about economic conditions but fundamentally about rejecting 47 years of oppressive Islamist rule.
  [24:56] Alika Laban: “...what the people of Iran are protesting is the oppressive regime that has ... had its boot on their necks for the past 47 years.”

Western Media and the ‘Moral Color Code’

• Discusses why Western media is ignoring the story: it does not fit the academic framework of “oppressor vs. oppressed” based on race rather than ideology or circumstance. [27:40] Alika Laban: “...there's this sort of framework that has been taught ... about who the good people and who the bad people are ... when you see what's happening in Iran at the hands of an Islamist regime ... they cannot defy the moral color code and go against the Islamists, because that undoes their entire story.”

Protest Demands: Return of the Shah

• Protesters are rallying for the return of the Shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, as interim leader and eventual transition to real democracy. [29:25] Alika Laban: “...the one thing that is unanimous is that they are calling back for the Shah ... their number one choice for a leader is the Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi, because he is the only person that they trust against ... all of the lies that they've experienced heretofore.”

Regime Fragility and What Could Topple It

• Laban asserts that outside (non-military) intervention, particularly economic or informational, could quickly shatter the regime; without it, the regime may retain control through force and blackouts. [32:38] Alika Laban: “If there's intervention that's coming from the United States ... [the regime is] not going to be able to withstand the uprising within Iran and the intervention from outside. ... Without intervention, no, the regime will not collapse...”

Youth as the Engine of Protest

• Young Iranians are the core of the movement, influenced by their connectivity to global culture and disillusion with restrictions. [35:10] Alika Laban: “It's essentially entirely driven by the youth ... it makes no sense to them why they don't have those things, why they have to ... have hair coverings, why they're not allowed to sing or dance in public ... they're tired of living under these restrictions.”

Persian Values vs. Islamist Rule

• Laban clarifies that Iranian society has deep roots in secular Persian culture, which is more aligned with Western values and human rights than with imposed Islamist law. [37:55] Alika Laban: “...our Persian values mirror Western values very closely ... it was actually that exact modernization that caused Islamists and the Marxists inside Iran to ally to overthrow the Shah, because they called it Westernization. What it really was was Persianization.”

The Stakes for America and the World

• A free Iran would significantly weaken regional terrorist proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis) and reduce the nuclear threat, benefiting global security. [40:29] Alika Laban: “A liberated Iran from the regime will free not just the regime. It will free Israel and Gaza from Hamas, Lebanon from Hezbollah, Yemen from the Houthis and the West from nuclear threat.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jay Feely on Service and Faith:
  “I'm much more concerned about what God wants for me than I am with what I want from God.” — Jay Feely [04:45]

• On Economics and Opportunity:
  “We have 38 trillion in debt growing at a trillion every 100 days, and nobody talks about it. ... And who pays the price? ... It was the average, working, everyday man and woman. That's who pays the price, and that's who paid the price of the Biden policies.” — Jay Feely [06:28]

• On Hope for Young People:
  “He brought hope to young people, and that's what our politicians need to do. ... our job as a Republican Party is to make that argument and make it understandable for young people and listen and for everybody.” — Jay Feely [16:46]

• On Western Media’s Blind Spot:
  “Now you're talking about Islamists who are coded as brown, and they cannot defy the moral color code and go against the Islamists, because that undoes their entire story.” — Alika Laban [27:40]

• On Iran’s Potential for Change:
  “Iran is sort of like a downstream effect of that type of culture and those types of norms. ... our Persian values mirror Western values very closely.” — Alika Laban [37:55]

• On the Geopolitical Domino Effect:
  “A liberated Iran ... will free Israel and Gaza from Hamas, Lebanon from Hezbollah, Yemen from the Houthis and the West from nuclear threat. It will be a massive cascading liberation for all.” — Alika Laban [40:29]

Important Timestamps

• [02:16] Jay Feely describes Arizona's 1st District and its economic priorities
• [04:45] Feely explains his motivation and faith-driven decision to run
• [07:57] Feely discusses his involvement with Haitian adoptees and family values
• [14:52] Feely laments post-Kirk GOP division, urges unity
• [16:46] Feely outlines Gen Z’s affordability crisis and loss of hope
• [24:56] Alika Laban gives a firsthand account of the true motivations behind Iran’s protests
• [27:40] Laban explains why Western media ignores Iran’s uprising
• [29:25] Laban details protesters’ calls for the Shah’s son as transitional leader
• [32:38] Laban assesses regime fragility and intervention prospects
• [35:10] Laban: Iranian youth at the heart of the uprising
• [37:55] Laban discusses alignment of Persian values with Western principles
• [40:29] Laban: The liberation of Iran as a catalyst for global change

Conclusion

In this episode, Charlie Kirk and his guests weave together the urgent struggle for American renewal—through the eyes of a Christian conservative candidate—and the fight for liberty abroad, focusing on Iran’s unfolding revolution. Jay Feely’s journey from NFL kicker to faith-driven candidate reflects conservative calls for unity, opportunity, and principled leadership. Alika Laban’s piercing analysis gives listeners a first-hand look at Iran’s fight to reclaim its pre-Islamist values and the transformative potential a liberated Iran holds for the Middle East and the world. For listeners, this episode offers a blend of domestic political insight and piercing international commentary—anchored in a conviction that cultural and spiritual renewal are needed both at home and abroad.