The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – "Breaking News" (After Hours Edition)
Date: September 20, 2025
Hosts: Producers Ally & Greg
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)
Episode Overview
This After Hours edition, hosted by producers Ally and Greg, offers an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at how The Clay and Buck team responded to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The discussion centers on the emotional shock, rapid-fire decision-making during a breaking news event, reactions to the tragedy, the role of divisive rhetoric, and reflections on Charlie Kirk’s legacy. The tone is candid, reflective, and at times raw, capturing the heaviness and uncertainty felt by the team and their listeners.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Handling Breaking News in Real Time
03:38 – 07:59
- Initial Confusion and Scramble for Confirmation
- The team receives frantic calls and emails during a live segment about Charlie Kirk being shot at an event in Utah.
- Ally: “You and I were kind of looking at each other. Is this real? Is this fake?... We didn’t want to interrupt Clay and Buck and their flow… We both were frantically trying to confirm what we were starting to, the trickle of information that was starting to come out.” (04:08)
- Greg thought the caller said "Charlie Hurt" initially, adding to the confusion.
- Reluctance to React Prematurely
- The producers emphasize the typical unreliability of early breaking news. They actively avoid spreading misinformation.
- Ally: “Usually the first 24 hours of a breaking news event… I would almost wager 75% of the information that news outlets report has some level of inaccuracy… Wait for the news cycle to play itself out.” (05:50)
- Confirmation and Shock
- Ally verifies the incident using a firsthand video shown by Hannity’s producer; Greg scours social media and news wires.
- Greg: “I found this video. And I started to watch it and I watched it and it was just…"
- Ally: “It was jarring.” (07:27)
The Immediate Aftermath
07:59 – 13:56
- Rapid News Development
- As the show ends, official word of Charlie Kirk’s death comes just after. Buck, with firearm expertise, feels the video is authentic; the team collectively goes into “prayer, hoping it wasn’t what it was.” (07:59)
- Buck appears on Will Cain’s show, knowing before public confirmation but showing restraint out of respect for the process. (08:31)
- Emotional Toll
- Ally: Shares the gut-punch of seeing the news confirmed: “I was just staring at the TV… I just felt sadness, sorrow, but also unbelievable anger.” (09:50)
- Both Ally and Greg describe feeling physically ill, emotionally drained, and struggling to process the loss.
- Greg: “I hugged her and I held her and I cried a little bit... Everybody just was kind of a zombie and walking in a daze…” (12:40)
Debating Appropriate Justice
11:07 – 13:44
- Ally: Expresses a change of heart on the death penalty, advocating instead for solitary confinement where the killer would be forced to consume Kirk’s work, in hopes it leads to epiphany—“a kind of redemption... more effective than just death penalty.” (11:08)
- Greg: “Death penalty may be too good for him, but at the same time…”
- Discusses concerns that executing the perpetrator could fuel martyrdom among radical sympathizers and further polarize society.
Public and Social Media Reaction
13:56 – 15:20
- Disgust at Celebratory or Dismissive Reaction from Parts of the Left
- Both are shocked by reactions from adults, not just “indoctrinated college students.”
- Ally: “Some of my peers, I’m in my 50s, that are parents… clearly had never listened to a word the guy said. Misquoting him… justification that this was okay. I was so revolted by that reaction.” (14:44)
- Greg echoes seeing similar troubling reactions in his circles.
The Role of Political Rhetoric and Demonization
15:20 – 19:41
- Connection Between Dehumanizing Language and Violence
- Greg points out that groundwork for hatred and violence has been laid by years of labeling conservative figures as “fascists,” “Nazis,” etc.
- They air a montage of media figures calling Trump and others fascists and Nazis.
- Greg: “If you keep saying this stuff over and over again, that is dehumanizing…we should have seen something like this Charlie Kirk coming a long time ago.” (16:56, 19:19)
- Reflection on “Baby Hitler” Argument
- Ally finds the “would you kill baby Hitler?” debate lazy and counterproductive: “I don’t accept the premise…do you see what I’m saying? I just find it a weak argument.” (17:21)
- Greg: “It’s really not a practical thing to have a discussion about because time travel is just science fiction…just mental bubble gum.” (17:59, 18:28)
Charlie Kirk’s Legacy
19:41 – 24:14
- Rejects Narrative that Kirk was a Figure of Hate
- Ally: “To try to say that Charlie Kirk was a baby Trump in the making and a MAGA threat… is the most asinine perspective.” (19:25)
- Greg: “He was a Rush Limbaugh in the making.”
- Playbacks: Eulogies from Conservative Voices
- Glenn Beck: “Charlie surpassed Rush Limbaugh by miles.” (21:03)
- Rush Limbaugh (2018 archive): Praises Kirk’s charisma and potential: “This is the kind of guy that you can see really becoming big in politics as he gets older… people are saying the same things about Charlie Kirk.” (21:30, 24:14)
- Emphasizes the suddenness and significance of the loss.
Safety Concerns and Changes
24:24 – 26:41
- Comparisons with Trump Assassination Attempt
- Ally: “Charlie Kirk was taken out in the way that they tried to take out Trump at Butler.” (24:32)
- Greg: Notes that violence is not happening towards left-leaning media personalities; points out the security narrative is often backward.
- Increased Security and Personal Anxiety
- Events canceled for host safety, producers now taking extra precautions.
- Ally: Details being escorted in Manhattan: “I was like the Exorcist. My head was spinning around so much… looking at everybody we passed.” (26:09)
- Expresses a sense of living in scary times and the difficulty of unwinding from the trauma.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “We both were frantically trying to confirm what we were starting to, the trickle of information that was starting to come out.”
— Ally (04:08) - “Usually the first 24 hours of a breaking news event… 75% of the information that news outlets report has some level of inaccuracy.”
— Ally (05:50) - “It was jarring.”
— Ally, reacting to the video (07:27) - “I was just staring at the TV and that Chiron saying, charlie Kirk dead. I just… felt sadness, sorrow, but also unbelievable anger… deeply angry.”
— Ally (09:50) - “Death penalty, the people who agree with him, which… all the reaction to the assassination… then what are they faced with?... I just feel like that would actually be more productive than just taking the guy out.”
— Ally (12:09) - “If you keep saying this stuff over and over again, that is dehumanizing… should have seen something like this Charlie Kirk coming a long time ago.”
— Greg (16:56, 19:19) - “Charlie surpassed Rush Limbaugh by miles.”
— Glenn Beck (21:03) - “This is the kind of guy that you can see really becoming big in politics as he gets older.”
— Rush Limbaugh (archive recording, 21:30) - “My head’s on a swivel now. Every time I leave the building… I’m constantly…”
— Greg (25:59)
Timestamps of Key Segments
- 03:38 – First news breaks in the studio, initial reaction
- 04:47 – Listener call and email confirmations; confusion over names
- 05:50 – Advice about skepticism and news accuracy
- 06:58 – Producers seek confirmation; video evidence emerges
- 07:27 – “It was jarring” reaction to video
- 08:31 – Official confirmation; Buck appears on other media
- 09:50 – The emotional toll sets in
- 11:08 – Argument about punishment and justice
- 13:56 – Processing and the surreal aftermath among team
- 14:44 – Disgust at left-wing reactions online
- 16:35 – Montage: “Fascist”/”Nazi” rhetoric in the media
- 17:16 – The “baby Hitler” debate
- 19:41 – Kirk’s legacy and Beck’s tribute
- 21:30 – Archival Limbaugh praise for Kirk
- 24:32 – Comparison to Trump assassination attempt
- 25:49 – Security concerns and changes
- 26:59 – Listener support and gratitude
Reflections and Closing
26:59 – End
Producers express gratitude for listener support, acknowledge the rough emotional week, and ask for further questions from the audience. They reaffirm their commitment to transparency about the show’s process and the importance of community amidst tragedy.
For Listeners
This After Hours episode offers an unfiltered, emotionally honest look at what it’s like to produce major news radio in a crisis, the struggles of keeping facts straight, and the pain—and resilience—of a team and community reeling from a national tragedy. The hosts’ candor and reflections on justice, political rhetoric, and personal impact are both sobering and unifying.