Entrepreneur Andrew Smith spoke with Charlie Kirk nearly an hour before the conservative political activist’s death at 31.

“I think everybody would think in any conversation he’s in, he’s coming in looking for a debate. This was a very different forum,” Smith exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, September 23. “He came in high on life that morning. He was extremely excited to be there.”

Smith added, “We talked in the green room for about 30 minutes prior to going out. We talked about his recent trip to Korea that he just got back from that weekend. He was in Korea with Mikey McCoy, his chief of staff, John McGovern, and then some security detail and one of the social media guys as well, but they were all just talking about how fun their Korea trip was. Then we talked about sports, and we talked about traveling with family. It was just this wholesome, enjoyable conversation.”

Smith’s “very light and uplifting” conversation with Kirk took place right before they spoke on a convention panel about entrepreneurship earlier this month. (Smith, the cofounder of Savory Fund and owner of several restaurants, holds an annual convention to share business lessons.)

“The room started to empty out because we were ready to walk up to the stage. He turned to me and he just said, ‘Andrew, how can I help today? I just want to help.’ And I said, ‘Charlie, like we talked about before, we are going up there to talk to a room full of entrepreneurs and CEOs, let’s just go tell them your story and my story, and let’s inspire them,’” Smith told Us of the pair’s last conversation ahead of the public panel. “He goes, ‘Oh my gosh, this is my favorite topic. I can’t wait.’ We gave each other a bro hug, and then we walked upstairs together. The feeling going into this was, ‘Let’s just go have an entrepreneurial discussion, and let’s tell them about our journey.’”

According to Smith, it was “so, so simple” to speak with Kirk both on and off the stage.

“It was, like, I had known him for years,” he recalled to Us. “It was so easy to talk to him, and he was real with everybody [who] was helping backstage. He would introduce himself. He took some pictures with people. He was so, so kind, and then we walked out on the stage.”

At the end of the talk, Kirk asked Smith how he felt the session went.

Hollywood stars are speaking out to mourn the death of controversial conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. News broke on Wednesday, September 10, that Kirk was shot and killed during a  speaking engagement in Utah. He was 31. “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” President Donald Trump wrote via his Truth Social platform. “No […]

“I’m like, ‘How did you do? Charlie, you did amazing. What are you talking about? You talk all the time,’” Smith said. “He goes, ‘Well, I just wanted to do good.’ That was his frame of mind. I mean, if you think about that, he was giving up his time. He cared about how people would have perceived the information. He wanted to help with the information he gave. We said, ‘Let’s go out there and let’s talk about politics. Let’s make this apolitical.’ He goes, ‘No politics. I don’t want to take a side. Let’s just go out and talk about our entrepreneurial journey.’ He was excited about that.”

Less than an hour later, Kirk was shot and killed during a separate speaking engagement at Utah Valley University. Charlie is survived by his wife, Erika Kirk (née Frantzve), and the couple’s two children.

Charlie had even briefly mentioned his UVU appearance to Smith, showing a photo of the packed crowds as they were “filling in” to the arena.

“I’m like, ‘What do you expect there today, as far as people?’ He goes, ‘Anywhere from 3-3400,’” Smith said. “And he goes, ‘Yeah, it’s just grown and grown. … This one, I’m hoping that there will be people there, that there would be more people there that are my friends.’ I just said, ‘I think that you’ll probably have more people there that support you just because there’s a bigger audience.’ He was excited that his team had it set up and that it was filling in, and then we went on stage.”

More details about the circumstances of Charlie Kirk’s death have come to light. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Kirk’s Turning Point USA and an executive producer of The Charlie Kirk Show, claimed to have recently spoken with a doctor who treated Kirk’s fatal injuries. “I want to address some of the discussion about the lack […]

Smith added, “He was excited about going down and meeting people at UVU, and when he left [my convention], he was excited.”

After learning of Kirk’s passing, Smith found it particularly difficult to rewatch their panel discussion.

“It was so heavy to watch. After I knew that we had it, I didn’t see it for another couple of days because we are editing it, and I was very busy fielding inbound inquiries to get it,” he said. “I finally was able to sit down and watch our conversation, and because I was in it. … With the events of him being assassinated, and then you’re watching this, you’re like, ‘How amazing is that last couple of statements he made.’”

Smith closed out their interview by asking Charlie about his favorite quote to live by. The Turning Point USA founder said, “For those to be, this too shall pass.”

“I think he was telling the world, ‘Listen, great times come and they also go. And right when bad times are here too, they will also pass,’” Smith said. “And right now is a really tough time for all of us to figure it out. You know, there’s a lot of people that are angry and there’s people that are happy and whatever. At the end of the day, this time will pass, and then the next season will come. And I just thought, ‘What an incredible statement to have.’”