In the days following the shocking murder of right-wing podcaster Charlie Kirk, social media has become a breeding ground for speculation — and now, one particularly unusual theory is gaining attention online.
While rumors about who ordered or carried out Kirk’s killing have ranged from political plots to faked-death claims, this new theory doesn’t focus on the people directly involved. Instead, it looks at Google search data — and suggests that someone may have known about the alleged killer, Tyler James Robinson, before Kirk’s death.
The Google Trends Conspiracy Theory
The theory began circulating on TikTok, where a creator claimed that Google Trends data shows an odd pattern of searches leading up to the tragedy. According to the video, Kirk was murdered on September 10, 2025, but there were Google searches for “Tyler James Robinson” from the Washington, D.C. metro area a full day earlier — on September 9, 2025.
That’s significant because the public didn’t learn Robinson’s name until September 11 and 12, after authorities identified him as the suspect. The TikToker shared screenshots purporting to show a small spike in searches for Robinson before his name was publicly known, suggesting that someone “knew” about him in advance.
The theory also claims there was a small spike in searches for “Losee Center” — the building where Robinson allegedly took aim at Kirk — on September 8, two days before the shooting.
Adding another twist, the TikToker alleged that a rare firearm used in the killing also saw an unexplained surge in searches on August 27, again traced to the Washington, D.C. area.
Missing Data Raises More Questions
However, when users tried to verify these claims, they hit a roadblock. The TikToker who shared the theory claimed that the graphs they used in their video — supposedly screenshots of historical Google Trends data — “no longer appear.”
Independent checks confirm that these specific search trends do not currently show up on Google Trends. Whether the data ever existed or was fabricated remains unclear.
Still, that hasn’t stopped people from speculating. Some users believe the data was “scrubbed” after drawing too much attention, while others think the entire claim was built on doctored screenshots.
Online Reactions and Skepticism
Another pushed back, arguing that the supposed screenshots don’t match Google’s actual Trends design, colors, or font. “The graphs are fake,” they wrote.
But not everyone is convinced they’re fake. One user claiming to have over a decade of experience in Google search analytics responded, “Only the red frame was added, in my opinion. My expertise is 13 years of Google search marketing.”
The data cited in the viral TikTok video cannot be independently confirmed, and Google has not made any statements about it.
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
