Conservative commentator and TV personality Savannah Chrisley laid into Lipscomb Academy, accusing the private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, of muzzling students who sought to honor the late Charlie Kirk.
Chrisley joined Newsmax on Thursday to talk about Lipscomb administrators who initially prohibited upper school students from wearing suit jackets and red ties on Sept. 11, the day after Kirk's assassination, citing a violation of the school's dress code policy.
Appearing on "National Report," Chrisley painted a striking picture of what she called a shocking betrayal of Christian principles and of the rights of students who were trying to honor Kirk — a man known as much for his Christian values as for his conservative political beliefs.
Kirk, who would have turned 32 on Tuesday, was assassinated at Utah Valley University while debating college students on gun violence.
"When these children were told to take off ties because it was in violation of a dress code ... to see these kids struggling and mourning and not having the faculty to rally around them," Chrisley said, "was really heartbreaking."
"Wearing the red ties, for it to be a dress code violation, was honestly laughable."
She said that in a "centuries-old Church of Christ private Christian school," students were not permitted to utter Kirk's name in chapel.
She said that when Lipscomb finally gave in and held an event to honor Kirk, it lasted just 23 minutes.
Chrisley said the problem at Lipscomb runs deeper.
"Unfortunately, at Lipscomb you have these far left-wing activists that have come into the school and they're trying to control everything," she said. "These staff members have referred to Charlie Kirk as a racist, a fascist, and that's the sad part. This is a private Christian school."
Chrisley also questioned the administration's ideological direction.
She pointed to the head of the academy having written a college dissertation on DEI implementation in Southern Christian schools and warned donors to "be aware of situations like this."
"I guarantee you they wouldn't want their money going to DEI initiatives or just leadership like this. This is a lack of strong male leadership that we have," Chrisley said.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials. Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app. Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.