Kyle Rittenhouse

"Self defense is not a crime." -Kyle Rittenhouse

College Student (Currently)

**Kyle Howard Rittenhouse** (Born January 3, 2003) notoriously known as **The Kenosha Kid** is an American former lifeguard, fry cook, and current college student. He is most well known for his actions on August 25, 2020 in a case of self-defense, in which he shot down two men, and injured one, who all had charged at him during a riot. After his legal issues, he became a media personality.

Rittenhouse's notoriety grew after he began appearing on political podcasts, most of which described the two men he killed and one he injured, in self defense. Popular portrayals by The Republican Party made him out to be a "hero" for his actions, while portrayals by The Democratic Party made him out to be a "domestic terrorist". Neither of these are true, and are cases of romantic revisionism as there is no evidence that Rittenhouse went to Kenosha with the intent to kill.

## Background

Kyle was born 2003, in Antioch, Illinois. To a family of German and Irish background, he is the 2nd child of Michael and Wendy Rittenhouse. In 2020 he gained widespread media attention after he shot and killed two protesters and injured another.

### Religion

Kyle is a Christian. He has said in an Interview that prayer and faith in God helped him through trial and get through any obstacles. He goes to Church and prays with his family, especially grandparents.

### Politics

Kyle is supportive of Blue Lives Matter, the right to bear arms, and overall holds majority Conservative viewpoints.

### School

Kyle wrestled for a bit in middle school.

He attended Lakes Community High School.

As of June 2022, he is not officially enrolled in any college.

### Life Events

* December 2003: Little sister was born
* c.December 2019: Became friends with Dominick Black
* May 1, 2020: Acquired an Ar-15
* August 25, 2020: Involved in Kenosha unrest shootout
* November 19, 2021: Acquitted of all charges
* November 22, 2021: Appeared on Tucker Carlson.
* November 23, 2021: Appeared on an Interview with Ashleigh Banfield of NewsNation.
* December 6, 2021: Appeared on You Are Here with Elijah Schaffer and Sara Gonzales.

## Relationships

### Wendy Rittenhouse

Wendy is the mother of Kyle. She attended every single court day, and defender her son in interviews, which probably means that they have a normal mother-son relationship. Wendy has mentioned in an interview with Elijah Schaffer that her son and daughters are her whole world.

### Michael Rittenhouse

Michael is the father of Kyle who lived in Kenosha Wisconsin as of August 2020. Not much is known about him, but it is known he left the family around 2007. Kyle has mentioned his father living in Kenosha is one of the reasons he went down in August 2020 which could mean he still cares for his father.

### Faith Rittenhouse

Faith Rittenhouse is Kyle's older sister, she was seen attending her brother's trial most days and was relieved when Kyle's verdict was received.

### McKenzie Rittenhouse

McKenzie Rittenhouse is Kyle's little sister, she was seen attending her brother's trial most days and was relieved when Kyle's verdict was received.

### Dominick Black

Dominick was dating McKenzie Rittenhouse for about 8 months. In that time, Kyle and Dominick started to consider each other brothers because of how close they became, suggesting Dominick was most likely a great ally of The Rittenhouse Family.

### Mark Richards

Richards was Kyle's lawyer during the 2021 trial. Kyle has said in interviews that if not for Mark, the victory could not have been possible.

## Trial

The trial for Rittenhouse took place from November 1 to 19, 2021 in Kenosha County Circuit Court. Jury selection on November 1 resulted in a 20-person panel of 12 jurors and eight alternates. The jury heard testimony from over 30 witnesses and viewed more than a dozen videos taken on the night of the shooting. After the prosecution rested its case, the judge dismissed a charge of curfew violation against Rittenhouse, citing a lack of evidence offered by the prosecution.The jury reached a unanimous verdict on all other charges after more than 25 hours of deliberations spanning four days, finding Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts.

## Post-Trial

Kyle has appeared on podcasts and interviews for general conversations regarding how trial was, how the night in August 2020 was, and other personal questions. He has appeared on Tucker Carlson, You Are Here, Steven Crowder, Candace Owens, Charlie Kirk NewsNation, Ashleigh Banfield, and more.

On social media posts, Kyle said accountability is coming for those who falsely labeled him things he is not.

### The Kenosha Kid

The Kenosha Kid is a popularized nickname which was first used in 2020, to refer to 17-year-old at the time, Kyle Rittenhouse. The alias came to be as a result of the Kenosha unrest shooting, in which right-wing media would consider Kyle as a "folk hero", some believe it to be similar of the days of the American Wild West as a modern day event.

In August 2020, a parody of the 1959 Wild West tune "Big Iron", was written and sang by an unidentified person. The lyrics were rephrased from the wild west story of "Arizona Ranger" into the modern day Wisconsin story of Kyle Rittenhouse. Around 2021, more versions were released by different singers and it officially was semi-popular within the "Free Kyle" community. In December 2021, Kyle mentioned on a podcast called "You Are Here", that he is a fan of the songs people make about him, saying they're all "really good."

### Traffic stop August 2022

On August 11, 2022, a police officer in Texas took a selfie with Rittenhouse after a traffic stop. The driver was warned while Rittenhouse was only a passenger.

## 2022-23 Lawsuit

Around June-July 2022, a lawsuit was filed against Rittenhouse. It claims Rittenhouse, 17 at the time, conspired with officers to cause harm to protesters, even though Rittenhouse was acquitted in November 2021 with self-defense.

The civil rights lawsuit also alleges that officers allowed a dangerous situation to occur which violated Mr Huber's son's rights and killed him. It was allowed to proceed by February 2023.

## The Rittenhouse Foundation

In August 2023, Rittenhouse launched an anti-gun control nonprofit in Texas, as a result of him becoming more and more involved in politics. He is conservative and believes in the right to bear arms.

## Trivia

* Kyle is a fan of Starbucks coffee.
* Kyle doesn't like it when people call him a "hero". He believes he did nothing heroic, and only defended himself.
* During a talk with Elijah Schaffer, Kyle mentioned one of the best ways for him to cope through trial was with memes, as he loves the memes that people make.
* The rifle Kyle used in August 2020, was destroyed per request in Early 2022.
* He is friends with Nick Sandmann.
* Contrary to popular belief, Rittenhouse is not Hispanic nor Mexican.
* He is a fan of Ryan Reynolds and Adam Sandler.
* In June 2022, he met famous YouTuber Tobuscus.
* In October 2022, Rittenhouse created a YouTube channel that will be dedicated to content related to vintage firearms, and possibly vlogs.
* In November 2023, he released a book called Acquitted.

### See Also

* The Trial of Kyle
* Ballad of Kyle Rittenhouse
* Family of Kyle Rittenhous
* Kenosha unrest shooting
* The Kenosha Kid
* The Media Accountability Project
* Kyle Rittenhouse's Turkey Shoot
* Kyle Rittenhouse (YouTube channel)
* Acquitted (Book)