Following the tragic event at Utah Valley University last Wednesday (September 10), when Charlie Kirk was shot while speaking, numerous celebrities expressed their sympathies on social media.
However, some well-known figures made contentious remarks, referencing Kirk’s political views and beliefs.
Kirk was addressing an audience when he was struck in the neck by a lone bullet.
Although he was swiftly taken to the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries. Within two days, Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old man, turned himself in to the authorities and was subsequently taken into custody.
Robinson now faces multiple charges, including aggravated murder and obstruction of justice.
Despite differing political views, several celebrities offered tributes to the father of two.
Public figures like Jimmy Kimmel, Rosie O’Donnell, and Arnold Schwarzenegger shared posts about the 31-year-old.
Nonetheless, some prominent individuals faced backlash for their responses.
A well-known actress from Mean Girls posted on her social media, which many believed was related to Kirk’s death.
The post included a quote: “You can’t invite violence to the dinner table and be shocked when it starts eating.”
Reports also suggest she referred to Kirk as ‘hateful’ in comments on a different post.
Actress Amanda Seales shared a video expressing her views, saying: “First of all, Charlie Kirk don’t believe in empathy. He said it’s a bad thing. He said it’s some ‘new-age made-up sh*t.’ He also said people got to be sacrificed in order to protect guns. If he was saying that while fighting for reparations, I may have a little bit of empathy.”
She continued: “… I can’t have empathy because I have no connectivity. I have more connectivity to someone who is a complete stranger that dies of a drug overdose than I do to someone like Charlie Kirk. Because life is hard and I understand that. Because it takes very little for someone to end up committing themselves to an existence of numbness.”
Actress Christina Ricci shared a post after Kirk’s passing.
The post stated: “Not to speak ill of the dead or anything, BUT… Things to remember about Charlie Kirk: He said it was a mistake to pass the Civil Rights Act in 1964. He called MLK Jr. ‘awful’ and said he was ‘not a good person’. He said gay ‘pride is a sin’. He said the 2nd amendment is worth the cost of ‘some gun deaths’.”
Speaking at the Investigative Reporters and Editors’ 50th anniversary gala on September 15, an actor mentioned the ‘irony’ of Kirk, known for his pro-gun stance, being shot amid his debates against gun control.
In his statement, the actor both paid respects to Kirk’s family and addressed the issue of gun violence.
“Before we start to get into the meat of this thing, I’m going to take a minute to say that, regardless of how I probably – not probably – have disagreed with many things he said, Charlie Kirk leaves behind two kids and a wife,” he stated. “You gotta remember that.
“Because in the end, shooting people will never answer anything, and the irony that he was killed with a gun is unbelievable.”
The actor faced criticism online for his comments, with many of Kirk’s supporters labeling him ‘a moron’ or ‘garbage’.
Ava Raine, a 24-year-old WWE wrestler and daughter of Dwayne Johnson, faced criticism for sharing a message interpreted as a reaction to the death of the 31-year-old right-wing political figure.
On Instagram, Raine – whose real name is Simone Garcia Johnson – reshared a post from New York comedian Gianmarco Soresi. It read: “If you want people to have kind words when you pass, you should say kind things when you’re alive.”
Though Kirk wasn’t explicitly mentioned, the post appeared on the day of his death.
Raine also tweeted the quote, adding: “And i’ll stand behind this. be kind, now more than ever.”
Stephen King commented on Kirk’s death following remarks from Jesse Watters.
Watters, a political commentator and Fox News host, described Kirk as neither ‘controversial’ nor ‘polarizing’, stating: “Charlie was a PATRIOT… Rest in peace, my friend.”
In response to Watters’ message on X, author Stephen King asserted: “He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin.’”
This comment seemed to refer to a statement Kirk made after YouTuber Ms. Rachel cited Leviticus 18 in the Bible about ‘loving your neighbor as yourself’.
Kirk responded: “By the way Ms. Rachel, you might want to crack open that Bible of yours, in a lesser referenced part in the same part of scripture, is in Leviticus 18 is that ‘Thou shall lay with another man, shall be stoned to death.’ Just saying… [This chapter] affirms God’s perfect law when it comes to sexual matters.”
Elon Musk quickly reacted to King’s comment, labeling it ‘Liar’.
King, 77, later deleted the original post and issued an apology.
“I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages,” he clarified.
Representatives of the mentioned celebrities have been contacted for comments.