Featured Image Credit: Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images
Topics: Charlie Kirk, US News, Politics, Celebrity
Lucy Devine
Topics: Charlie Kirk, US News, Politics, Celebrity
When Charlie Kirk was assassinated last Wednesday (September 10) at an event at Utah Valley University, many celebrities offered their condolences on social media.
However, other famous faces shared some controversial comments, focusing on some of Kirk's beliefs and politics.
Kirk had been speaking to crowds when a single bullet hit him in the neck.
While he was rushed to the hospital, he later died of his injuries. Within 48 hours, a 22-year-old man named Tyler Robinson was apprehended in custody after he handed himself in to authorities.
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Robinson has now been charged with several offences, including aggravated murder and obstruction of justice.
Despite not necessarily sharing the same beliefs as Kirk, many celebrities paid tribute to the father-of-two.
Celebs such as Jimmy Kimmel, Rosie O’Donnell, and Arnold Schwarzenegger have made public posts about the 31-year-old.
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However, some big names have been criticised for their reactions.
The Mean Girls star shared a post on her social media, which some interpreted to be in relation to Kirk's death.
The post featured a quote which read: "You can't invite violence to the dinner table and be shocked when it starts eating."
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Meanwhile, it's reported that she described Kirk as 'hateful' in the comments section of a separate post.
Actress Amanda Seales shared a video on her thoughts, explaining: "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 added: "... 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."
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Wednesday actress Christina Ricci re-shared a post following Kirk's death.
The post read: "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'."
While speaking at the Investigative Reporters and Editors’ 50th anniversary gala on September 15, the actor said there was an 'irony' in Kirk being shot, presumably due to his pro-armed stance and heated debates arguing against gun control.
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In his full statement, Keaton appeared to pay respects to Kirk and the family he leaves behind while addressing 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 said at the start of his speech. "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 star quickly came under scrutiny online for the comment, however, with many of Kirk's fans calling him 'a moron' or 'garbage' for the remark.
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Ava Raine, the 24-year-old WWE wrestler and daughter of Dwayne Johnson, came under fire for sharing a post widely interpreted as a response to the killing of the 31-year-old right-wing political activist.
Taking to Instagram, Raine - real name Simone Garcia Johnson - reposted a message 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."
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While Kirk wasn’t mentioned directly, it was posted the same day as his death.
Raine then reposted the quote on Twitter, adding: "And i’ll stand behind this. be kind, now more than ever."
King commented on Kirk's death following comments from Jesse Watters.
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Watters, the political commentator and Fox News TV host, claimed Kirk was not 'controversial' or 'polarizing', adding: "Charlie was a PATRIOT... Rest in peace, my friend."
Replying to Watters message on X, author Stephen King alleged: “He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin.’”
The comment seemingly refers to a reply Kirk made after YouTuber Ms. Rachel referred to Leviticus 18 in the Bible as a reminder to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’.
He said:"“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."
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Elon Musk was quick to criticize King’s comment. He simply replied with the word ‘Liar’.
The 77-year-old has since removed the original post, following it with an apology message.
"I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages," he wrote.
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UNILAD has reached out to the representatives of all the celebrities mentioned for comment.