Actress Amanda Seyfried has clarified her remarks about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk after facing criticism online. Seyfried was accused by some social media users of being insensitive for calling Kirk “hateful” following his murder last week.
The Mean Girls star had responded to an Instagram post that highlighted several of Kirk’s past controversial comments on women, abortion, immigration, and the Black and transgender communities. Among them, Kirk had described Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as “a diversity hire,” called birth control “terrible,” and argued against Transgender Day of Visibility. Seyfried wrote in the comments: “He was hateful.”
Her comment sparked backlash, with some users condemning her for the statement while others supported her view. On Monday, Seyfried appeared to reference Kirk’s killing again on her Instagram Story, writing: “You can’t invite violence to the dinner table and be shocked when it starts eating.”
But by midweek, the actress attempted to clarify her position. On Tuesday night, she posted a longer statement on her Instagram Stories, which she briefly shared to her main page the next day before deleting it.
“We’re forgetting the nuance of humanity,” she wrote. “I can get angry about misogyny and racist rhetoric and ALSO very much agree that Charlie Kirk’s murder was absolutely disturbing and deplorable in every way imaginable. No one should have to experience this level of violence. This country is grieving too many senseless and violent deaths and shootings. Can we agree on that at least?”
She captioned the post: “I get to put my voice into context, too.”
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed last Wednesday while speaking at a student Q&A session at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Police said he was targeted by a sniper from a nearby building while he was debating gun violence.
Authorities identified 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Utah as the alleged shooter. He turned himself in to police last Thursday night, accompanied by his parents and a family friend. Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, violence committed in the presence of a child, and multiple counts of witness tampering and obstructing justice.
