Kristin Chenoweth has addressed the backlash she’s received from fans after paying tribute to Charlie Kirk following his tragic death.
Chenoweth, 57, sat down with NY1’s Frank DiLella for an interview on Thursday, September 18, where DiLella brought up how her post was met with “mixed reactions.”
“Mixed? You’re being kind,” she replied.
DiLella then brought up how Chenoweth has a “big LGBTQ+ fan base” and how the Kirk, a conservative political activist, “openly opposed same-sex marriage [and] trans rights.” The journalist asked the Broadway star what she hoped to “convey” in her tribute.
“Oh, goodness, I’m sorry if emotion gets involved here, forgive me,” she said while fighting back tears. “I saw what happened online with my own eyes and I had a human moment of reflection right then.”
Chenoweth continued, “I came to understand that my comment hurt some folks and that hurt me so badly. I would never. It’s no secret that I’m a Christian, that I’m a person of faith. It’s also no secret that I am an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and for some, that doesn’t go together. But for me, it always has and it always will.”
Kirk died at age 31 on September 10 after being shot during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. He is survived by wife Erika Kirk and their two children.
After news broke of Charlie’s death, Chenoweth shared a tribute via social media.
“I’m. So. Upset.,” she wrote in the comment section of a March Turning Point USA Instagram post. “Didn’t always agree but appreciated some perspectives. What a heartbreak. His young family. I know where he is now. Heaven. But still.”
Chenoweth was not the only star to speak out about the Turning Point USA cofounder’s passing. Chris Pratt, Josh Duhamel, Rosie O’Donnell and more shared their thoughts.
On Tuesday, September 16, Amanda Seyfried seemingly commented on Charlie’s death when she shared a message via her Instagram Stories that read, “You can’t invite violence to the dinner table and be shocked when it starts eating.”
She later took to the comments section of an Instagram post from the account @So.Informed, writing, “He was hateful.”
Seyfried clarified her comments.
“I don’t want to add fuel to a fire. I just want to be able to give clarity to something so irresponsibly (but understandably) taken out of context,” she wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, September 17. “Spirited discourse — isn’t that what we should be having?”
The actress added that she can “get angry about misogyny and racist rhetoric, and ALSO very much agree that Charlie Kirk’s murder was absolutely disturbing in every way imaginable.”
