Amanda Seyfried is the latest public figure to come under fire for her remarks about the murder of Charlie Kirk.
Earlier this week, Seyfried responded to an Instagram post about Kirk in a way that drew the ire of some of the late pundit’s supporters.
“‘Ask yourself, why is exposing the flaws of MLK’s life and character — something he said we should judge others by — so controversial?’ – Charlie Kirk, January 2024,” the post read.
Seyfried’s Charlie Kirk comments draw backlash
Seyfried replied to the comment with “He was hateful” (per Page Six).
The actress also shared a text post reading, “You can’t invite violence to the dinner table and be shocked when it starts eating.”
Not surprisingly, many of her followers assumed she was referring to Kirk.
And quite a few X users reacted with outrage:
“Amanda Seyfried believes Charlie Kirk assassination was justified. Make sure to never see another one of her movies,” said one critic.
“I am not watching any More Movies with Amanda Seyfried SHE IS SPREADING THE LIE THAT CHARLIE Kirk was Hateful She should lose her Job. HAS SHE ACTUALLY WATCHED ANY OF CHARLIE KIRK VIDEOS,” another chimed in.
Amanda Seyfried defends, clarifies controversial remarks
Of course, at no point did Seyfried condone Kirk’s murder or any sort of political violence, for that matter.
She took to Instagram today to defend and clarify her remarks.
“We’re forgetting the nuance of humanity,” Seyfried wrote from her verified account.
“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,” she continued, adding:
“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?”
Several celebrities have come under fire for their remarks about Kirk, including Michael Keaton, who actually praised the 31-year-old.
Critics seemed to take issue with the fact that Keaton also condemned the growing problem of gun violence in his remarks.
Other celebs, like Jamie Lee Curtis, have been praised by Kirk’s supporters, while also drawing criticism from those who accuse her of minimizing Kirk’s controversies and rhetoric.
Clearly, this is an emotionally charged issue, the sort of thing that benefits best from nuance and sensitivity –two qualities that are generally in short supply on social media.
Thus, every conversation about the recent rise in politically motivated violence will be a landmine for the foreseeable future.
The “spirited discourse” Amanda called for her in one of her posts seems an awfully long way off.