Overview

• Jezebel published a Sept. 8 first-person article titled “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk,” describing purchases of spells like a “MAKE EVERYONE HATE HIM” curse and stating the writer did not seek physical harm.
• After Kirk was shot and later died during a Utah Valley University event on Sept. 10, Jezebel appended an editor’s note denouncing the violence and changed the byline to “By Jezebel.”
• The site also locked replies on its social post promoting the article as criticism and scrutiny over the timing intensified online.
• Paste Media Group president Josh Jackson told Variety the piece was a tongue‑in‑cheek satire and reiterated the company’s condemnation of the shooting.
• Authorities say the investigation remains active after an initial detention and releases, and no evidence links the Jezebel article or Etsy sellers to the shooter.