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Kristin Chenoweth Says Charlie Kirk Backlash 'Nearly Broke' Her, Declines Further Comment

The Broadway star now says the reaction to her sympathetic Instagram remark about the polarizing activist left her shaken among LGBTQ+ fans.

Overview

  • In a Nov. 3 Hollywood Reporter interview, Chenoweth said the uproar over her earlier remarks was “tough” and “nearly broke me,” adding she would not answer more questions about it.
  • Her September Instagram comment on Kirk’s death said she was “so upset,” that she “didn’t always agree but appreciated some perspectives,” and that she believed he was in heaven.
  • The reaction was fiercest from LGBTQ+ fans, who objected to sympathy for Kirk given his record of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric through Turning Point USA and related platforms.
  • Days after her comment, Chenoweth told NY1 she had “a human moment of reflection,” acknowledged her words hurt people, and reiterated her identity as a Christian and an LGBTQ+ advocate.
  • Kirk, 31, was shot and killed during a Sept. 10 event at Utah Valley University, and prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson in the case.