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Amanda Seyfried has addressed the controversy surrounding her reaction to the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University on September 10.
The 39-year-old actress initially sparked outrage when she commented under an Instagram post from So Informed that highlighted some of Kirk's controversial statements, including calling Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson "a diversity hire" and opposing the Transgender Day of Visibility. Seyfried simply wrote, "He was hateful."
The remark led to swift backlash online, with some social media users accusing her of condoning Kirk's killing. One X user wrote, "Amanda Seyfried hateful arrogant person." Another added, "Get her fired from future roles."
Seyfried later expanded on her stance in a statement shared on Instagram Stories on September 17. "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 with: "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. Spirited discourse – isn't that what we should be having?"
In addition to her comment, Seyfried had also reshared a message that read, "You can't invite violence to the dinner table and be shocked when it starts eating," which further fueled criticism.
Despite the controversy, Seyfried emphasized that condemning Kirk's rhetoric did not mean endorsing violence. "No one, including the late political activist, deserved to experience the level of violence he did," she wrote.
A public memorial for Kirk will take place on September 21 at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
