Kristin Chenoweth responds to the intense fan backlash over tribute to Charlie Kirk: 'Nearly broke me'
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Kristin Chenoweth, renowned for her role in Broadway’s “Wicked,” expressed that the criticism she faced over a social media tribute to Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was deeply distressing. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress discussed her recent work in “The Queen of Versailles,” when the topic of her Instagram post about Kirk’s death in September arose.

Chenoweth’s original post read: “I’m. So. Upset. Didn’t always agree but appreciated some perspectives. What a heartbreak. His young family. I know where he is now. Heaven. But still.” This expression of sympathy sparked significant backlash from her followers, who accused her of disregarding the LGBTQ+ community by mourning a conservative figure.

In response to the controversy, Chenoweth told The Hollywood Reporter, “It was tough on me, but I’m not going to answer any questions about it because I dealt with it. It nearly broke me, and that’s all I’m going to say. You probably know my heart, so you probably know.”

Chenoweth received intense backlash from her fans, who accused her of betraying the LGBTQ+ community by mourning the conservative activist.

“It was tough on me, but I’m not going to answer any questions about it because I dealt with it,” Chenoweth said Monday. “It nearly broke me, and that’s all I’m going to say. You probably know my heart, so you probably know.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Turning Point USA for comment.

Chenoweth had previously responded to the backlash during an interview with NY1 in September.


Kristin Chenoweth attends the American Theatre Wing Fall Gala.
Actress Kristin Chenoweth said the backlash to her positive comments about Charlie Kirk after his assassination nearly “broke” her. Tricia Baron/Shutterstock

“I saw what happened online with my own eyes and I had a human moment of reflection right then,” Chenoweth said. “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.”

Chenoweth’s comments came about one week after actress Jamie Lee Curtis seemed to walk back her own positive comments towards Kirk after similarly receiving backlash.


Charlie Kirk speaking to a crowd during Turning Point's visit to Utah Valley University.
Chenoweth posted on Instagram that she appreciated some of Kirk’s perspectives despite not agreeing with all of his views. AP

“An excerpt of it mistranslated what I was saying as I wished him well — like I was talking about him in a very positive way, which I wasn’t; I was simply talking about his faith in God,” Curtis told Variety. “And so it was a mistranslation, which is a pun, but not.”

She had previously teared up over Kirk’s death, saying, “I mean, I disagreed with him on almost every point I ever heard him say. But I believe he was a man of faith, and I hope in that moment when he died, that he felt connected to his faith. Even though I find what his ideas were abhorrent to me, I still believe he’s a father and a husband and a man of faith, and I hope whatever ‘connection to God’ means, that he felt it.”

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