A number of celebrities have responded to the death of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, as tensions rise both in the U.S. and globally over the role of free speech in the aftermath of his passing
The pundit, 31, was fatally shot in the neck while speaking to students at Utah Valley University on September 10.
The conservative commentator, who co-founded the right-wing youth organisation Turning Point USA, was kicking off his American Comeback Tour.
The political activist has been credited with helping Trump win the 2024 presidential election and was shot while answering a question about gun violence in the US.
The FBI has now confirmed they have arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
He was arrested at about 11pm on Thursday night, after reportedly confessing to his father, who turned him in.
Bullets were found near the scene scrawled with flippant, political messages, like ‘Hey fascist! Catch!’ and: ‘If you read this, you are gay LMAO.’
Follow the latest news on Charlie Kirk’s death with Metro’s live blog
Robinson will likely be charged next week, including for aggravated murder, which carries life behind bars or the death penalty.
Donald Trump has paid tribute to the MAGA spokesperson, who was a father to a daughter, three, and a one-year-old son.
‘The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,’ wrote Trump on his Truth Social platform at 4.40pm.
‘No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.
‘Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!’
Now celebrities have taken to social media with their reactions to the shocking moment.
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson took to X and said: ‘For the first time in my life, I’m genuinely frightened about being a newspaper columnist.’
Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show has been taken off air following comments he made about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Broadcaster ABC has caused controversy overnight after announcing Jimmy Kimmel Live had been pulled ‘indefinitely’ following comments made by the presenter about the shooting.
On Monday’s episode of the show – which he’s hosted since 2003 – Kimmel said the following about Kirk’s alleged killer: ‘We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it.’
Kimmel had previously described the assassination as ‘senseless’ and sent his love to all victims of gun violence.
‘Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?’ Kimmel wrote in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
‘On behalf of my family, we send love to the kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.’
Stephen King
Author Stephen King said: ‘The motivation of the man who shot Charlie Kirk isn’t clear (although he’s probably mentally unstable–duh). What is clear is it was another example of American gun violence.’
King also tweeted that Kirk advocated for ‘stoning gays,’ something he later apologised for, writing: ‘I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages.’
Chris Pratt
Guardians of the Galaxy actor Chris Pratt, 46, posted on X: ‘Praying for Charlie Kirk right now, for his wife and young children, for our country. We need God’s grace. God help us.’
After he faced backlash for supporting Kirk, he posted a video in which he said: ‘Hey guys, just stop real quick and pray with me,” he said before reciting. Okay, now you can continue scrolling or you can turn your phone off and go outside. Might I suggest the latter. Go get some sunshine. Go look at a tree, touch grass. Call a friend.
‘If you’ve got time to be on your phone right now, you’ve got time to do your to-do list and you’ve got time to reach out to somebody in need. Share this prayer with them.’
Amanda Seyfried
Actress Amanda Seyfried – known for her role in the Mamma Mia movies and countless others – faced backlash for calling Charlie Kirk ‘hateful’ in an Instagram comment.
Subsequently, she clarified her remark in a new post, which included the caption: ‘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?’
The post itself read: ‘We’re forgetting the nuance of humanity, 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?’
Piers Morgan
Meanwhile, Piers Morgan called the shooting ‘appalling’.
‘An appalling assault on free speech and democracy,’ he wrote on X. ‘Charlie always welcomed debate, with anyone. This is disgusting and heartbreaking. RIP Charlie.’
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis broke down on a podcast while discussing Kirk’s death.
‘I’m going to bring something up with you just because it’s front of mind. Charlie Crist was killed two days ago,’ she said on Monday’s new episode of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast.
Maron corrected Curtis, ‘Kirk, not Crist.’
She quickly corrected herself: ‘Sorry, Kirk. I just call him Crist, I think, because of Christ, because of his deep belief.’
The actor has been an outspoken democrat for many years, and became emotional as she spoke about the activist’s killing of the 31-year-old in front of students and his children.
‘I disagreed with him on almost every point I ever heard him say, but I believe he was a man of faith,’ she said as her voice broke. ‘And I hope in that moment when he died, that he felt connected with his faith.”
She started to cry as she added: ‘Even though I find what he, 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.’
She also spoke about her concerns about the footage of his death, which went viral and showed Kirk being shot in the neck.
‘I know there is video of his assassination. I know people who’ve seen it.
She then referred to 9/11 as she said: ‘Today, we as a society are bombarded with imagery. So, we don’t know what the longitudinal effects of seeing those Towers come down over and over and over and over again.’
‘I’m associated with this awful day of someone being assassinated on television,” she said then of President John F Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, that she fears we have become “inured” to such violent images.
‘We are numb to them, but they are in there. We don’t know, we don’t know enough psychologically about what that does. What does that do? That kind of — I don’t ever want to see this footage of this man being shot.’
Russell Brand
The comedian offered his condolences to the right-wing influencer’s wife Erika Frantzve Kirk and their two kids with a message on Instagram.
He wrote: ‘He was a good, strange Christian man. Dear God please comfort his family.’
Rosie O’Donnell
Following Kirk’s passing, the former View host made it clear she saw no excuse for the violent act.
Sharing a photo of Kirk speaking onstage before the attack, she wrote on Instagram, ‘No just no—do not become the murderer—this is wrong on every level.’
Michael Keaton
Actor Michael Keaton weighed in on the event online.
He wrote: ‘Before we start to get into the meat of this thing, I’m going to take a minute to say that, regardless of how I probably – not probably – have disagreed with many things, Charlie Kirk leaves behind two kids and a wife. You gotta remember that.’
The 74-year-old added: ‘Because in the end, shooting people will never answer anything, and the irony that he was killed with a gun is unbelievable.’
Stephen Colbert
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert host Stephen Colbert said on his show on Wednesday, per Deadline: ‘After our scripts for tonight’s show were finished this afternoon, we here at The Late Show learned that Charlie Kirk, a prominent right-wing activist was killed at a speaking engagement in Utah. Our condolences go out to his family and all of his loved ones.
‘I’m old enough to personally remember the political violence of the 1960s, and I hope it is obvious to everyone in America that political violence does not solve any of our political differences.
‘Political violence only leads to more political violence, and I pray with all my heart that this is the abhorrent action of a mad man and not a sign of things to come.’
Josh Duhamel
Actor Josh Duhamel, known for his role as Danny McCoy on the NBC crime drama Las Vegas as well as countless movies, paid tribute on Instagram.
He wrote: ‘RIP Charlie Kirk. Please remember, no matter what your political beliefs, that this man had a wife and two beautiful children who no longer have him. Please pray for this madness to stop.’
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Terminator actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke at length about his thoughts on Kirk’s death.
He wrote on X alongside a video of his remarks: ‘USC President Kim asked me for my thoughts about Charlie Kirk at USC’s Democracy Day celebration. There’s something more important than my message in this video. It’s what you don’t hear. No heckling. No disrespect. No shouting.
‘I know that social media shows us the worst of humanity, and a few people celebrating a death will get more attention than hundreds of respectful people. Don’t let these companies and the rage influencers that profit from them convince you the worst of us are the most of us.
‘They are a tiny minority that gets too much attention because anger makes you post, repost, and like. This was an audience of almost 500 students, and zero disrespect. That’s how most of the real world outside of the internet is. If you find yourself falling for the anger, go out in the real world and make yourself human again.’
Ashley Tisdale
High School Musical icon Ashley Tisdale posted an Instagram story that read: ’24 years ago feels very different from today. Where we once were united and grieving together as a country, today we see someone die and blame his politics and opinions.
‘Everyone in that building had different views and opinions, when we stop caring about loss of life we are done.’
James Woods
Film star James Woods weighed in on Kirk’s death, claiming he had been friends with the commentator.
He wrote: ‘I enjoyed dinners with Charlie, but worried for his safety. The left says they want “national conversations.” Charlie Kirk actually did just that. In the lion’s den, no less, at left leaning venues, hoping facts and common sense would prevail. And they murdered him for it.’
A version of this article was first published on September 11, 2025.
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