Broadway star and actress, Kirsten Chenoweth, refuses to recant her tribute to Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk despite fierce backlash that nearly broke her.
According to Breitbart, Chenoweth’s touching tribute to Kirk put her in the crosshairs of fans. After Kirk’s assassination, Chenoweth commented on his final Instagram post, writing, “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.” She ended her comment with a broken-heart emoji.
The comment quickly garnered controversy. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter on Monday, Chenoweth said, “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.”
She added, “I saw what happened online with my own eyes and I had a human moment of reflection right then. I came to understand that my comment hurt some folks, and that hurt me so badly.”
According to Breitbart, in some of the backlash, her fans accused her of betraying the LGBTQ+ community by expressing her sadness over the murder of another human being, despite not always agreeing on beliefs.
“It’s no secret that I’m a Christian, that I’m a person of faith,” she added. “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.” She added.
Other well-known figures, such as the band Coldplay, also received backlash but were not deterred. But figures like actress Jaimie Lee Curtis recanted her statements of tribute after receiving similar backlash. The New York Post reported that Curtis had backtracked, saying, “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.”
Despite the notable backlash, Chenoweth embodies President Trump’s legacy of courage in the face of hate from the left.