Kristin Chenoweth is reflecting on her response to the death of Charlie Kirk.
In a new interview with NY1, the 57-year-old Tony-winning actress talked about the controversy over her Instagram post after the right-wing political commentator was shot and killed on September 10.
Chenoweth had written, as Playbill reported: “Didn’t always agree but appreciated some perspectives. What a heartbreak. His young family. I know where he is now. Heaven. But still.”
“I saw what happened online with my own eyes,” the producer and star of The Queen of Versailles told NY1 host Frank DiLella. “And I had a human moment of reflection.”
She said that after seeing how people reacted to her post about Kirk, who often shared anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-women views, she realized, “I came to understand that my comment hurt some folks and that hurt me. So I would never — it’s no secret that I have been, 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.”
Chenoweth added that for some fans, Christianity and LGBTQ+ advocacy don’t “go together. But for me it always has. And it always will.”
Kirk died at age 31 after being shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University. Utah resident Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with killing the Turning Point USA founder.
President Donald Trump and many other politicians spoke out, condemning the shooting. Celebrities including Chris Pratt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Rosie O’Donnell also shared their reactions on social media.
Chenoweth stars in The Queen of Versailles, a new musical reuniting her with Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz. She plays socialite Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel, while F. Murray Abraham plays her husband David Siegel, the “Timeshare King.”
About the role, Chenoweth told NY1, “I’m 57 now, and I’m looking for complicated characters to play and ways to challenge myself.”
The Queen of Versailles opens November 9 at Broadway’s St. James Theatre.
