Amanda Seyfried stands firm in her refusal to issue an apology for her characterization of Charlie Kirk as "hateful" following his tragic demise. Kirk, a prominent right-wing political commentator and founder of the Turning Point USA group, was gunned down during a campus event at Utah State University on September 10, at the age of 31.
In the aftermath of Kirk's death, Seyfried, 40, shared her sentiments on an Instagram post about the shooting, stating, "He was hateful." Her statement garnered backlash at the time, but she later clarified her remarks in a September 17 Instagram post. "We're losing sight of the nuances of humanity," Seyfried wrote. "I can get angry about misogyny and racist rhetoric and ALSO agree that Charlie Kirk's murder was absolutely disturbing and unimaginable. No one should have to experience this level of violence. This country is grieving too many senseless and violent deaths and shootings. Can we at least agree on that?"
Seyfried added in 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. Isn't spirited discourse what we should be engaging in?"
In a recent interview with Who What Wear, The Housemaid star reiterated her refusal to apologize. "I'm not f------ apologizing for that. I mean, for f---- sake, I commented on one thing," the Oscar nominee told the outlet. "I said something that was based on actual reality, actual footage, and actual quotes. What I said was pretty damn factual, and I'm free to have an opinion, of course."
"Thank God for Instagram. I was able to give some clarity and get my voice back because I felt like it had been stolen and recontextualized—which is what people do, of course," she continued.
Kirk was hosting his signature "Prove Me Wrong" event as part of his American Comeback Tour on the Orem, Utah, campus when shots were fired on September 10. Tyler Robinson is now facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder, after being accused of assassinating Kirk. Robinson, 22, allegedly told his parents "that he couldn't go to jail and just wanted to end it," according to the indictment on September 16.
Sergeant Ray Ormond of the Utah County Sheriff's Office previously informed PEOPLE in an email that Robinson is currently booked into the "Special Housing Unit," where inmates must wear a suicide prevention smock at all times. "Our special housing unit does include being on a special watch protocol that includes more supervision and wearing the above smock," Ormond added.
Since Kirk's death, his widow Erica Kirk has taken over his role at Turning Point USA.
