What did Jamie Lee Curtis say about Charlie Kirk's assassination? Actress calls him 'Charlie Crist' amid emotional breakdown

Jamie Lee Curtis became emotional when speaking about the recent killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk while appearing on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast. The episode aired on September 14, but was likely recorded on September 12, and was referring to the shooting that happened two days prior to that.

Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck on September 10 while he attended an event hosted by his organization at Utah Valley University. Investigators have since arrested Tyler Robinson as a suspect.

During Maron's podcast, Jamie Lee Curtis opened the topic by saying, “I’m going to bring something up with you just because it’s front of mind.” In her emotional remarks, she mistakenly referred to Charlie Kirk as “Charlie Crist,” a slip she attributed to Kirk’s “deep, deep belief” in his faith.

Choking back tears, the Academy Award-winning actress said,

“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 with his faith. Even though 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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Jamie Lee Curtis reflects on Charlie Kirk’s death and the impact of violent imagery

Jamie Lee Curtis also linked the tragedy to the larger topic of violent imagery consumption, noting that the assassination coincided with the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

“Yesterday was 9/11. I know there is video of his assassination. I know people who’ve seen it. Yesterday [on 9/11], we watched again these images of those buildings coming down. … Today, we as a society are bombarded with imagery," she stated.

She expressed her worries concerning the psychological effects of watching something as graphic as the 9/11 attacks or the videotapes of Kirk's death multiple times.

"We don’t know what the longitudinal effects of seeing those towers come down over and over and over and over again, or watching his execution over and over and over again,” Curtis reflected.

She then firmly added, "I don’t ever want to see this footage of this man being shot," and then questioned whether saturating society with images of violence contributed to a "lack of humanity."

Charlie Kirk was a polarizing character in American politics, especially among young conservatives. As a co-founder of Turning Point USA, he gained recognition for his outspoken support of right-wing causes and his allegiance to the MAGA movement. While many people harshly characterized Kirk, he was met with general disdain from both supporters and opponents after his assassination.

After Kirk's passing, tributes came pouring in from both celebrity and political figures. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel wrote on Instagram,

“Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human? 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."

Kimmel later addressed discussions occurring online regarding Charlie Kirk's death, stating,

“I’ve seen a lot of extraordinarily vile responses to this from both sides of the political spectrum. Some people are cheering this, which is something I won’t ever understand.”

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While Jamie Lee Curtis openly stated she did not politically identify with Charlie Kirk, her comments served to indicate that national tragedy extends beyond politics. Regarding Kirk as a man of faith, a father, and a husband, Curtis referred to a common humanity that lies beyond politics, something many listeners appreciated.

Edited by Diana George