Fans have slammed one of Broadway’s biggest superstars for mourning conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
On Wednesday, Kristin Chenoweth posted on Instagram that Kirk’s death was a “heartbreak,” leading to immediate backlash from fans who disagreed with Kirk’s political views.
“I’m. So. Upset. Didn’t always agree but appreciated some perspectives,” the Wicked and West Wing star commented on the last Instagram post that Kirk made before he died.
“What a heartbreak,” she added. “I know where he is now. Heaven. But still 💔.’
Later that day, Chenoweth posted on her Instagram story and wrote, “Such a sad, senseless, and disgusting act! Wow… prayers for the Kirk family and prayers for our nation.”
She also shared a post from Brian Allen, a liberal political commentator, who wrote on X that Kirk’s shooting is “horrifying and unacceptable.”
Left-leaning commenters critical of Kirk quickly descended on Chenoweth, 57, who has a history of supporting Democratic politicians and once described herself as a “liberal Christian.”
Chenoweth also urged her fans to vote for Kamala Harris last year on her TikTok and Instagram accounts last year.
Still, liberal users flooded her Instagram page with negative comments in the wake of her posts mourning Kirk.
A post shared by The Queen of Versailles on Broadway (@qovmusical)
“No thank you, we don’t support MAGA,” one Instagram user commented on Friday on her most recent post from June.
“What a huge middle finger to the people that love you,” wrote another.
On X, many users argued that Chenoweth’s comments were reflective of her hidden conservative beliefs.
Others noted that the version of “No One Mourns the Wicked” from the 2024 Wicked movie has been trending since Kirk’s death.
Notice how no one is streaming kristin chenoweth https://t.co/HOhzXJJad2
— leslie 🍒 (@childishleslino) September 11, 2025
In the Wicked musical and movie, which are both spin-offs of The Wizard of Oz, the song begins with the citizens of Oz celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch of the West.
However, Glinda the Good (Chenoweth’s iconic role that was later taken on by Ariana Grande in the recent movie) pushes back on the citizens’ jubilation and reminds the citizens that the Wicked Witch was a person too.
While politicians from both sides of the aisle condemned Kirk’s killing on Wednesday, reactions to his death have been sharply polarized on social media platforms.
Bluesky, a haven for former Twitter users who decamped after Elon Musk’s takeover, issued a warning to its 38 million users on Thursday that “glorifying violence” was against its rules of use.
“Violence has no place in healthy public discourse, and we’re committed to fostering healthy, open conversations,” the platform’s Safety account wrote.
That warning came after some users went even beyond celebrating Kirk’s death, listing other conservative activists like Ben Shapiro and Benny Johnson that someone should “go get” next.
At the same time, several people who celebrated Kirk’s death or posted about his history of divisive statements were removed from their jobs on Thursday.
An employee for the Carolina Panthers NFL team was fired after writing on Instagram, “Why are yall sad? Your man said it was worth it.”
The employee, Charlie Rock, was likely alluding to a statement Kirk made in 2023 that it is worth it “to have some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”
In the media realm, MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd lost his position at the program after he said that “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions” during a panel discussion about Kirk’s death.
Fans of Kirk also targeted the author Stephen King online after he wrote on X that the conservative activist “advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin’.”
King, who seemed to be referencing a 2024 podcast episode in which Kirk quoted a Bible passage saying that gay people should be stoned, later deleted his statement and apologized.
In addition to his polarizing views on gay and transgender rights, Kirk, 31, advocated for abortion bans with no exceptions for rape, said that “Islam is not compatible with Western civilization,” and called the passage of the Civil Rights Act “a huge mistake.”
He was also an ardent defender of free speech rights. Last year, he wrote on X that “Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There’s ugly speech. There’s gross speech. There’s evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment.”
President Donald Trump announced on Friday morning that authorities have arrested a 22-year-old suspect in Kirk’s grisly killing, which took place during an event at Utah Valley University.
Chenoweth joined several other actors and TV personalities who spoke out after Kirk’s death, including Chris Pratt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Rosie O’Donnell.
The Daily Beast has contacted Chenoweth’s publicist for comment.
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