Jamie Lee Curtis Defends Controversial Comments on Conservative Leader Charlie Kirk

By Zoe Papadakis | Wednesday, 29 October 2025 11:09 AM EDT

Jamie Lee Curtis has addressed backlash over remarks she made about conservative leader Charlie Kirk following his death last month, asserting her comments were misinterpreted. In an interview with Variety, Curtis explained that reactions to her statements during a podcast appearance on “WTF with Marc Maron” distorted her words.

“I was simply discussing his faith in God,” she clarified. “An excerpt of my remarks was mistranslated to suggest I wished him well in a positive light, which I did not.”

Curtis had commented on Kirk’s death during a podcast recorded two days after the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. She stated, “I disagreed with him on nearly every point I heard him make, but I believe he was a man of faith. I hope he felt connected to his faith in his final moments.”

She added, “Even though his ideas were abhorrent to me, I still see him as a father, husband, and man of faith. I hope whatever connection to God means, he experienced it.”

Her remarks sparked varied reactions online, with some praising her for showing compassion toward an adversary and others criticizing her for expressing empathy toward Kirk, who had opposed transgender rights. Curtis emphasized she aimed to convey compassion, not approval.

“In today’s binary world, holding two opposing ideas simultaneously is impossible,” she told Variety. “I cannot be Jewish and fully support Israel’s right to exist while rejecting Gaza’s destruction. You’re vilified for thinking you can hold both.”

Curtis, 66, will be honored at Variety’s Power of Women event in Los Angeles for her philanthropy with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She is also set to star in the upcoming film “Ella McCay.”

Despite the controversy, Curtis said she would not temper her views. “If I were careful, I wouldn’t have shared any of this,” she stated. “I can’t be someone else in the moment I am.”

In a July interview with The Guardian, Curtis reiterated her belief in human freedom, stating, “I’m an outspoken advocate for people’s right to be themselves. Any entity limiting that freedom is what I must fight against.”