Actor Michael Keaton has sparked a rather fiery debate among the public after he addressed the fatal shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Speaking at the Investigative Reporters and Editors’ 50th anniversary gala in New York on Monday evening, the 74-year-old Batman star acknowledged his political differences with Mr Kirk whilst expressing sympathy for his family.
However, he also took the chance to highlight what he called the “irony” of the gun rights advocate’s death by firearm.
“Before we start to get into the meat of this thing, I’m going to take a minute to say that, regardless of how I probably – not probably – have disagreed with many things he said, Charlie Kirk leaves behind two kids and a wife,” Mr Keaton said. “You gotta remember that.”
The actor added: “Because in the end, shooting people will never answer anything, and the irony that he was killed with a gun is unbelievable.”
Mr Kirk, who founded the conservative youth organisation Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on September 10 whilst hosting an event at Utah Valley University.
The 31-year-old was responding to a question about gun violence and mass shootings when the attack occurred.
Police identified the suspected gunman as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who was taken into custody on Thursday evening. He faces multiple charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a weapon causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice.
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Mr Robinson is currently being held without bail at Utah County Jail. During a remote court appearance on Tuesday, prosecutors announced they would pursue the death penalty for the killing.
The aggravated murder charge alone carries a potential death sentence under Utah state law.
Following Mr Kirk’s assassination, numerous public figures from across the political spectrum expressed their reactions to the tragedy.
Actor Chris Pratt posted on X: “Praying for Charlie Kirk right now, for his wife and young children, for our country.” Television 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?”
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis became emotional while discussing the killing on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, despite acknowledging she disagreed with Mr Kirk “on almost every point.”
In the UK, Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain was slammed for branding Mr Kirk a “bigot” less than 24 hours after his death.
President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death on Truth Social, describing him as “Great, and even Legendary” and stating: “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me.”
Mr Keaton’s remarks about the “irony” of Kirk’s death sparked criticism on social media, with some users labelling the actor a “moron” for his comments.
Reacting to an article about Mr Keaton’s comments, one X user fumed: “I’m a @MichaelKeaton fan, a fellow Pittsburgher, but like many others here since the Kirk murder… they never say exactly what they disagreed w Charlie about.
“They paint w broad brushes & never get into the details. This is how they perpetuate their bulls*** & it’s no diff w him.”
A second echoed: “As a teen, I enjoyed Michael Keaton’s humor. His iconic portrayal of Batman. His uninformed, clueless views of Charlie Kirk are deeply disappointing. Yet another disappointment. I will never watch anything he is in ever again.”
“These people have zero self-control and no self-awareness,” added a third before a fourth hit out: “He was murdered with a bolt-action rifle, pretty much the least efficient gun. It’s definitely not an ‘assault weapon’, so what’s the irony? This gun would be the last one to be banned, so no magical gun law would’ve prevented his murder. Maybe not demonizing Charlie would’ve.”
However, Mr Keaton did receive some plaudits for his stance on Mr Kirk. “Nothing wrong with what he said. Michael Keaton gets to state his opinion,” one X user argued. (sic)
Mr Kirk had been a vocal Second Amendment supporter throughout his career. At a 2023 TPUSA Faith event, he stated: “It’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment.”