Khloé Kardashian came under fire Thursday night after fans noticed she had liked and commented on an Instagram post praising conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot the day before at Utah Valley University.
The 41-year-old reality star added praying-hand emojis under a video of Kirk discussing his Christian faith and later shared a seemingly nonpartisan post mourning his death.
Kirk was killed after being shot in the neck by a gunman firing from a rooftop near the campus.
According to Daily Mail, the shooter remains at large, with FBI Director Kash Patel traveling to Utah amid mounting criticism over the bureau’s handling of the manhunt.
Many of Kardashian’s followers expressed outrage, pointing to Kirk’s history of anti-abortion, anti-immigrant, and anti-transgender views, as well as his outspoken support for gun rights.
Screenshots of Kardashian’s interaction circulated online, with critics accusing her of overlooking his controversial statements—including past remarks suggesting that gun deaths were an acceptable price to preserve the Second Amendment.
Some commenters went further, labeling Kirk a white supremacist and questioning Kardashian’s empathy given that she has biracial children, as per the outlet.
“Empathizing with a white supremacist when you have Black children is a different kind of evil,” one critic wrote on Reddit.
Kardashian has not publicly addressed the backlash. Representatives for the reality star did not immediately respond to requests for comment.