Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Eileen Davidson faced swift online backlash after a now-deleted Instagram post about the Sept. 10 shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk drew accusations that she appeared to celebrate the attack.
In the post to her roughly 468,000 followers, Davidson, 66, wrote, “I am not in support of what happened to Charlie Kirk, but Charlie Kirk was in support of what happened to Charlie Kirk.” After criticism escalated, she clarified on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Never ever in one million years would I celebrate the assassination of anybody, ever. Please don’t twist things around.” Davidson has since reshared videos and images on X highlighting Kirk’s past remarks and polarizing commentary.
The controversy centers on comments Kirk made at a 2023 Turning Point USA Faith event, when the conservative activist said he believed a cost of protecting the Second Amendment could include “some gun deaths every single year.” News outlets quoted Kirk as saying such a trade-off was “a prudent deal” to preserve gun rights. Davidson’s Instagram post appeared to reference that earlier remark.
Kirk, 31, was struck by a single gunshot while answering a question at an event at Utah Valley University. Video from the scene showed him recoiling and clutching his neck as the shot rang out and the crowd panicked. Authorities later identified an alleged shooter as 22-year-old Utah student Tyler Robinson, who reportedly wrote “Hey fascist! Catch!” on a bullet, according to reports.
Social media users responded strongly to Davidson’s original post and to her clarification. Some critics accused her of mocking or celebrating the shooting and noted that deleting the post did not remove its impact. “But you did and then deleted it not realizing that the internet is forever. How dare you???!!!???” one commenter wrote. Davidson replied to some commenters directly on social platforms, saying, “I stand by my post, sweetie,” and at times responding sharply to critics.
Other users defended Davidson’s criticism of Kirk, arguing that people should not pretend his public statements are without consequence. A Reddit thread discussing the post attracted thousands of comments and tens of thousands of upvotes, with some social media users saying others had “put on rose colored glasses over his death.”
Davidson is best known for her Emmy-winning roles on daytime soap operas including Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless and for appearing as a full-time Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member from Seasons 5 through 7. She has continued to maintain a public profile through acting and frequent social media commentary.
The variant reactions to Davidson’s posts underscore the polarized response to the Kirk shooting and to debates over public rhetoric and accountability. Law enforcement and legal processes connected to the shooting are ongoing; no convictions related to the incident have been reported in connection with this story. Davidson’s posts remain part of a broader social-media conversation about political speech and the responsibilities of high-profile commentators and their critics.