Jezebel published a story saying one of its reporters paid sellers on Etsy to cast spells against conservative activist Charlie Kirk two days before he was fatally shot while on a campus appearance, and the site added an editor’s note condemning the killing after the shooting.
The article, published Sept. 8, described the reporter arranging and paying for "multiple curses" on Kirk and quoted lines asking readers whether they were "interested in punishing Kirk for the years of regressive rhetoric he's shouted at America's youth." Two days later, a man opened fire during a stop on Kirk's American Comeback Tour at Utah Valley University, striking the 31-year-old in the neck. A suspect has since been arrested in the shooting.
The Jezebel piece recounted purchases of spells described by the seller names as the "Make Everyone Hate Him" curse and the "Powerful Hex Spell," and said the reporter received what was presented as proof that a rite had been performed — a photograph of Kirk that had been burned. The reporter wrote, "So, did my Etsy curses work? Time will tell," and included passages expressing discomfort with targeting a private individual while also saying, "Is it unethical to curse a man I've never met? Probably not. But is it unethical to let him keep talking? Yes. So here we are, in the gray area. To ruin his day with the collective feminist power of the Etsy coven would be my life's greatest joy."
Jezebel added an editor's note to the story after news of the shooting, saying the outlet "condemns the shooting of Charlie Kirk in the strongest possible terms" and that it does not "endorse, encourage, or excuse political violence of any kind." The note reiterated the story's publication date and said the site condemned the violence once it became known.
Kirk is the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative commentator and organizer. He was 31 and a married father of two at the time of the shooting. He was on a scheduled stop at Utah Valley University when the gunfire occurred; authorities say a suspect fired a single shot that struck Kirk in the neck. Local and federal officials are handling the criminal investigation.
The Jezebel article said the reporter paid for what were described as spells through Etsy and recounted interactions with sellers who cast the rites, one of whom the writer identified as a "Priestess" and quoted as saying spellwork is a "collaboration between the caster, the client, and the universe itself." The story also said the reporter at one point worried that the spells had not produced any effects and that they did not want "dark forces to cause him harm."
The coverage of the exchange between the reporter and online sellers prompted immediate public attention after the shooting. Jezebel's editor's note sought to draw a distinction between the published piece and the act of violence, stating the outlet's condemnation of the shooting.
Authorities continue to investigate the shooting and the circumstances surrounding it. The article and the editor's note remain part of the public record as both news organizations and law enforcement pursue details about the motive, the suspect's identity and any potential connections to the published piece. Jezebel did not, in its editor's note, endorse political violence and affirmed its stance against such acts.