Khloé Kardashian faced a wave of criticism on social media Thursday night after she liked and reacted to Instagram posts about conservative activist Charlie Kirk following his shooting death the day before.
The 41-year-old reality star's activity included a "like" and a comment of three praying‑hand emojis under a video posted by the Pray.com Instagram account that showed Kirk discussing his Christian faith, according to screenshots shared by users online. Kardashian also reposted an Instagram Story that featured a post bemoaning the country's seeming numbness to acts of violence; the original Story came from a South Carolina chiropractor whose account has contained anti‑vaccine posts, according to screenshots circulated on social platforms. The Daily Mail reported the screenshots and has reached out to Kardashian's representatives but had not received a response.
Reaction to Kardashian's engagement was swift and often harsh. Many comments cited Kirk's public stances — including opposition to abortion, immigration restrictions, anti‑transgender positions and strong support for gun rights — as reasons why they found her responses troubling. Some users pointed to a 2023 speech in Salt Lake City in which Kirk said that some gun deaths were "worth it" to preserve the Second Amendment, a remark critics widely condemned.
"This is the worst thing she's ever done in my eyes fr. Yuck!!" one user wrote on Reddit, while others accused Kardashian of offering a performative or politically neutral response to a figure whose politics they found harmful. Several critics highlighted that Kardashian has biracial children and questioned her decision to express empathy for Kirk, whose past remarks and controversies led some social‑media users to label him a white supremacist.
Screenshots posted by followers preserved Kardashian's "like" and praying‑hand emojis, and users circulated an image of her Instagram Story that shared the chiropractor's message, which framed the shooting as transcending partisan divisions. Some commenters disputed that framing, saying the attack was inseparable from Kirk's political profile.
Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck on Wednesday on the campus of Utah Valley University; authorities said the gunman was positioned on the roof of a nearby building. The shooter remained at large as of Thursday, and FBI Director Kash Patel traveled to Utah amid criticism of the bureau's response and of recent personnel decisions that critics said could affect the investigation, the Daily Mail reported.
Kardashian has previously posted religious material on social media, and some users suggested her reaction fit that pattern. Others said they expected no public clarification from the reality star, while a subset of fans defended her for offering what they described as a human response to a death, separate from politics.
The controversy highlights the heightened scrutiny public figures face when they interact with divisive topics on social platforms, and how quickly such actions can provoke debate about politics, empathy and influence. Representatives for Kardashian did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Authorities in Utah continued investigating the shooting and searching for the suspect.