Abbie Chatfield, an Australian media personality, faced a wave of criticism after she posted screenshots of private messages from a woman who accused her of "celebrating" the fatal shooting of U.S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Chatfield, who has more than 578,000 followers on social platforms, reacted to reports that Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, had been shot while speaking at Utah Valley University last Wednesday. She wrote on social media: "Even though I hate Charlie Kirk, this isn't good for anyone," and warned that the shooting could inflame political tensions.
A Queensland nurse replied in a private message, accusing Chatfield of being "happy about someone's death purely for using his voice" and saying Chatfield had spread "fake stuff to young minds." The exchange escalated into a wider dispute over feminism and past behaviour, with the nurse referencing Chatfield's appearance on the reality TV show The Bachelor and Chatfield accusing the woman of "internalised misogyny."
Chatfield then shared the screenshots and the other woman's profile with her followers, prompting immediate backlash from some commentators and supporters of online privacy. Critics called the action problematic and said it risked exposing the private correspondent to harassment. "As a woman who knows what it's like to receive death threats, I cannot believe you would subject that onto anyone else," one critic, Jess Masion, wrote after the posts circulated.
Chatfield denied that she had celebrated or laughed about Kirk's death and said rumours to that effect were endangering her. She also pointed to a history of online threats, saying she has received messages ranging from snarky to abusive to threats and "fantasies of violence and rape," sometimes including her home address. Chatfield said police had not taken her safety concerns seriously and described steps she has taken at home to feel safer.
The dispute occurred against the backdrop of a national investigation into the killing of Kirk, a prominent conservative commentator. Authorities have identified a suspect, Tyler Robinson, and Utah Governor Spencer Cox said investigators believe the suspect "appeared to be motivated by left-wing ideology." Cox also told reporters that friends had pointed to online radicalisation in darker corners of the internet. Authorities said the suspect's partner is transgender and that the partner has been cooperative with investigators, but officials cautioned that they had not confirmed whether that relationship was a motive for the attack.
The shooting — described by Utah officials as a targeted political attack — has intensified debate in the United States about political violence and online extremism. Kirk's arresting and fatal shooting at a university event drew attention from lawmakers and media nationwide, and officials said they were probing whether the suspect had been radicalised online.
Chatfield's critics argued that posting the private messages and identifying information risked exposing the other woman to the same flood of hostile attention and threats that Chatfield herself says she has endured. Supporters countered that Chatfield was defending herself from what she described as false accusations that she had celebrated the killing.
In the days after the shooting, Chatfield also reposted a 2023 quotation attributed to Kirk — in which he suggested a political trade-off between gun deaths and preserving the Second Amendment — overlaid with music. That post further inflamed reactions among those who saw it as drawing attention to Kirk's previous comments about gun policy.
The episode underscores broader tensions over online conduct, doxxing and the responsibilities of public figures on social media. It also illustrates how the assassination of a high-profile political commentator has reverberated internationally, prompting commentary and conflict beyond U.S. borders.
Investigations into the Utah shooting remain active, and authorities have continued to press for details about the suspect's motives and any possible radicalisation. Meanwhile, the exchange between Chatfield and the Queensland woman has drawn attention to the risks public figures face when they amplify private communications, and to the persistent threats that those in the public eye say they endure online.