Amanda Knox is defending a comedy show she is performing at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in Scotland, pushing back against criticism from Meredith Kercher's sister that the performance trivializes violence against women. Knox, now 39, stated on Instagram that her show, titled “Cartwheel,” “honors Meredith Kercher’s memory and calls out the violence that was done to her and to me.”
The show’s title refers to a discredited story claiming Knox performed cartwheels after Kercher's death. It is scheduled to run for 11 nights at the festival, which features a variety of performances including standup comedy and theater. The marketing for “Cartwheel” describes a woman nearing 40, navigating motherhood and addressing her wrongful imprisonment.
Knox was a 20-year-old student in Perugia, Italy, when Kercher was found murdered in their shared apartment on November 2, 2007. The case drew significant international attention, focusing on Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. Knox spent nearly four years in prison during the investigation and initial trial before being freed by an appeals court. Italy's highest court ultimately acquitted the couple in 2015.
Rudy Hermann Guede, from the Ivory Coast, was later convicted of the murder based on DNA evidence found at the crime scene. He was released in 2021, having served the majority of his 16-year sentence.
After her release, Knox returned to the United States in 2011. She has since become an advocate for the wrongly convicted, co-hosting a podcast and publishing a memoir titled, “Free: My Search for Meaning.”
Stephanie Kercher, Meredith Kercher's sister, expressed concerns in a BBC interview that the show could “normalize and trivialize violence against women.” While acknowledging Knox’s freedom to live her life, Kercher stated that the use of comedy for such a project is problematic. She added that regardless of guilt or innocence, she would object to a show specifically targeting Meredith, but the fact it comes from Knox compounds the pain. Kercher believes the show should not be given a platform.
An online petition calling for the cancellation of “Cartwheel” has gathered over 4,400 signatures. The petition argues that the show “mocks the horrific events surrounding Meredith’s murder and aims to somehow turn this tragedy into entertainment.”
Knox responded to the petition, stating that an attempt to cancel a show based on unproven accusations designed to silence her is not a valid argument against “Cartwheel.” She asserted that the Edinburgh Fringe festival is an appropriate venue for such a performance.