Amanda Knox is defending her new comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, asserting that it honors the memory of her murdered former roommate, Meredith Kercher. The show, titled "Cartwheel," faces accusations, notably from Kercher's sister, Stephanie Kercher, that it trivializes violence against women.
Knox, 39, stated in an Instagram post that the performance "honors Meredith Kercher’s memory and calls out the violence that was done to her and to me." The show's title references a past media story that claimed Knox performed cartwheels at a police station after Kercher's death.
The Edinburgh Fringe show is marketed as a woman nearing 40, navigating motherhood and addressing her past wrongful imprisonment. The description notes the public's continued divided opinions on her guilt or innocence.
Meredith Kercher was found stabbed to death in her Perugia, Italy, apartment on November 2, 2007. Knox, then a 20-year-old student, and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito became suspects. Knox spent nearly four years in prison during the investigation and trial before being freed by an appeals court. Italy's highest court ultimately acquitted both Knox and Sollecito in 2015. Rudy Hermann Guede, who was convicted of murder after his DNA was found at the crime scene, was released from prison in 2021.
Following her release, Knox returned to the U.S. in 2011 and has since become an advocate for the wrongly convicted. She co-hosts a podcast with her husband and published a memoir in 2023.
Stephanie Kercher expressed her concerns in a BBC interview, stating that while Knox is free to live her life, the use of comedy for this project is problematic. "It’s not about whether people think she’s guilty or innocent, if someone else was doing the show specifically against Meredith, I would still feel the same, it is obviously an added wound that it’s coming from her at the same time, but I do feel very strongly that it should be something that’s not given a platform," Kercher said.
An online petition urging the cancellation of "Cartwheel" has garnered over 4,400 signatures. Petitioners claim the show "mocks the horrific events surrounding Meredith’s murder and aims to somehow turn this tragedy into entertainment."
Knox countered the petition, arguing that calls for its cancellation based on unproven accusations aim to silence her. She stated that the Edinburgh Fringe, a festival known for its diverse performances, is an appropriate venue for her show.