Jamie Lee Curtis has responded to criticism over comments she made about conservative leader Charlie Kirk following his death last month, saying her remarks were misinterpreted.
In an interview published Tuesday by Variety, Curtis said reactions to her comments during a podcast appearance on "WTF with Marc Maron" took her words out of context.
"An excerpt of it mistranslated what I was saying as I wished him well, like I was talking about him in a very positive way, which I wasn't," she said. "I was simply talking about his faith in God."
Curtis had spoken about Kirk's death during a podcast episode recorded two days after the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University.
"I disagreed with him on almost every point I ever heard him say, but I believe he was a man of faith, and I hope in that moment when he died that he felt connected to his faith," Curtis said at the time.
"Even though his ideas were abhorrent to me, I still believe he's a father and a husband and a man of faith. And I hope whatever connection to God means that he felt it."
Her comments prompted mixed reactions online.
Some praised her for showing compassion toward someone with opposing political views, while others criticized her for showing empathy toward Kirk, who had been known for his rejection of transgender rights. Curtis' daughter, Ruby Guest, is transgender.
Curtis said she wanted to show compassion — not approval.
"In the binary world today, you cannot hold two ideas at the same time," she told Variety.
"I cannot be Jewish and totally believe in Israel's right to exist and, at the same time, reject the destruction of Gaza."
"You can't say that, because you get vilified for having a mind that says, 'I can hold both those thoughts. I can be contradictory in that way,'" explained Curtis.
Curtis, 66, will be honored Thursday at Variety's Power of Women event in Los Angeles for her philanthropic work with Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
She is also set to appear in the upcoming film "Ella McCay."
The Oscar winner said she doesn't plan to hold back her opinions despite the backlash.
"If I was careful, I wouldn't have told you any of what I just told you," she said. "I can't not be who I am in the moment I am."
In a July interview with The Guardian, Curtis said her activism comes from her belief that people should be free to be themselves.
"I'm an outspoken advocate for the right of human beings to be who they are," she said. "Any government, religion, institution trying to limit that freedom is what I need to fight against."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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