Anne Hegerty faces backlash over ‘distasteful’ post following Charlie Kirk’s death: ‘You really should take it down’

The Chase star has come under fire for her ‘misinformed’ tweets

Anne Hegerty, best known as The Governess on ITV’s The Chase, has found herself at the centre of controversy after weighing in on the shocking murder of American political commentator Charlie Kirk.

Her remarks, which many have slammed as “misinformed” and “distasteful,” triggered an outpouring of criticism online.

Charlie Kirk was killed last week (Credit: Cover Images)

Anne Hegerty addresses Charlie Kirk’s death in ‘distasteful’ tweet

Kirk, 31, a prominent conservative voice and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10.

Authorities say the alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, fired from approximately 200 yards away just seconds after Kirk answered a question about mass shootings. He was pronounced dead in hospital two and a half hours later.

Robinson has since been charged with capital murder.

I had never heard of Charlie Kirk before Wed night. Had we met, my end of the conversation would have been ‘You just said WHAT?’ and ‘Scuse me, those are my FRIENDS you’re talking about.’ I join Bernie Sanders in deploring his murder.

— Anne Hegerty (@anne_hegerty) September 12, 2025

Following news of the tragedy, Anne, 67, took to Twitter to share her thoughts.

“I had never heard of Charlie Kirk before Wednesday night,” she wrote. “Had we met, my end of the conversation would have been ‘You just said WHAT?’ and ‘Scuse me, those are my FRIENDS you’re talking about.’”

She added: “I join Bernie Sanders in deploring his murder.”

While Anne claimed she was condemning the act of violence, many followers were quick to accuse her of disrespect.

Followers react

“Anne, look at his debates before making assumptions – P.S. your head is big,” one commenter wrote, perhaps referring to Anne being a very clever woman.

“I know, it always has been,” Anne fired back. “In the jungle, I had the second largest hat size.”

Others weren’t amused. “You’ve never heard of him, yet you make stupid assumptions,” another critic said. “There’s nothing he says that is controversial if you actually take time to listen.”

“I wish there was a downvote button. This is a bad and distasteful tweet,” a third fumed.

Anne responded with a critique of American outrage culture, suggesting the backlash was part of the problem.

“You know, Americans, this kind of hair-trigger angriness and sensitivity and telling people to stop talking is exactly why you get people doing this sort of thing in the first place. Why not try taking the temperature down a bit?”

You know, Americans, this kind of hair-trigger angriness and sensitivity and telling people to stop talking is exactly why you get people doing this sort of thing in the first place. Why not try taking the temperature down a bit?

— Anne Hegerty (@anne_hegerty) September 12, 2025

Despite insisting she believes in free speech, Anne’s post continued to draw fire.

“This is a terribly misinformed post, and you should really take it down,” one user wrote. “Bad take, Anne,” added another. “He was a humble, polite debater who only wanted to open people’s minds.”

One commenter summed up the backlash. “If you’ve never heard of him before Wednesday, you probably should just sit this one out.”

A fierce MAGA supporter

Kirk was a polarising figure in American politics, known for his fierce MAGA views and college campus debates.

He played a key role in securing the Republican youth vote and was widely credited with helping Donald Trump win re-election in 2024.