Anne Hegerty landed herself in hot water for her comments about Charlie Kirk (Image: ITV)

The Chase star Anne Hegerty has been blasted online after weighing in on the brutal m.u.rder of US conservative firebrand, Charlie Kirk. Charlie, 31, founder of Turning Point USA, was gunned down mid-speech during his fiery “Prove Me Wrong” debate at Utah Valley University. Gunman Tyler Robinson, 22, fled the scene but was caught two days later. But as tributes poured in, Anne stunned fans with a blunt post on X, admitting that even though she had never heard of the slain commentator, she disagreed with him.

The ITV star wrote: “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 m.u.rder.” The response was immediate – and furious. One follower snapped: “I would recommend watching him, Anne, before judging. You’re better than that.”

The pro quizzer made some controversial comments about the late US Republican (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Another fumed: “You’ve never heard of him yet you make stupid assumptions. There’s nothing he’s says that is controversial if you actually take time to listen.”

Instead of stepping back, Anne doubled down. She fired back: “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?”

That remark lit another firestorm. A furious fan shot back: “I never told you to stop talking. You’ve literally just made that up out of thin air. I just said you should take time to listen to the context of his statements before judging him.”

Others piled in, saying: “Taking the temperature down could start by you leaving out of your tweet: ‘You just said WHAT?’ and ‘Scuse me, those are my FRIENDS you’re talking about.’ when you have no idea what he actually said about anything.”

The backlash only grew nastier. One branded her comments “terribly misinformed” and demanded she delete the post. Another slammed: “Oh, go and sit down. Your kind are to blame for this.”

A third piled on: “If you had an open mind to differing opinions than your own you may of enjoyed debating with him & opened your myopic mind from the lefty indoctrination you have endured.”

Others urged her to show empathy, with one plea reading: “No, Anne. Noooo. Please, please take the time to learn about Charlie. Take a moment to reflect on his grieving wife and young children. He was not extreme whatsoever. He debated, respectfully, with people from all backgrounds. I urge you to use your own powers of discernment.”

Prosecutors are preparing to file a capital m.u.rder charge on Tuesday (September 16) against the gunman. Prosecutors in Utah County are considering several charges against Robinson, the most serious being aggravated m.u.rder, meaning it could bring the d3ath penalty if there is a conviction.