(NewsNation) — HGTV’s Erin Napier is in the middle of a firestorm over her comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed last week.
Shortly after Kirk was fatally shot at a campus event on Wednesday at Utah Valley University, Napier wrote on her Instagram stories, “only the demonized celebrate death,” according to the Daily Mail.
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The interior designer, who hosts “Home Town” alongside her husband, Ben Napier, addressed the backlash she received in a follow-up post.
“I am revolted by some of the comments in my DMs,” she wrote. “Unfollow me, immediately, if you could be one of those comments. Christ, have mercy on us all.”
The HGTV star posted some of the responses she has received from people upset over her post mourning Kirk.
FILE – Charlie Kirk speaks at Texas A&M University as part of Turning Point USA’s American Comeback Tour on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (Meredith Seaver/College Station Eagle via AP, File)
Charlie Kirk speaks at Texas A&M University as part of Turning Point USA’s American Comeback Tour on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (Meredith Seaver/College Station Eagle via AP, File)
“Really Erin? You are homeschooling your precious children in LAUREL, MS (of all places) to prevent something like this from happening to them,” someone wrote to her, she claimed. “This guy was ALL FOR IT. He died for what he believed in. God have mercy on his soul because I do not.”
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Another follower threatened to unfollow her on social media, stop watching her show and discard her products, the Daily Mail reports.
“Because I will not celebrate murder,” Napier wrote in response to the message.
Controversy over Charlie Kirk’s death
Kirk’s death brought an outpouring of nationwide support, but also intense criticism of his political stances and past comments on the Second Amendment, the Civil Rights Act, the so-called “replacement theory,” rape and abortion, among others. As a result, those who celebrated his passing have faced professional consequences.
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Companies such as Delta Airlines and Office Depot have adjusted their social media policies in response to Kirk’s death, and local and state agencies have fired employees over social media comments.
Kirk’s accused killer, Tyler Robinson, was arrested after a 33-hour manhunt thanks to a tip from his family and messages discovered on Discord, according to police.
