Abbie Chatfield has been criticized after she shared private messages from a woman who accused her of ‘celebrating’ the death of US conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
The controversy began when Chatfield responded to reports that Kirk, founder of the right-wing youth organization Turning Point USA, had been shot and killed last Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University.
She posted: ‘Even though I hate Charlie Kirk, this isn’t good for anyone.
‘The right (and possibly the left) will become more violent in place of genuine democracy. He will be martyred. They won’t realize that this occurred BECAUSE of right-wing views on gun control that this could even happen,’ she commented.
‘It will cause tensions to rise and drive people further apart than we already are. If this is the beginning, then what’s to come?’
A nurse from Queensland replied, accusing Chatfield of being ‘happy about someone’s death just for using his voice’ and alleging she had spread ‘false information to young minds’.
She also claimed the media personality ‘couldn’t handle backlash’.
Chatfield pushed back, pointing to death threats she had received and asking the nurse to provide examples of her alleged comments.
Abbie Chatfield said she ‘hates’ Charlie Kirk but his death ‘isn’t good for anyone’
The exchange quickly turned into a debate on feminism, with the nurse mocking Chatfield’s past on The Bachelor and accusing her of ‘shaking your a** to gain fame.’
Chatfield accused the woman of ‘internalised misogyny’ and ‘changing the subject’.
The TV star’s decision to share the screenshots of the private messages and the woman’s profile with her 578,000 followers has sparked a backlash.
‘As a woman who knows what it’s like to receive death threats, I cannot believe you would subject that onto anyone else,’ Jess Masion said.
She said she ‘gasped’ when she saw the messages Chatfield had shared.
‘I hope you can see how your actions are perpetuating exactly what you hate so much,’ she said.
Opinions were divided about Chatfield’s criticism, as some argued that the TV personality was ‘defending’ herself after being ‘wrongly accused of something she didn’t do’.
Others branded Chatfield ‘problematic’.
Jess Masion said she was shocked Abbie Chatfield, as a woman who has received death threats herself, would ‘subject that onto anyone else’
Abbie Chatfield shared screenshots of messages with a Queensland woman who criticised her reaction to Kirk’s death
After sharing the messages, the influencer denied ‘celebrating’ or ‘laughing’ about Kirk’s death.
‘I’ve also seen rumours I laughed about his death,’ she said.
‘Lies like this endanger my life.’
On Thursday, Chatfield had also shared a quote Kirk gave in April 2023, with Alanis Morissette’s song Ironic playing over it.
‘I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,’ the quote read.
Chatfield said her profile and media engagement had made her the ‘face of the left in mainstream Australian media’.
‘As a result, I am in danger. I have had my safety stripped from me,’ she added.
‘I endure hundreds of comments and messages every day that range from snarky to abusive to threats and fantasies of violence and rape. Sometimes with my address included.’
She claimed the police had ‘laughed’ at her when she complained about the death threats.
‘I sleep with Walters (her dog) crate across my bedroom door. I tell neighbours that if they hear screaming to immediately call the police,’ she added.
‘I am in constant fear and constant danger and have been for years, but more so in the last 12 months.’
Utah’s governor and investigators said the suspect, Robinson, appeared to be motivated by left-wing ideology’.
Robinson allegedly shot and killed Charlie Kirk last week at Utah Valley University in a targeted political attack that shocked the nation
Authorities say shooting suspect Tyler Robinson held a ‘leftist ideology’ and may have been ‘radicalized’ online before he was arrested for killing the MAGA influencer.
‘There clearly was a leftist ideology,’ Governor Spencer Cox said.
‘Friends have confirmed that there was kind of that deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture, and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep.’
Cox also revealed the suspect’s partner was transgender, something some politicians pointed to as a possible reason Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views.
However, authorities have not confirmed whether it was relevant to the motive.
‘The roommate was a romantic partner, a male transitioning to female,’ Cox said. ‘I can say that he has been incredibly cooperative, this partner has been very cooperative, had no idea that this was happening.’
