TikTok star Rhegan Coursey has been targeted by fans in hateful posts simply for criticizing those making jokes about the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
Kirk was killed at the age of 31 at Utah Valley University last Wednesday. The alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, 22, is in custody in Utah after surrendering to police.
Following Kirk’s death, Rhegan, 23, who has a vast young following, shared a message from disgraced British actor Russell Brand, offering prayers for Charlie Kirk’s family.
‘Lord, be with Charlie Kirk and his family,’ Brand posted, to which Regan shared her own message of condolence.
‘Regardless of your beliefs this is NOT okay!!!!’ she wrote. ‘Two kids just lost their father, a woman just lost her husband… and people are making sick jokes.
‘RIP. Prayers to his family and friends for their loss and prayers for this country’s loss of morality.’
Rhegan, whose TikTok handle is @rhegan777, is originally from Dallas, Texas, but has been living in Los Angeles for four years and is known for her lip-syncs, fashion, and lifestyle videos.
Since she started posting in 2019, she’s amassed millions of followers.
Shortly after she made the statement, a screenshot was shared on Reddit, which saw her attacked almost immediately.
TikTok star Rhegan Coursey has been branded ‘performative’ for her tribute to the late far-right political activist Charlie Kirk
Kirk was shot dead at the age of 31 at Utah Valley University last Wednesday
In the comments, one critic said: ‘Some people are so brain dead they don’t even know what they’re reposting, I feel like people DMed her to take it down.’
‘She’s so annoying and performative holy sh**,’ another wrote.
‘Everything I’ve heard about this chick is bad. Who is her target audience?’ asked a third.
‘She’s literally stupid and the definition of performative,’ a fourth continued.
‘Y’all need to start unfollowing these people, or else this has no impact on her whatsoever!’ added another.
A sixth said: ‘There is never this level of outrage for the mass shootings and lives lost from gun violence every single day.
‘Those people remain faceless and nameless to the general public most of the time. They have family, kids, siblings, mothers and fathers and nobody cares.
‘But Charlie Kirk loses his life after preaching about the necessary loss of life to maintain gun rights and people are up in arms?
The TikTok star re-posted a message from Russell Brand and called out those making ‘sick jokes’ about Kirk’s death
Brand – who has denied all charges after being accused of offenses against four women, including rape, indecent assault and oral rape, spanning from 1999 to 2005 – had said: ‘Lord, be with Charlie Kirk and his family’
Rhegan had written her own message of condolence underneath Russell Brand’s statement
‘This country is a joke. Flags flown at half mast for this guy and not when dozens of children are killed.’
Rhegan isn’t the only influencer to have sparked a furious backlash for their Kirk tribute.
Influencer and model Josie Canseco also stirred up online uproar after she branded the late media personality ‘one of the smartest humans.’
Following confirmation of Kirk’s death, Josie, 28, took to her Instagram where she branded the late media personality ‘one of the smartest humans.’
Alongside a photograph of the father-of-two holding a child, she penned: ‘Rest in paradise to one of the smartest humans of our generation. Praying for his family.’
In a separate upload, Josie – who previously dated NFL star Johnny Manziel – reposted a text post onto her story that read: ‘No matter what your beliefs are you can never be ok with someone being shot because you don’t agree with their views and political beliefs.
‘We have gone into a dangerous path and this can’t be celebrated, tolerated, or allowed from anyone, anywhere, at anytime.’
Josie’s tribute failed to land with social media users, however, with one going as far as branding her ‘delusional.’
