Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis, long known for her outspoken liberal views, broke down in tears this week as she reflected on the shocking assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Curtis, who has previously blasted Donald Trump’s presidency as “draconian,” admitted she was shaken by Kirk’s killing during a broad daylight shooting at Utah Valley University. Her remarks came as part of a podcast interview where she struggled to hold back sobs while talking about the Turning Point USA founder’s final moments.
“I disagreed with him on almost every point,” Curtis confessed. “But I believe he was a man of faith, and I hope in that moment when he died that he felt connected to his faith.”
Actress and film producer Jamie Lee Curtis breaks down in tears over the death of Charlie Kirk.
“I mean, I disagreed with him on almost every point I ever heard him say…”
“But I believe he was a man of faith, and I hope in that moment when he died, that he felt connected to… pic.twitter.com/Bhv2UZrMhU
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 16, 2025
The tribute startled many observers. Curtis has been a staunch critic of Trump and the right-wing movement Kirk championed. In the past, she openly warned that Trump’s return to power would make minority groups and the LGBTQ+ community “more afraid,” referencing her daughter Ruby, who is transgender.
That personal connection, paired with Kirk’s reputation as one of the country’s most vocal anti-trans figures, makes Curtis’s empathy for him unexpected. Yet she insisted that even in fierce disagreement, she recognized Kirk as “a father and a husband and a man of faith.”
“Even though I find what his ideas were abhorrent to me, I still believe he was a man connected to something higher,” Curtis explained. “And I hope whatever ‘connection to God’ means, that he felt it.”
I was not at all prepared for Jamie Lee Curtis’s answer 😂 pic.twitter.com/Ui7so1RWSi
— Todd Spence (@Todd_Spence) September 5, 2025
Curtis said she was disturbed by the constant replay of Kirk’s killing online. “I don’t ever want to see this footage of this man being shot,” she said. “We are numb to them, but they are in there. We don’t know enough psychologically about what that does. What does that do? Is that the case why we’re all feeling this lack of humanity—because we are just saturated with these images?”
She tied the public trauma of watching Kirk’s death to her own eerie connection with history. Curtis was born exactly five years to the day after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and she described feeling “associated” with the shared trauma of televised killings.
“I’m associated with this awful day of someone being assassinated on television,” she said. “It leaves a mark.”
WOW. I certainly DID NOT expect that from Jamie Lee Curtis.
This is how adults should behave. pic.twitter.com/rRKzi0TbcP
— ⚔️ Silas B. ⚔️ (@RagingKuJo1222) September 16, 2025
Curtis has often spoken about her spiritual journey, saying she discovered a higher power while getting sober through Alcoholics Anonymous 25 years ago. Her recovery from painkiller and alcohol addiction was guided by the Presbyterian church, an experience she credits with reshaping her worldview.
That spiritual lens shaped how she processed Kirk’s death. “I was touched deeply by his faith,” she said. “Even if it was not my faith, I hope it carried him in that moment.”
Her remarks were both surprising and poignant, highlighting how grief and shared humanity can transcend politics. For many, Curtis’s tears stood out as a reminder that even in polarized times, empathy can cross the deepest divides.
