"Pray that he gets fired from Marvel." Hollywood star Chris Pratt to YouTuber Haezzu with more than 800,000 subscribers, they faced harsh criticism after mourning the shooting death of U.S. far-right political commentator Charlie Kirk.
Hollywood actor Chris Pratt, beloved as "Star-Lord" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) 'Guardians of the Galaxy' series, recently faced fierce criticism. On the 11th he posted on his personal social media about the shot and killed Charlie Kirk: "I am praying for Charlie Kirk and his wife, and their young children, and Korea. We need God's grace. Lord, help us."
Charlie Kirk was shot dead on the 10th (local time) while speaking at Utah Valley University. The carotid artery was pierced with a single shot, raising suspicions that a trained sniper was involved. But even within the U.S., beyond mourning and condolences, reactions such as "serves him right" have surfaced, sparking debate.
Charlie Kirk is considered a close ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump locally. The far-right political commentator has taken particularly conservative positions on the gun issue, which has long roiled the United States.
He even said in a past speech that annual U.S. gun deaths are "a reasonable price to pay to preserve the Second Amendment even if some sacrifices occur each year." With heightened awareness after school shootings such as the Denver school shooting, where innocent children became victims, U.S. public opinion has criticized Kirk's remarks for belittling victims.
Criticism poured in directed at Chris Pratt, who publicly mourned Charlie Kirk's death. Comments ranged from gun-related responses such as "pray for the bereaved families of the Denver school shooting," "what about the kids who were shot dead at school?" to boycott reactions like "I hope he gets fired from Marvel."
Chris Pratt drew attention in 2020 for 'pro-Trump' controversy, which made his tribute to Charlie Kirk even more notable. His church was reported to have extreme conservative leanings and was embroiled in anti-LGBTQ controversies. Moreover, while many 'Avengers' cast members attended a fundraising event for then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Pratt did not attend. Pratt denied the claims as "unfounded," and the matter was settled after Avengers cast members such as Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo defended him.
Though the shooting death involved a U.S. far-right politician, it has affected the domestic entertainment industry as well as Hollywood. Super Junior member and actor Choi Siwon posted on social media on the 11th an image produced to mourn Charlie Kirk. Kirk had attended Christian events held in Korea, and Choi Siwon is known as a devout Christian, leading to interpretations that his mourning was due to religious influence; however, that did not silence criticism that he had mourned a "far-right figure." Choi Siwon ultimately deleted the post.
YouTuber Haezzu, who boasts about 840,000 subscribers, also apologized after mourning Charlie Kirk. Haezzu had liked content related to mourning Charlie Kirk, and the fact came to light later, drawing criticism. On the early morning of the 13th, Haezzu posted a lengthy apology and explanation on his personal social media. In the apology he said, "I judged by a few fragmented aspects without clearly and accurately recognizing what political stance he (Charlie Kirk) held in life," and "I was truly ignorant. I am sincerely sorry," and said he had unliked all related posts.
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