Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah native, has been arrested in connection with the shooting, with FBI officials stating the suspect had an ‘obsession’ with the conservative influencer.
President Trump ordered flags to fly at half-mast to honor Kirk’s memory.
The assassination has prompted varied reactions from entertainment figures and public personalities.
Some celebrities have faced criticism for their responses to Kirk’s death.
According to the Metro, rap duo Bob Vylan saw their Netherlands concert cancelled after making controversial on-stage comments about Kirk’s assassination, with the frontman dedicating a song to Kirk using profane language.
Other figures, including talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, have called for unity in the face of the tragedy, with Kimmel posting, per Variety: “Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?
“On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”
The Rock’s daughter Ava Raine has also found herself in hot water over her comments on the story.
During the podcast interview, Curtis initially misspoke when bringing up the topic, referring to Kirk as ‘Charlie Crist’ before correcting herself, per Newsweek.
She explained the slip by saying she called him ‘Crist’ because of his ‘deep belief’ in his faith, referencing Christ.
The 66-year-old actress, known for her outspoken Democratic views, then broke down in tears as she shared her complex feelings about Kirk’s death:
“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 with his faith,” Curtis said through tears.
“Even though his ideas were abhorrent to me, I still believe he’s a father and a husband and a man of faith. And I hope whatever connection to God means that he felt it.”
Curtis also expressed deep concern about the widespread circulation of footage showing Kirk’s assassination, drawing parallels to other traumatic events in American history.
“Yesterday was 9/11. I know there is video of his assassination. I know people who’ve seen it,” she said, referencing the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
“Today, we as a society are bombarded with imagery. So we don’t know what the longitudinal effects of seeing those towers come down over and over and over and over again, or watching his execution over and over and over again.”
The actress emphasized her refusal to view the footage, stating: “I don’t ever want to see this footage of this man being shot.”
She questioned whether society’s constant exposure to violent imagery contributes to a ‘lack of humanity’ and whether people have become ‘inured’ and ‘numb’ to such violence.
Curtis raised important psychological questions about the impact of consuming violent media: “We don’t know enough psychologically about what that does. What does that do? Is that the reason why we’re all feeling this lack of humanity, because we’re just saturated with these images?”