Movie star said she hired bodyguard after calling out Charlie Kirk’s ‘misogyny and racist rhetoric’

Amanda Seyfried is opening up about the intense security measures she felt forced to adopt following a firestorm of social media backlash. In a recent British GQ profile, the movie star revealed that she hired a bodyguard after calling Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk “hateful” shortly after his death last year.

A polarizing public stance

Seyfried’s initial remark sparked an immediate wave of outrage from conservative circles. Reflecting on the aftermath, Seyfried expressed frustration over the environment of intimidation. “A, I’m allowed to f...ing voice my feelings, and B, do it in a way that’s not unkind necessarily,” she stated. “But there’s just an outsized fear and hatred and impulse to bash and to tear down. And I experienced a very small fraction of that.”

She added that the experience of needing protection at the airport felt surreal. “I want my kids to be able to feel safe to voice their opinions as long as they’re not harmful. So I’m like, ‘What do I do? What do I say?’ And then all of a sudden I find myself with a f...ing bodyguard at the airport and I’m like, ‘This is crazy.’”

Context behind the controversy

The tension stemmed from the death of 31-year-old activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot in the neck on Sept. 10 at a college speaking event in Utah. After Seyfried labeled him “hateful,” some social media users accused her of justifying the violence. She eventually addressed the backlash via Instagram, clarifying that she could condemn the murder while simultaneously criticizing Charlie Kirk for his rhetoric.

“We’re forgetting the nuance of humanity,” Seyfried wrote at the time. “I can get angry about misogyny and racist rhetoric and ALSO very much agree that Charlie Kirk’s murder was absolutely disturbing and deplorable in every way imaginable.”

Standing by her words

Months later, in an interview with Who What Wear, the actress made it clear she had no intention of backing down. “I’m not f...ing apologizing,” she insisted, maintaining that her critique was grounded in reality and factual footage. “I was able to give some clarity, and it was about getting my voice back because I felt like it had been stolen and recontextualized.”

For more on her take on the situation, you can read the full interview over at British GQ’s website.