The topic of Charlie Kirk has always been a sensitive one. Whether or not you support him is often taken as a political statement in itself. For influencers, the stakes are even higher since their followers can quickly turn on them if they show any kind of stance. TikToker Hannah Brown, known for her waitress skits, found herself in hot water after being spotted at a Charlie Kirk vigil in Chicago, Illinois. She didn’t publicly mention attending the event, but it didn’t take long for someone to snap a photo of her there. Other TikTokers and influencers immediately picked it up, and one short video sharing the photo of her among the attendees racked up more than 200,000 likes. The fallout was swift, and Hannah lost about 140,000 followers in just a single day.
Of course, Hannah Brown didn’t just stay silent. She released a response video addressing the backlash. In it, she defended her actions, insisting that she wasn’t at the Chicago event for political reasons but simply to show empathy for someone who was shot and killed because of his political beliefs. She claimed she wasn’t a MAGA supporter and criticized people who refused to show sympathy for Charlie Kirk, calling them “horrible.”
But many online weren’t buying Hannah’s words. “Wow. I did NOT expect this from her. I haven’t been on TikTok in ages, but I’m opening my account just to unfollow her. She is, sincerely, a disappointment. I never would have pegged her as a Nazi sympathizer. ETA: Love how she’s trying to act so above it all and unbothered in this shitty little video, but she’s literally beet red and on the verge of sobbing. It’s what she deserves,” one user wrote.
Others pointed out the irony that Kirk had been a vocal defender of loose gun laws, laws many blame for countless deaths including those of children. His own death by gun violence, critics argued, only underscored that irony.
Some found the excessive sympathy nauseating, especially when there are so many other victims of gun crimes who never receive the same attention. “Has she gone to any memorials for murdered children?” another user asked.
Others outright accused Hannah Brown of lying about her motives. “She should have applied sunscreen, looks like it was very hot at that ceremony, probably due to the proximity to hell. And claiming not to support him when she allegedly traveled to another state for his memorial is absurd. No matter how much of a compassionate ‘I care about all life’ person you are, you aren’t traveling 10+ hours to Chicago for the memorial of someone you didn’t know unless you were an actual fan,” one Redditor remarked.
