ALBAWABA - Michael Keaton is emphasizing the most "unbelievable" part of Charlie Kirk's death.
On Monday, the “Batman” star received an award at the 50th anniversary gala of the Investigative Reporters and Editors nonprofit for “his spot-on portrayal of journalists” in films like “Spotlight” and “The Paper” as well as his “steadfast support for a free press.”
In his acceptance speech, Keaton talked to the media in the room about Kirk's death and how strange it was. This has been the main story in the news for the past week.
The “Dopesick” star began his remarks with compassion.
Actor Michael Keaton (Amy Sussman/Getty Images/AFP)
At the beginning of his speech, Keaton said, "Before we get into the meat of this thing, I'm going to take a minute to say that, even though I probably—not probably—have disagreed with many of the things he said, Charlie Kirk leaves behind two kids and a wife." “You gotta remember that.”
He continued, “Because in the end, shooting people will never answer anything, and the irony that he was killed with a gun is unbelievable.”
Kirk was shot and killed at an event in Utah on September 10. He was a strong supporter of the Second Amendment who never felt uneasy about speaking out for it.
“It’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment,” Kirk said at a 2023 event organized by TPUSA Faith, the religious arm of Kirk’s conservative group Turning Point USA, a quote that has been widely shared among his critics after the shooting.
At the IRE dinner, Keaton wasn't the only person who talked about Kirk's death. Journalist Scott Pelley of "60 Minutes" said that the reasons for his death are similar to those of Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman, who were shot and killed at their home in June. Hortman was the Democratic speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
“Charlie Kirk was murdered to silence his speech, and three months earlier, former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were murdered to silence their speech,” Pelley said.
“Many admired Kirk; many did not,” Pelley continued. “His catchphrase was ‘Prove me wrong.’ Some people thought that phrase was rude and offensive. But the main thought was, "Bring the proof, and let's play."
“Whether you agreed with Kirk’s ideas or Hortman’s, their murders, their silencing, is blood on the First Amendment,” he concluded.
