“It was tough on me, but I’m not going to answer any questions about Charlie Kirk because I dealt with it.”
With that one sentence, Kristin Chenoweth — Broadway darling, pop-culture lightning bug, longtime Pride fixture — attempted to close one of the most quietly painful chapters in her relationship with the LGBTQ audience. But for many queer people, the book didn’t close. It snapped.
Let’s start with what’s undeniable: Chenoweth has been publicly supportive of LGBTQ rights for decades. She’s defended same-sex marriage, advocated for trans equality, spoken at Pride, and played queer-favorite roles that have made countless young people feel seen. For many queer kids, she was an early lifeline — proof that a sparkling Southern Christian could love us loudly.
Which is why the Charlie Kirk chapter hurt so much.
Kirk isn’t controversial for the sake of headlines — he was the architect of a national political machine that targets LGBTQ rights: opposing trans healthcare, demonizing queer teachers, attacking drag performers, and helping fuel laws that remove books about queer identity from schools. His rhetoric was not theoretical; it was legislative.
When someone with Chenoweth’s platform chooses to associate with a man whose career is built on marginalizing queer people, it lands like betrayal. It forces an impossible cognitive split: how could someone who knows our history — the fear, the bullying, the suicides, the closet — choose proximity to someone attempting to drag us backward?
When asked recently about Kirk, Chenoweth replied that she wouldn’t talk about it because she had already “dealt with it.”
But that’s the thing: many LGBTQ people can’t just deal with it. They’re dealing with it every day — in their medical bills, school board meetings, state legislatures, TikTok feeds, and therapy sessions. “Dealing with it” isn’t a chapter you close. It’s a lifelong defensive posture against the next bill, the next speech, the next hate-crime statistic.
So, Chenoweth’s answer — short, vague, self-focused — feels like a shrug tossed toward a group that once thrust her onto their shoulders.
Allyship is not seasonal. It’s not a red-carpet mood. It’s not confetti we sprinkle when we feel cute. Allyship is the unglamorous, sometimes uncomfortable work of naming harm — especially when the harm is close.
Nobody asked Chenoweth to deliver a dissertation. But queer fans expected something more like:
“I didn’t know the full scope of Charlie’s positions, and I deeply disagree with his attacks on the LGBTQ community.”
or even:
“I made a mistake, and I understand why it hurt people.”
That’s it. Accountability isn’t theater — it’s clarity.
Instead, we got a boundary drawn not around bigotry, but around the question itself.
Some will argue this is invasive, mean-spirited, or petty. It isn’t. Asking how someone who built a career atop a queer fanbase navigates one of the movement’s biggest adversaries is fair. It’s civic, not salacious.
Queer people are exhausted. They’re watching rights stripped and headlines weaponized. Representation and rhetoric are not equal. A rainbow emoji doesn’t negate actual laws.
Here’s the emotional truth under this discourse:
Many queer fans aren’t simply disappointed.
They’re heartbroken.
Because Chenoweth wasn’t just tolerated by queer audiences — she was cherished. Drag queens performed her songs. Gay men saw themselves in her camp. Religious queer kids pointed to her and said, “See? God doesn’t hate me.”
It’s not just about Charlie Kirk.
It’s about feeling disposable.
And that’s why her answer — “I dealt with it” — stings. Because queer people rarely get the luxury of distance. They live in the impact, not the optics.
Does this mean every LGBTQ person has written Chenoweth off? Absolutely not. Many still love her voice, her humor, her sparkle, her advocacy. People are complicated. Redemption is real. Nuance matters.
But many queer fans understandably feel wounded. They want a little more reflection. A little more care. A little less “I’ve moved on” and a little more “I understand why you’re upset.”
Nobody is demanding perfection. But when the road gets bumpy, that’s when allies show whether they’re passengers or partners.
Kristin Chenoweth may have “dealt with it.”
But for a community fighting legislation in 46 states, watching trans kids lose healthcare, watching drag performers get criminalized, watching history books erase queer existence…
The dealing continues.
And some wounds require more than a glittery shrug.
They require words. Real ones.
Until then, don’t be surprised that many LGBTQ fans — respectfully, quietly, understandably — are hurting.
And still waiting.
Rob Shuter is a celebrity journalist, talk-show host, and former publicist who has represented an A-list roster including Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Kate Spade, Diddy, Jon Bon Jovi, Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Jessica Simpson, and HRH Princess Michael of Kent.
He is the author of The 4 Word Answer, a bestselling self-help book that blends Hollywood insight with deeply personal breakthroughs. Rob hosts Naughty But Nice with Rob, a Top-20 iTunes entertainment podcast, and previously served as the only dedicated entertainment columnist at The Huffington Post. A veteran of television, magazines, and red-carpet crisis management, he also led OK! Magazine during its most competitive era.
Rob’s latest exclusives and insider reporting can be found at robshuter.substack.com.
His forthcoming novel, It Started With A Whisper, is now available for pre-order
I feel the slap of betrayal burning my cheek still. It’s sad to move on from her, but it’s done. As the author stated, the book snapped closed with her terse remark. By all means, continue to love and support her if that’s your wont. I, however, have dealt with it.
I love K Chenoweth exactly because she expressed her heart ache over Kirk’s vile murder. The only person who thinks this is an issue is the author of this absurd article.
Incorrect. Many of us feel the same way that the author of this article feels!
Agreed, disgusting “journalism “
Wow, a hate filled message from an anonymous person about someone’s opinion calling it disgusting “journalism”. I guess this is where we can call your opinion about an opinion disgusting, too? At least this author had the fortitude to put their name on the opinion, but alas, you’re just a sad “disgusting” keyboard warrior. Using quotation marks makes everything better, right?
WRONG.
I was a huge fan of Kristin’s and supported her in seeing her movies, buying her albums, seeing her live, etc. and the backstab she did to the community who gave her everything – hurts. Her not even being sorry to us says a lot, and I am moving on from her. I will no longer support a fake ally.
Charlie Kirk put a bullet on the back of gay and trans people. He helped people HATE us for just being ourselves. Good riddance.
Dan, you’re wrong. I’m guessing you’ve had your head in the sand since Chenoweth’s unfortunate remarks. Many in the LGBTQ community feel the same way as the author.