A popular fitness influencer who helped found TikTok’s Hype House walked into a firestorm of backlash after she shared posts mourning Charlie Kirk in the wake of his horrific assassination last week.
Daisy Keech Yerger, 26, shared innocuous reposts of Kirk, including a video of his young daughter rushing into his arms, as she made her grief public to her 5.1 million Instagram followers.
“at such a loss for words. so unfair that such an amazing man has been taken out like this. it breaks my heart. thank you charlie for everything you’ve done for the youth of our country. so much love and sympathy to his family. please pray for them,” she captioned one post.
Her audience’s feedback, though, didn’t mirror Yerger’s sympathy.
Many longtime fans left nasty comments on Yerger’s post expressing sorrow that the dad of two was killed in front of a crowd of supporters.
“you lost me with that bulls–t, very out of touch w reality,” one hater commented.
Several slammed the influencer for her “selective empathy” after years of not speaking out on other prominent issues and tragedies, including the murder of George Floyd and the Israel-Hamas war.
“never spoke about gaza, ICE, any poc injustices, yeah idgaf [what] you have to say that hateful man is looking up at us,” another added.
“Girl please miss with the nonsense talking about Jesus. You never made one post talking about God. Now you want to talk about him. Girl bye,” another wrote.
In the wake of the backlash, Yerger shared a response doubling down on her original comments and calling the haters “sick.”
“I never speak on politics because of all the division it creates, but all this evil makes me sick. If you are rejoicing in the death of a father and husband, I pray for your soul. Don’t let these demons make you forget what really matters here. i encourage you to find the Lord, He will save you. He loves you all,” she wrote.
“If you disagree or are shocked by my beliefs, that is okay. There doesn’t need to be any hate, just unfollow. I encourage you all to contribute good into the world.”
Kirk fans came to Yerger’s account in droves and quickly filled the gaps left by her fleeing fans. Her follower count on Instagram and TikTok remained steady, even in the wake of the overwhelming hate.
The fitness guru skyrocketed to popularity after helping establish the Hype House in 2019 alongside some of the hottest teens of the time, including Charli D’Amelio and People’s Choice Award-nominated singer Addison Rae.
A slew of sick revelers who praised Kirk’s death have been axed since the moment he was shot, ranging from a New York school resource officer to an Ohio judge who was part of NFL quarterback Joe Burrow’s charity foundation.
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