TikTok Influencers Under Fire for Mourning Charlie Kirk
SCANDAL ROCKS SOCIAL MEDIA: TIKTOK STAR RHEGAN COURSEY HITS BACK AT FANS FOR CRUEL ATTACKS
In a shocking turn of events, TikTok sensation Rhegan Coursey has been bombarded with vicious online attacks for simply paying her respects to the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The 31-year-old's tragic assassination at Utah Valley University left the nation in shock, but it seems some fans have taken their outrage too far.
Rhegan, a 23-year-old Dallas native turned LA influencer, took to her TikTok account @rhegan777 to express her condolences for Kirk's family. The blonde beauty re-posted a heartfelt message from British actor Russell Brand, which simply read: "Lord, be with Charlie Kirk and his family." Rhegan added her own thoughts, stating, "Regardless of your beliefs, this is NOT okay!!!! Two kids just lost their father, a woman just lost her husband...and people are making sick jokes."
But instead of praise for her empathy, Rhegan faced a torrent of abuse from fans who couldn't get past their own outrage. A screenshot of her post was shared on Reddit, where users viciously attacked her, calling her "brain dead" and "performative." One commenter even suggested she had been DM'd to take down the post.
The brutal backlash continued with another user saying, "She's so annoying and holy sh**, who is her target audience?" while a third asked, "Everything I've heard about this chick is bad. Who is her target audience?"
But Rhegan isn't alone in facing the wrath of online trolls. Fellow influencer Josie Canseco, 28, also came under fire for her tribute to Kirk. The model took to Instagram to brand the late media personality "one of the smartest humans," but her words fell flat with fans.
In a separate post, Josie shared a text message that read: "No matter what your beliefs are you can never be ok with someone being shot because you don't agree with their views and political beliefs. We have gone into a dangerous path and this can't be celebrated, tolerated, or allowed from anyone, anywhere, at anytime." However, her attempts to convey a message of peace were met with ridicule, with one user branding her "delusional."
But what's behind the vitriol? According to some fans, Rhegan and Josie are being unfairly targeted because they're not toeing the line. A Reddit user pointed out that there's never this level of outrage when mass shootings occur daily. They said: "Those people remain faceless and nameless to the general public most of the time. They have family, kids, siblings, mothers and fathers, and nobody cares... But Charlie Kirk loses his life after preaching about the necessary loss of life to maintain gun rights, and people are up in arms?"
The controversy has left many wondering if social media is becoming a toxic breeding ground for hate speech. TheScholarlyNote.com spoke with Rhegan's team, who expressed disappointment but not surprise at the backlash. They said: "Rhegan is just trying to spread love and positivity on her platform. She didn't mean to stir up controversy."
As for Josie, her reps remained tight-lipped about the situation, simply stating that she was "devastated" by Kirk's death.
The tragic events have left many in the social media world questioning whether it's time to re-evaluate our online behavior. As Rhegan's fanbase rallied around her, one user summed up the mood: "This country is a joke... Flags flown at half mast for this guy and not when dozens of children are killed."
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