Amanda Knox comedy show called 'gross' by Meredith Kercher's family
Amanda Knox comedy show called 'gross' by Meredith Kercher's family
USA TODAYMon, August 10, 2026 at 2:41 PM UTC
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Amanda Knox is taking her story to a comedy stage in Edinburgh, nearly two decades after the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher thrust her into an international media frenzy.
Knox made her Edinburgh Fringe debut with her show "Cartwheel," a one-woman show that blends comedy and storytelling as she reflects on her wrongful conviction, years in an Italian prison and the challenge of explaining her past to her young daughter.
The show, which began its Edinburgh run Aug. 7, and is scheduled through Aug. 17 at Gilded Balloon, is already sold out. The show takes its name from one of the most infamous narratives to emerge during the investigation into Kercher's death, which claimed that Knox performed cartwheels at an Italian police station.
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The show has reignited the controversy surrounding the 2007 murder of Kercher, with members of the British student's family criticizing Knox decision to revisit the case through comedy.
Stephanie Kercher, Meredith's sister, has backed a petition calling for the show to be canceled, arguing that the circumstances surrounding her sister's death are not appropriate material for comedy.
"Meredith's surviving siblings have bravely spoken out against this production, labelling it as absurd and a gross trivialisation of their sister's death," said the petition started by Stephanie Kercher's friends. "This show not only disrespects Meredith's memory, but it also risks normalising violence against women by making light of such a harrowing event."
In a statement to BBC Breakfast, Stephanie Kercher told the news outlet that she would directly tell Knox "to think about the family here, think about her friends and to turn the tables if it was your sister that this had happened to, because I know you have a sister as well."
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Knox has pushed back against the backlash surrounding the show, saying she does not make jokes about Kercher's death.
"'Cartwheel' is a show about motherhood, raising a daughter in a world that is unfair and dangerous for women, and what it costs to be the kind of mother who tells her the truth about that," Knox said in a statement shared on social media ahead of the show's debut.Knox added that the petition contained "many false assumptions" about the production and said the show "honors Meredith Kercher's memory and calls out the violence that was done to her and to me."
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The director of the Fringe Society, Tony Lankester, told BBC Radio Scotland that controversies like this are "the nature of an open access platform."
"We're not afraid of controversy. The decision as to whether or not [the show] goes ahead lies with herself and it lies with the venue," Lankester told the Radio.
Knox was convicted of Kercher's murder in 2009, along with her then Italian boyfriend, Rafaello Sollecito, CNN reported. Eventually in 2015, Knox and Sollecito were acquitted by Italy's highest court after maintaining their innocence and several appeals.
Rudy Guede was separately convicted of Kercher's murder in 2008 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He was released in 2021 after serving 13 years.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amanda Knox comedy show called 'gross' by Meredith Kercher's family
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
