The murder trial of Amanda Knox gripped the U.S., even though it was happening thousands of miles away in Italy. The Seattle, Washington, native was studying abroad when she was arrested in 2007 after her roommate was found dead. Meredith Kercher, 21, was raped and brutally stabbed to death.
Amanda Knox and her Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, immediately became the prime suspects. She was dubbed “Foxy Knoxy” by the tabloids. They were both convicted after a year-long trial. However, they insisted they were innocent and filed an appeal. Their convictions were overturned in 2011. But their legal trouble wasn’t over yet. They were retried and convicted a second time.
The case eventually went to Italy’s highest court, where the charges were thrown out, and Amanda Knox was freed from prison after four years. But now, she’s facing major criticism for a comedy routine that mentions her slain roommate. Keep reading for all the details.
Amanda Knox Criticized For Comedy Routine About Slain Roommate Meredith Kercher
It’s been nearly 20 years since Amanda Knox’s shocking arrest. However, the case is still relevant today. Netflix and Hulu both did features on the conviction and acquittal. Amanda Knox released two books detailing her experience in prison and her release. She has since married and had two children.
Amanda Knox has hosted several podcasts in recent years. But now she’s ready for a change in career. The former convicted murderer turned to stand-up comedy. She took her one-woman show, Cartwheel, at a festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, on August 7. The title of the show is a reference to media reports that she was doing cartwheels in the police station after her arrest, a report that has since been debunked.
Like many comedians, Amanda Knox pulled from her real life for material for the stand-up act, including wrongful arrest and imprisonment. She’s been performing the act since July. A friend of Meredith Kercher’s sister started an online petition to get the stand-up act canceled. The petition received over 30,000 signatures, but the show went on as planned.
She Responds To Backlash
Amanda Knox released a statement on social media, addressing the backlash. “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,” she wrote.
She said that the petition contains “falsehoods” from people who hadn’t even seen the routine. Furthermore, “Cartwheel honors Meredith Kercher’s memory and calls out the violence that was done to her and to me,” Amanda Knox wrote.
Amanda Knox isn’t backing down from performing her comedy routine. She’s scheduled to perform her solo show through August 17. Tell us in the comments if you think her show should be canceled.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger