The WWE performer faced heavy backlash, including online threats, but clarified she was not celebrating Kirk’s death, only rejecting the idea of rewriting his divisive legacy.

Ava Raine, the 23-year-old daughter of wrestling legend and Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, is at the center of a heated online controversy after making pointed remarks about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

The WWE performer, whose real name is Simone Johnson, shared her thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) on September 13, just two days after Kirk was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University.

“If you want people to have kind words when you pass, you should say kind words while you’re alive,” Raine posted. Within minutes, her words ricocheted across the platform, drawing both praise and fierce condemnation.

Some users accused her of celebrating Kirk’s death, while others defended the message as a blunt but fair commentary on the importance of empathy and how public figures are remembered.

The backlash was swift and intense. Many conservative commentators lambasted Raine’s comment as “disrespectful” and “heartless.”

One user replied, “Imagine if someone said this about your father — you’d be demanding apologies. Disgusting.” Another added, “You’re the daughter of The Rock. You’d think you’d have some class.”

On the other side of the political spectrum, progressives and fans of Raine came to her defense, praising her courage in speaking honestly about the polarizing legacy of Charlie Kirk.

“She didn’t lie. Kirk spent his career spewing hate, and Ava is just reminding us that actions have consequences,” one supporter wrote.

The storm around Raine’s post intensified when screenshots began circulating on Facebook groups and Reddit threads dedicated to both wrestling and political debates.

Some critics escalated to sending threats to Raine’s direct messages, prompting her to briefly lock her account. She later restored it, but not before addressing the controversy in a follow-up post.

“I’m not celebrating anyone’s death,” she clarified. “But I’m not going to pretend that someone who made a career out of cruelty suddenly deserves sainthood because they’re gone.”

The Rock himself has not made any public comments regarding his daughter’s statements. Johnson, who has carefully cultivated a family-friendly public image while occasionally weighing in on political issues, has faced his own share of scrutiny from both sides of the aisle.

Observers are now speculating whether he will address the controversy, particularly as Raine continues to rise in prominence in the WWE as part of its developmental brand, NXT.

Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was gunned down on September 10, 2025, during a live event at UVU. He was answering a question about transgender mass shooters when the fatal shot struck him in the neck.

The alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, has since been arrested and faces charges that could carry the death penalty.

Investigators revealed that the rifle used contained bullet casings engraved with bizarre internet memes and anti-fascist slogans, adding to the mystery around Robinson’s motives.

The political climate surrounding Kirk’s death has only magnified the reaction to Raine’s comments.

In the days following the assassination, conservative voices have framed Kirk as a martyr for free speech, while his critics argue that his legacy includes years of divisive rhetoric, particularly around issues of race, LGBTQ rights, and higher education.

Into this fraught landscape stepped Ava Raine, whose single sentence managed to tap into the wider cultural battle over how controversial figures should be remembered.

The incident has also sparked conversations about the role of celebrity children in public discourse. Raine, though carving out her own identity as a professional wrestler, inevitably faces scrutiny through the lens of her father’s global fame.

Fans of The Rock have expressed concern that the controversy could unfairly affect her burgeoning career.

“She’s young, she’s blunt, and she’s entitled to her views,” one fan commented on Instagram. “But the media is going to drag her because of who her dad is.”

Others see Raine’s willingness to speak her mind as a sign of a new generation of public figures unwilling to shy away from difficult conversations.

“She’s part of Gen Z, and they don’t sugarcoat,” said one political analyst on MSNBC. “Whether you agree with her or not, she’s putting words to what a lot of people are already saying privately.”

Meanwhile, WWE has not issued any formal statement regarding Raine’s remarks, and it remains unclear if her involvement in this controversy will have any professional repercussions.

Wrestling insiders note that WWE has historically tolerated performers expressing their political views, though the company often prefers to keep its storylines separate from real-world political debates.

As for Raine herself, she appears unshaken by the online firestorm. In one of her most recent posts, she wrote: “Social media will twist anything. At the end of the day, I’ll keep speaking my truth. People can love it or hate it, but I won’t fake it.”

The controversy underscores the volatility of today’s political and cultural environment, where even a single sentence can ignite days of debate, vitriol, and threats.

For Ava Raine, it has become a moment that defines not only her public voice but also her resilience in the face of backlash.

Whether this controversy fades or lingers may depend less on what she says next — and more on how the nation continues to grapple with the polarized legacy of Charlie Kirk.

In the end, Raine’s words have become part of the broader national conversation: how do we reconcile the lives and deaths of public figures who divided opinion in life, and what does it say about us when we choose either to mourn or to critique?

For many, her post was not a celebration, but a reminder that respect is not guaranteed in death — it is earned in life.