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Amanda Knox has responded to a petition calling for the cancellation of her Edinburgh Festival Fringe show CARTWHEEL, which has surpassed 10,000 signatures. The author and comedian’s first full hour of comedy is scheduled to run August 7-17 at Gilded Balloon Teviot’s Wine Bar.
Knox, who was wrongfully convicted of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher before ultimately being acquitted, addressed the controversy in a statement on Instagram, defending the show and arguing that the petition mischaracterizes material its organizers and signatories have not seen.
“There is a petition to cancel my show at Edinburgh Festival Fringe,” Knox wrote. “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 neither the petition’s author nor its signatories have seen the show and disputed its characterization of the material.
“Cartwheel honors Meredith Kercher’s memory and calls out the violence that was done to her and to me,” she wrote.
Knox also argued that the controversy reflects some of the subjects the show itself addresses.
“A petition to cancel a show no one has seen, on the grounds of false accusations intended to shame and vilify a wronged woman into silence, is not an argument against Cartwheel,” she wrote. “It’s a fairly precise description of what Cartwheel is about and why it deserves to exist.”
She added that the Edinburgh Fringe has a history of presenting comedy dealing with subjects including grief, trauma, mental health, addiction, illness, identity and politics, saying comedians can use humor to create opportunities for audiences to engage with difficult experiences.
The Change.org petition was started by Sally Alington, a former friend and co-worker of Kercher. The petition alleges that the show “mocks the horrific events surrounding Meredith’s murder and aims to somehow turn this tragedy into entertainment” and calls for the Edinburgh Fringe to withdraw its support for the performance. Knox has rejected that description of CARTWHEEL.
Fringe Society director Tony Lankester told BBC Radio Scotland that the festival is “not afraid of controversy,” while noting that the ultimate decision about whether the performances proceed rests with the venue.
Gilded Balloon Teviot, which is scheduled to host CARTWHEEL, has indicated that it will allow the engagement to continue.
A representative for the venue said it aims to “provide a platform for a wide range of voices, in line with the Fringe’s longstanding commitment to freedom of expression.”
The performances remain scheduled for August 7-17/.
About CARTWHEEL
CARTWHEEL marks Knox’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut and her first full hour of comedy, combining storytelling and stand-up with personal reflections on motherhood, identity and rebuilding a life after extraordinary circumstances.
Now approaching 40 and navigating motherhood, Knox examines what happens when the public and legal battles that shaped much of her young adulthood are over. With no legal opponent left to confront and no injustice left to correct, the show turns inward to questions about identity and finding meaning beyond experiences that should never have happened.
Her experience as a mother also informs the material, including the realization that she cannot protect her daughter from everything and the question of how to speak truthfully to a child about the dangers and injustices women can face.
About Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox is an author, journalist, comedian and exoneree. She spent four years in an Italian prison after being wrongfully convicted in connection with the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy. Her conviction was ultimately overturned and she was definitively acquitted of the murder.
Knox has subsequently addressed her experiences and questions of identity, justice and public notoriety through writing, television, film and podcasting. Her work includes the memoir Free: My Search for Meaning and the podcast Hard Knox.
Knox made her stand-up debut at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles as part of the Roast of Whitney Cummings. She has since opened for Nikki Glaser, Esther Povitsky and Damon Wayans and has headlined comedy shows. Her screen work includes a cameo in the Peacock sitcom Laid.
Performance Information
Amanda Knox: CARTWHEEL is scheduled to play the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Gilded Balloon Teviot – Wine Bar from August 7-17.
