Amanda Knox has responded to criticism of her solo comedy performance scheduled for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where she will discuss motherhood and how she plans to explain her legal history to her daughter. The show, titled Cartwheel, sold out ahead of its scheduled run at the Gilded Balloon Teviot venue.
Stephanie Kercher, sister of murder victim Meredith Kercher, expressed concern that the performance will “normalise and trivialise” violence against women. A petition opposing the show, initiated by a friend of the deceased, has gathered nearly 5,000 signatures. Kercher stated that her family’s pain remains significant more than two decades after the incident and questioned whether such material appropriately honors her sister’s memory.
Knox characterized her material as centering on systemic inequality and safety concerns for women, framing it as a personal narrative rather than comedic treatment of the crime itself. She stated that the show’s title references a metaphor about resilience in facing adversity. Knox expressed interest in dialogue with the Kercher family but indicated previous opportunities for such conversation have not materialized.
Tony Lankester, director of the Fringe Society, defended the festival’s commitment to free speech and open access for performers. He noted that the organization applies legal standards as its baseline for intervention but does not curate content based on taste considerations. The venue and Knox retain authority over whether the performance proceeds.
Knox was convicted alongside then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito in 2007 for Kercher’s murder but was subsequently acquitted. Italy’s highest appeals court overturned their convictions in 2015. Knox has since authored two books about her experience and served as an executive producer on a biographical drama. She currently resides in Washington state with her spouse and two children.
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