Amanda Knox vows ‘not to let the bullies win’ over Edinburgh Fringe comedy gig | US | News
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 26: Author and activist Amanda Knox attends the Los Angeles Times Book Festival at the University of Southern California on April 26, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)
Amanda Knox has vowed to “not let the bullies win” as she stands behind her upcoming appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The 38-year-old writer, who was found guilty along with her then-boyfriend of the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher and acquitted two years later, will present her first feature-length comedy show at the famous festival this summer. The decision sparked harsh reactions, with opponents calling it “offensive”.
Even Amanda admitted that she felt “nervous” about the performance, but chose to move forward in an attempt to confront her “bullies.” The mother-of-two said: “Ultimately this comes down to wanting to silence me for bringing up an uncomfortable truth.
I feel wronged and I don’t like it when people who wronged me win; I don’t want to let the bullies win.
“I know I have something legitimate to say, I’m not just going there for fun. It’s not just about me, it’s about what it means to be a woman in the world.”
Photograph of 19-year-old murder victim Meredith Kercher at her home in Surrey. British student killed while studying in Italy. (Image: Daily Mirror)
Amanda was a 20-year-old student in Perugia, Italy; when her friend and flatmate, British student Meredith, was murdered in their shared accommodation. It was covered in the DNA of the man who was eventually convicted as his killer. However, Amanda was convicted of murder in 2009 and sentenced to 26 years in prison.
In 2011, the conviction was overturned and Knox was released and subsequently returned to America. In 2013, following a successful appeal to the prosecutor’s office, the acquittal was overturned and a retrial was ordered. In 2014, an appeals court in Florence, Italy, found Amanda guilty of murder for the second time. In 2015, the Supreme Court of Italy definitively acquitted Amanda of the murder of Meredith.
Amanda’s Edinburgh Fringe address, titled Cartwheel, refers to what she describes as the persistent fabrication that she did somersaults during police questioning.
The author, originally from Seattle, Washington, continued: “There are plenty of situations where there are survivors of horrific ordeals and people who don’t. Have we ever said, ‘You need to shut up and disappear because you’re making people uncomfortable?’
“The messages from critics are that any way I tell my story is wrong, because it has to be at my expense, at someone else’s expense.”
According to The Times, Amanda has amassed a loyal circle of supporters, including executive TV producer Monica Lewinsky, who argues that society cannot progress unless women like Amanda have the freedom to speak without shame.
Speaking to the publication, Amanda added: “I don’t like assuming the worst about people or places. I want to believe I can get a fair hearing in Edinburgh.”
