Amanda Knox opened Cartwheel at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on August 7, 2026. The show runs 11 nights at the Gilded Balloon Teviot through August 17 and sold out every performance before opening night. The title refers to a widely-circulated media claim from Knox's 2007 murder investigation — that Knox did cartwheels at a police station after the death of her British roommate. Her roommate, Meredith Kercher, was found stabbed to death in Perugia, Italy. Italy's Supreme Court definitively acquitted Knox in 2015, after she had already served nearly four years in prison. Knox is 39, new to stand-up comedy, and performing a show about motherhood. The Kercher family wants it canceled and has asked Prime Minister Andy Burnham to intervene. A petition against the show has reached nearly 30,000 signatures.

1. Knox Says This Is Her Story Too (Amanda Knox)

Knox argues Italy wrongly convicted her in court — and the public convicted her again in the press. She says she has the right to reclaim her own story.

Comedy is how Knox says she's working through what happened to her. Knox describes the show as "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's been clear about one line she doesn't cross: "I don't joke about Meredith's death. That's just a line for me."

The petition proves her point, Knox argues. She responded to the cancellation push on Instagram: "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. It's a fairly precise description of what Cartwheel is about and why it deserves to exist."

She's drawn a direct comparison to male exonerees. Knox said: "I have never seen the kind of scrutiny pointed towards a wrongly accused man that I have seen pointed towards me." She says the show is "calling out the violence that was done" to Kercher and to herself.

People who actually saw it told a different story. Opening night in Edinburgh drew a standing ovation. An audience member named Nigel, from London, described the experience as "really authentic" and said Knox "carried the room." A Glasgow attendee said: "It's more about storytelling than it is about comedy — there's nothing in that show that is offensive or demeaning to Kercher."

2. But the Kercher Family Says Comedy Trivializes Murder (Stephanie Kercher, Sally Alington)

Meredith Kercher can't speak for herself — and her family says Knox keeps leveraging Meredith's name anyway.

Comedy is the wrong platform for this story, Stephanie Kercher says. Stephanie Kercher, Meredith's sister, told reporters: "We felt very strongly that the violence surrounding the theme is not appropriate for a platform at a comedy show." She asked Knox directly: "Think about the family here, think about her friends and — if it was your sister that this had happened to — how would you feel?"

Kercher's family says they've already asked Knox to stop. Kercher acknowledged Knox has "her own story to tell" but said the family hoped she would "try to move away from Meredith's name." She added: "Meredith absolutely wouldn't find these topics of any comedy value."

Sally Alington, a former coworker of Meredith's, launched the Change.org petition that grew to nearly 30,000 signatures. Alington argues the show disrespects Kercher's memory and normalizes violence against women. The Kercher family lawyer called the Fringe appearance "offensive and deplorable." The family has appealed to Prime Minister Andy Burnham — who took office in July — to intervene.

3. The Venue Won't Apologize for Platforming It (Karen Koren, Tony Lankester, Gilded Balloon)

Edinburgh Fringe exists to give controversial artists a stage — and its venues say that won't change.

Edinburgh Fringe exists for exactly this kind of controversy. Karen and Katy Koren, co-owners and artistic directors of the Gilded Balloon, stated they provide "a platform for a wide range of voices, in line with the Fringe's long-standing commitment to freedom of expression (within the confines of the law)." The Fringe Society does not curate individual shows — artists and venues take creative and financial responsibility for their own work.

Gilded Balloon festival director Tony Lankester is direct about it. Lankester said the venue is "not afraid of controversy." Their stance is that canceling shows on subject-matter grounds — regardless of who asks — would undermine the festival's foundational premise: that any artist can perform.

Where This Lands

Knox's show sold out before her critics saw it, and the audiences who have seen it mostly disagree with the petition. The Kercher family's objection doesn't rest on the reviews. Meredith Kercher is dead, and the family says no standing ovation changes the fact that Knox keeps profiting from a tragedy they can't escape. The family's appeal to Burnham is on the record. Burnham hasn't responded, the Gilded Balloon isn't canceling, and Knox has already sold out every show.

Sources