Author and activist Amanda Knox delivered a powerful response to an internet troll who tried to shame her on an X post about her past sexual relationships, which she was forced to reveal during a wrongful interrogation after being accused of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher.
In a series of X posts, Knox reflected on how she was labeled a “deviant sex monster” and how that shame continued to affect her even after she and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found not guilty in 2011.
Fourteen years after her release, she shared her experiences on social media.
“After years of being vilified as a deviant sex monster, I couldn’t help but internalize some of that shame, despite the fact that I knew there was nothing wrong with my sexuality (which was actually quite vanilla).”
A social media user commented on an X post, saying, “Sleeping with seven guys before the age of 19 is so vanilla." In response, Knox shared a photo featuring a leaked list of her sexual partners, which the Italian police had coerced her into writing by falsely claiming she had tested positive for HIV.
Knox discussed the police interrogation, which she described as her “worst nightmare,” when she testified at the European Court of Human Rights about the treatment she suffered while detained and being interrogated in a language she barely knew.
According to NBC News, Knox testified:
“When I couldn't remember the details, one of the officers gave me a little smack on the head and shouted, ‘Remember, remember…’ And then I put together a jumble of memories, and the police made me sign a statement. I was forced to submit. It had been a violation of my rights.”
The list was leaked to the media as part of a smear campaign to portray Knox as the femme fatale responsible for Meredith Kercher's murder.
You can see Knox’s response to the slut-shaming post below:
Yes, I slept with 7 people by age 20. (3 were serious boyfriends; 1 was Raffaele.) This was made public after police lied to me that I had HIV, then told me to write a list of my partners, then confiscated my diary and leaked it to the media. "I don't want to die," I wrote. https://t.co/Ja7tL2NMrz pic.twitter.com/6iZWfYac9p
— Amanda Knox (@amandaknox) July 15, 2025
Knox continued to share how she coped with the humiliation and shame of her sexuality becoming courtroom and media fodder, as detailed in her book Free, released in March 2025. She also posted an essay reflecting on how she had rediscovered and regained control of owning her sexuality in the most repressive place: prison.
In an essay posted today on her Substack titled “Sex is a Story You Get to Tell,” she wrote:
“I rediscovered sexual intimacy in prison quietly, awkwardly, exploring my own body alone at night between guard patrols, before the next flashlight beam swept through my cell… There’s something counterintuitive about rediscovering your sexuality while being vilified as a sexual deviant."
"My prosecutor crafted pornographic fantasies about me in court, claiming I orchestrated a murder orgy.”
Salaciously labeled “Foxy Knoxy” in tabloid headlines, Knox also discussed how the prosecutor shamefully used a vibrator as evidence and how she felt targeted as a convenient scapegoat who was punished for enjoying sex too much. And the shame fest seems to have continued with anonymous and cowardly social media trolls.
Knox sarcastically thanked the troll for shaming her in another post:
“Great memories. I very much didn't know what I was doing in the sex department, and yes, was quite vanilla. But thanks for shaming me.”
Sometimes you gotta clap back, girl!
The original social media user’s account no longer exists, so hopefully they found better things to do. In the meantime, Knox has launched her cleverly titled podcast Hard Knox, which premiered on July 7, and explores what people’s experiences with hardship and adversity can teach us and what justice requires from society.
You can watch her introduction video of Hard Knox here:
Introducing my new podcast, Hard Knox!
I'l asking some big questions:
What does resilience actually look like?
What does it mean to be free?
How do we live with what we can’t undo?
Join me! https://t.co/EIpqEC8G5S pic.twitter.com/C32eiYsHue
— Amanda Knox (@amandaknox) July 7, 2025
X users defended Knox and commended her for her vulnerability:
Amanda Knox’s story will be featured in her executive-produced television series “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,” which centers on her devastating journey of being wrongfully accused and imprisoned in Italy for her roommate’s murder as she fought (and continues to fight) to clear her name and return home.
Premiering on August 20 on Hulu, you can watch the trailer starring Grace Van Patten as Knox:
- YouTubeHulu/YouTube
