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An Indiana family farm facing backlash over a massive corn maze honoring Charlie Kirk says it has no regrets about the tribute and would “absolutely” do it again, telling Fox News Digital that critics began hammering the business with one-star reviews almost immediately after the design was unveiled.
Jeremy Goebel, a manager at family-owned Global Farms, said the farm never intended for the maze to be divisive, but wanted to remember Kirk and his advocacy for open debate and free speech.
“Absolutely, we would absolutely do it again,” Goebel said. “And although, you know, this is just pushback and negative commentary on us, I don’t really feel like it’s directed at us. I mean, sure, people are saying. It’s about us, but it’s really about Charlie. They have the issue with what he stood for.”
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Split image of Goebel Farms Charlie Kirk corn maze and Charlie Kirk. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/Goebel Farms)
The Turning Point USA president was assassinated Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University during his “American Comeback Tour.”
Goebel said the backlash began the same day the farm announced the maze, with some people, including previous customers, leaving one-star reviews because they opposed the tribute.
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Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
“Unfortunately, the first day that we had announced it, people began giving us one-star reviews, even some previous customers, because they posted their photos with their one-star review, simply because they disagreed with the corn maze,” Goebel said. “And so we got a message from Google saying that someone had said that we were doing deceptive practices, and so they closed the profile, at least temporarily until we have a chance to appeal it.”
For Goebel, the backlash has been hard to understand.
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Tyler Robinson, left, is accused of fatally shooting Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, right, at a public speaking event at Utah Valley University in September. (Bethany Baker/Pool via REUTERS, Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
“I just think it’s very hard to wrap my mind around the fact that there’s been so much hate over this, we were just trying to remember a man who lost his life promoting freedom of speech,” Goebel said. “I know not everybody agrees with him, and I’m not saying that we agreed with everything, and I’m not saying that we disagreed with everything, but, we just wanted to remember someone who lost their life for the cause of free speech and to get people educated.”
But the response has not been all negative, Goebel said.
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Charlie Kirk appears at Utah Valley University Sept. 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
“We’ve received a lot of backlash over the last few days, but especially that first day, the last 24 hours, I would say the majority is positive, actually,” Goebel said. “Actually, I’ve heard from people all over the world, from Cape Town, South Africa, and even Australia, actually, in support of it. So I think it was never intended to be divisive. It was only just to remember Charlie, because obviously he lost his life.”
He said the country would do better to listen more to each other.
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“I think part of what makes America great is that we can challenge each other’s ideas and disagree,” Goebel told Fox News Digital. “No one side has all the answers, and I think a lot of our best ideas and progress come from people with different perspectives pushing each other to think differently. We probably accomplish more as a society when we’re willing to listen to each other instead of just assuming the other side is wrong.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Google for comment.
