Dave Chappelle has faced fierce criticism after telling an audience that Charlie Kirk’s assassination made him “feel better.”
The comedian made the startling remark during a sold-out performance at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
“I feel f***ed up saying this. It’s scary being a public speaker,” Chappelle, 53, told the crowd, according to a clip circulating online.
“And I mean, look, ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered… and I shouldn’t say this publicly, but I feel better,” he said as the audience laughed and applauded.
He added: “I know I shouldn’t say that, but it’s just a feeling. I didn’t ask to feel this way. I just be driving around like, ‘Why am I in such a good mood? Oh!’”
Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.
Chappelle’s comments drew immediate condemnation, including from conservative commentator Benny Johnson.
“When Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage, Charlie stood up for him. After Charlie was murdered in an act of political violence himself, Chappelle is joking about it,” Johnson wrote on X.
Dave Chappelle said Charlie Kirk’s assassination had made him “feel better” during his Saturday night performance in New York City
Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025
Johnson was referring to a May 2022 post in which Kirk defended Chappelle after the comedian was attacked on stage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
“By refusing to charge the armed maniac who attacked Dave Chappelle on stage, George Gascon is sending a clear message that public acts of political violence are justifiable – and even encouraged – against anyone who dares speak out against The Regime,” Kirk wrote at the time. “It’s Sinister & Un-American.”
Megyn Kelly reshared Johnson’s post and described Chappelle’s remark as “Despicable.”
Erika Kirk, whose husband died on September 10, 2025, also condemned the comedian’s comments.
“To see leftist podcasters, comedians, and commentators laugh about political assassination as though it’s entertainment and the destruction of a human life is a punchline, is beyond disgusting,” she wrote on X on Sunday afternoon.
“My husband, Charlie Kirk, was killed in an act of political violence, something our two children and I will live with every day for the rest of our lives.
“A culture that laughs at assassination is one of profound moral decay. It threatens the very foundation of our country and the principles that hold our democracy together.
“You do not have to agree with someone’s politics to recognize the value of their life. This should not be so hard. Political violence must never be something this country tolerates, excuses, or celebrates.”
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Chappelle faced immediate backlash over his comments, with conservative commentator Benny Johnson among his most prominent critics
Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, also denounced Chappelle’s remarks
Chappelle performed two consecutive shows to close his “Karmageddon” tour. Saturday night’s performance was promoted as phone-free, with attendees instructed to place their devices in provided pouches designed to temporarily lock them away.
His comments about Kirk’s death came roughly a year after he said the shooting had shaken him during his Netflix special, “The Unstoppable.”
“If you talk for a living and see Charlie Kirk get murdered that way, I’m gonna be honest, I was shook,” he said at the time.
Liberal podcaster Jennifer Welch has also faced backlash over remarks about Kirk’s death.
During Thursday’s episode of her podcast, I’ve Had It, Welch mocked the assassination while she and co-host Angie Sullivan argued that a midterm wipeout reflected a cultural shift in the country.
As they read social media jokes about the return of “Woke 3.0,” Welch began with imagined, President Trump-style renamings of landmarks, including “Pronoun Park” and “Trans Towers.”
“You can’t even fathom the pronouns we’re going to invent. You can’t even pronounce them,” she continued, reading X posts mocking Republican losses.
“They’re going to give newborn babies septum piercings at the hospital.
Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with aggravated murder, making him eligible for the death penalty. The 22-year-old has pleaded not guilty
“Make sure you open that b*tch up on Sundays from here on out, Chick-fil-A.
“No more Sunday school homophobes. No more. No more mega church Sunday school homophobes.”
In the final joke from the list, Welch and Sullivan struggled to contain their laughter as Welch read: “We’re digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again.”
The pair later acknowledged that the joke was “insensitive” and apologized for making the remark.
Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with aggravated murder, an offense that makes him eligible for the death penalty. The 22-year-old has pleaded not guilty.
Robinson has not expressed MAGA views, and prosecutors allege that he confessed to killing the conservative activist because he “had enough of his hatred.”
