Dave Chappelle is facing backlash over a joke about the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk during a performance at Madison Square Garden in New York, with Kirk’s widow describing the comments as “beyond disgusting”.
During his Karmageddon Tour show, Chappelle said he had “felt better” since Kirk was shot dead in September 2025.
“I feel f***** up saying this,” the comedian told the audience. “It’s scary being a public speaker. And I mean, look, ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered — and I shouldn’t say this publicly — but, I feel better.”
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!’.”
Recording was prohibited at the venue, but clips of the remarks have circulated on social media, prompting criticism from Kirk supporters and others.
Erika Kirk condemned the joke in a statement posted on X, saying: “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.”
“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,” she wrote.
Erika Kirk said that people did not have to agree with her husband’s politics “to recognise the value of his life”, adding: “Political violence must never be something this country tolerates, excuses, or celebrates.”
Kirk, a prominent figure in the MAGA movement and a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University.
The 31-year-old was taken to hospital but could not be saved. He was killed on September 10, 2025.
Elon Musk also criticised Chappelle, posting: “Shame, shame, shame on Chappelle.”
British journalist Piers Morgan said the comments were “especially egregious given that Chappelle himself survived an attack on stage in 2022”.
One social media user said they would “NEVER say I feel ‘better’ someone was killed”, while adding that Kirk had made “some questionable comments”.
Tyler James Robinson is facing aggravated murder charges over Kirk’s killing and has pleaded not guilty. The 23-year-old has also been charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and commission of a violent offence in the presence of a child.
