Dave Chappelle criticized over comments about Charlie Kirk’s death

Comedian Dave Chappelle is facing backlash after making comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk during recent performances at Madison Square Garden.

Kirk was assassinated at a campus event in Utah in September 2025. Audience members said Chappelle spent a significant part of his Friday and Saturday shows discussing him.

Comments from the stage

The performances were phone-free, with audience members required to lock their devices in Yondr pouches. Still, a short clip of Chappelle’s remarks later circulated online.

“I feel messed up saying this. It’s scary being a public speaker,” Chappelle said, according to the clip. He went on to say that since Kirk was murdered, he had been feeling better, adding that he sometimes noticed himself in a good mood and then remembered why.

Chappelle is known for using provocative statements that can later lead to a punchline or a shift in perspective. But several people who said they attended the shows argued that the comments were not taken out of context and that no later joke changed their meaning.

Author Rob Henderson called the remarks unusual, saying it would be strange to deliberately feel cheerful about someone’s murder. Another attendee said Chappelle spent about half his set criticizing both Kirk and President Donald Trump.

A different audience member said Chappelle also joked about Kirk “looking up from hell.”

Erika Kirk condemns jokes about assassination

Kirk’s widow, Erika, responded on Sunday, criticizing comedians, podcasters and commentators who make light of her husband’s death.

She wrote that a culture that laughs at assassination reflects deep moral decay and threatens the country’s democratic principles. People do not have to share someone’s politics to recognize the value of their life, she said, adding that political violence should never be tolerated, excused or celebrated.

Her comments about podcasters followed a separate controversy involving progressive hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, who laughed while reading a post about digging up Kirk and “doing it again.” The hosts later apologized, and several companies responded to the incident.

Cash App said it no longer sponsored the podcast and did not condone violence. Zenni eyewear said it had canceled its advertising, while Chewy said it did not sponsor or support the show and condemned the hosts’ comments.

Attendees say there was no punchline

YouTuber Amir Odom, who said he attended one of the shows, described the routine as uncomfortable and recalled seeing people leave. He also said the circulating clip did not omit a later punchline that would have changed its meaning.

Odom said Chappelle continued discussing why he disliked Kirk, accused him of racism and brought up commentator Candace Owens. “There was no bit. There was no joke. There was no tieback to it,” he said.

Odom thought Chappelle may have been trying to point to what he saw as a double standard around jokes about George Floyd. Even so, he said, the comments about Kirk’s death came across as statements or, at times, as material that was simply uncomfortable.

The complete set has not been released, so its full context is unavailable. Still, accounts from several people who said they were there suggest Chappelle spoke about Kirk at length, rather than using the remarks as a setup for a later punchline.

Chappelle has not publicly commented on the controversy. His representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.