Dave Chappelle's joke about Charlie Kirk's murder draws backlash
The remark came during back-to-back weekend shows at Madison Square Garden that closed his Karmageddon tour.
Comedian Dave Chappelle said at a sold-out Madison Square Garden show that he felt better since Charlie Kirk was murdered, and the crowd laughed. The remark was made during back-to-back weekend shows that closed his "Karmageddon" tour and opened the New York Comedy Festival. A clip of the less-than-a-minute remark circulated on X.
The show was advertised as phone-free, with devices sealed in Yondr pouches. Writer Rob Henderson, who said he attended, posted an account of the line before the video surfaced, attributing to Chappelle the words "I'm so happy Charlie Kirk was killed." Henderson, who said he was Kirk's final long-form interview guest, later said the second sentence struck him as particularly odd. The clip offers no further context.
Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was shot dead on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University, and Tyler Robinson has been charged with the murder. In his December Netflix special "The Unstoppable...," Chappelle said he had been shaken by the shooting. He also rejected comparisons between Kirk and Martin Luther King Jr. as "a reach."
Key points
- Chappelle reportedly said he felt better since Kirk was murdered, drawing laughs at MSG.
- Writer Rob Henderson posted an account of the line before the clip surfaced.
- Tyler Robinson has been charged in the killing of Kirk, who was shot Sept. 10, 2025.
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Summarized with AI from the sources above and reviewed before publishing.
