Dave Chappelle is slammed for telling crowd that Charlie Kirk’s assassination made him ‘feel better’

Dave Chappelle has been slammed after telling a crowd that Charlie Kirk’s assassination made him ‘feel better.’ 

The comedian performed at a sold-out show in New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday night when he made the startling admission. 

‘I feel f***ed up saying this. It’s scary being a public speaker,’ Chappelle, 53, told a 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 shared as people laughed and clapped. 

He continued: ‘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 was met with immediate criticism over his comment, including by 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 said on X. 

He was referring to a tweet that Kirk shared in May 2022 defending the comedian after he 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 said: ‘Despicable.’ 

Erika Kirk, who was left a widow after her husband died on September 10, 2025, also condemned Chappelle over his comment. 

‘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 shared 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.’ 

Chappelle performed back-to-back shows that closed his ‘Karmageddon’ tour. Saturday night’s show was advertised as phone-free, with attendees told to seal their devices in a provided pouch that is meant to lock phones away temporarily. 

His comment about Kirk’s death also comes about a year after he admitted that the shooting startled 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 stated at the time. 

Liberal podcaster Jennifer Welch was also recently in the hot seat for a comment she made about Kirk’s death. 

She mocked his assassination on the Thursday episode of her podcast, I’ve Had It, as she and her co-host, Angie Sullivan, said the midterms wipeout represented a cultural shift for the nation. 

Reading aloud their favorite social media jokes about the return of ‘Woke 3.0’, Welch began with President Trump-style renaming of landmarks, such as ‘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 off X posts ridiculing Republican losses.

‘They’re going to give newborn babies septum piercings at the hospital.

‘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 her final joke from the list, Welch and Sullivan could hardly contain their laughter as the host read: ‘We’re digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again.’

The pair later shared that the joke was ‘insensitive’ and apologized for saying it. 

Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with aggravated murder, which makes him eligible for the death penalty. The 22-year-old has pleaded not guilty. 

Robinson has not espoused MAGA views, and prosecutors allege he confessed to killing the conservative activist because he ‘had enough of his hatred.’