Comedian Dave Chappelle is under fire following his recent remarks at Madison Square Garden about the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
During the latest leg of his “Karmageddon” stand-up comedy tour in New York City over the weekend, the 53-year-old comic began by discussing the risks of being a public speaker before turning his attention to Kirk’s murder in September 2025.
Video footage recorded by someone in the audience quickly began circulating on social media on Nov. 8, drawing widespread attention and criticism.
“I feel [expletive] up saying this. It’s scary being a public speaker,” Chappelle told the crowd. “Ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered, and I shouldn’t say this publicly, but I feel better.”
“I know I shouldn’t say that, but it’s just a feeling,” he continued. “I didn’t ask to feel this way. … I just be driving around like, ‘Why am I in such a good mood? Oh!’”
His comments drew a mixture of laughter and audible reactions at the event, advertised as phone-free, with audience members required to secure their devices in locked Yondr pouches.
In response, without naming Chappelle, Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, condemned the use of political violence and the loss of human life as material for comedy.
“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 in a post on X.
“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,” she continued. “It threatens the very foundation of our country and the principles that hold our democracy together.”
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was 31 when he was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University in Utah last year.
“You do not have to agree with someone’s politics to recognize the value of their life. This should not be so hard,” his widow concluded. “Political violence must never be something this country tolerates, excuses, or celebrates.”
Chappelle previously addressed Kirk’s killing in his Netflix special “The Unstoppable,” saying the shooting had shaken him as someone who also makes a living speaking publicly.
Several other prominent figures criticized the comedian, with Elon Musk responding to the controversy by writing: “Shame, shame, shame on Chappelle” on X.
British broadcaster Piers Morgan also condemned the remarks, pointing to Chappelle’s own experience surviving an onstage attack in 2022 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
At the time, a 23-year-old man identified as Isaiah Lee rushed onto the stage and tackled Chappelle to the ground during his performance at the “Netflix Is a Joke” comedy festival.
Lee allegedly had a replica handgun containing a folding knife blade in his possession. However, investigators later determined that he did not have the weapon in his hand when he tackled Chappelle.
