Dave Chappelle told a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd that he has felt better since conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed, and a short clip of the moment went viral this weekend. The comments came during back-to-back shows on Nov. 6 and 7 that closed his Karmageddon tour and opened the New York Comedy Festival. Some audience members laughed and applauded, while others gasped.
Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, criticized the joke on X, along with Elon Musk and other conservative figures. Chappelle had not responded publicly as of Sunday.
What did Dave Chappelle say about Charlie Kirk?
In the clip, which is less than a minute long, Chappelle starts by saying he feels bad about what he’s about to say and that being a public speaker is scary. He then says he has felt better ever since Kirk was murdered, admits he knows he shouldn’t say it publicly and calls it a feeling he didn’t ask for. He finishes by describing driving around in a good mood before remembering the reason.
It isn’t clear what came before or after the clip. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in September 2025, and Tyler Robinson has been charged in his death.
“Ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered, and I shouldn’t say this publicly but…. I feel better.”
– Dave Chappelle https://t.co/rDgE2L3KCi
— FreeThinkerFitness (@FreeThinkerFit) November 8, 2026
How did Erika Kirk respond to Dave Chappelle?
In a Sunday post on X, Erika Kirk criticized commentators and comedians who laugh about political assassination as entertainment. She said her husband was killed in an act of political violence that she and their two children will live with for the rest of their lives. She argued that people don’t have to share someone’s politics to value their life. Her post also responded to a separate joke on the “I’ve Had It” podcast, whose hosts later apologized and lost several sponsors.
Why are Dave Chappelle’s critics pointing to 2022?
This part of the story has drawn a lot of attention online. Musk wrote that Chappelle should be ashamed, sharing a post from commentator Benny Johnson. That post highlighted a 2022 tweet in which Kirk defended Chappelle after a man rushed the stage and attacked him at the Hollywood Bowl. In that tweet, Kirk criticized prosecutors for not filing tougher charges and warned that weak charges would send the message that political violence is acceptable. Critics argue Chappelle is now joking about the same kind of violence Kirk once condemned on his behalf.
Musk has his own history with Chappelle. In 2022, Chappelle brought him onstage in San Francisco, where much of the crowd booed him.
Has Dave Chappelle talked about Charlie Kirk before?
Yes, and his tone was different. In his December 2025 Netflix special, Chappelle said Kirk’s killing had shaken him as someone who talks for a living. He also said early reports about the bullets made him fear for his own safety. In the same special, he rejected comparisons between Kirk and Martin Luther King Jr., arguing that internet personalities can’t play the role of a civil rights leader.
That earlier material helps explain why the MSG clip is so hard to read. The bit opens with Chappelle talking about how dangerous it feels to be a public speaker. Without the full set, viewers are left to decide whether he was making a dark joke about fear or expressing real relief at a man’s death. Many people have already made up their minds.
What happens next for Dave Chappelle?
Chappelle has survived several controversies before, including years of criticism over his jokes about transgender people. He hasn’t commented on this one, and Netflix, which has released many of his specials, hasn’t said anything either. The full set may appear on video eventually, and that could change how people see the clip.
