What happened with Dave Chappelle this weekend started with a leaked clip from his Madison Square Garden show in New York that showed him telling the crowd he has felt “better” since conservative activist Charlie Kirk was murdered in September 2025. Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, responded on X on Sunday, Nov. 8, calling laughter about political assassination “beyond disgusting,” Variety and the Los Angeles Times reported. As of Sunday, Chappelle’s representatives had not responded to requests for comment.
The clip from Madison Square Garden
In the video, Chappelle tells the audience: “I feel f***ed up saying this. It’s scary being a public speaker. And I mean look, ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered … and I shouldn’t say this publicly, but I feel better.” He continues: “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!'” The wording matches across reports from Variety, the New York Post, Fox News and TMZ.
The Post said laughter and scattered applause followed. It also noted that the clip is less than a minute long and does not show what came before or after, so the full context of the bit is not public. Attendees’ phones were supposed to be sealed in Yondr pouches, which is why the footage is described as leaked.
Outlets disagree on which night it was. Variety and Fox News say the Friday, Nov. 6 show. The Los Angeles Times says Saturday night. The New York Post describes back-to-back weekend shows that closed the Karmageddon tour and opened the New York Comedy Festival, and says the clip circulated on X on Saturday night.
How his Kirk material has changed since December
This is not the first time Chappelle has talked about Kirk on stage, and his earlier comments were quite different in tone.
| “The Unstoppable” (Netflix, December 2025) | Madison Square Garden (Nov. 6-7, 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| How he described his reaction | Addressed Kirk’s killing in a filmed Netflix special, according to the New York Post and TMZ. | Said he feels “better” since the killing and is in “a good mood.” |
| Other Kirk remarks reported | Rejected comparisons between Kirk and Martin Luther King Jr. as “a reach,” according to the Post and TMZ. | No other Kirk material from the set has been reported. |
| Format | Released as a filmed special. | Phone-free arena show; known only from a short leaked clip. |
Who has responded
Erika Kirk did not name Chappelle. “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. “A culture that laughs at assassination is one of profound moral decay.” The Los Angeles Times noted she did not say what prompted the post, and Fox News reported that Turning Point USA pointed it to her statement when asked.
Elon Musk criticized Chappelle on X, according to Fox News and Complex. Piers Morgan called the comment “disgusting” and said it was “especially egregious given that Chappelle himself survived an attack on stage in 2022,” the Los Angeles Times and Fox News reported.
Other Kirk jokes drawing fire
Chappelle is one of several entertainers criticized over Kirk jokes in recent weeks. The hosts of the “I’ve Had It” podcast, Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, apologized on Saturday after laughing at a joke about Kirk on Thursday’s episode. “It was an insensitive joke, and we should not have laughed,” they wrote, according to the Los Angeles Times, which reported that Cash App and other advertisers dropped the show. Michael Che also joked about Kirk’s killing in his Netflix special “Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota,” released last month, the Times and Fox News reported.
Where things stand
Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University. Tyler Robinson has been charged in his death and has not been convicted.
As of Sunday night, Chappelle had not addressed the backlash publicly. Fox News said neither his team nor Madison Square Garden had replied to its requests for comment.
FAQ
What did Dave Chappelle say about Charlie Kirk?
In a leaked clip from his Madison Square Garden show, Chappelle said that “ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered … I feel better,” adding, “I know I shouldn’t say that, but it’s just a feeling.”
When did Chappelle make the Charlie Kirk joke?
At one of his Karmageddon tour shows at Madison Square Garden on the weekend of Nov. 6-7, 2026. Variety and Fox News say it was Friday; the Los Angeles Times says Saturday.
Has Dave Chappelle responded to the backlash?
Not as of Sunday, Nov. 8. His representatives did not reply to requests for comment from the Los Angeles Times or Fox News.
What did Erika Kirk say?
Without naming Chappelle, she wrote on X that laughing about political assassination “is beyond disgusting” and that “a culture that laughs at assassination is one of profound moral decay.”
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Updated November 9, 2026