Comedian Dave Chappelle is facing backlash after joking during a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden that he has felt better since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“I feel f***ed up saying this. It’s scary being a public speaker,” Chappelle told the crowd in a clip that circulated widely on social media. “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!’”
The line drew laughter and some applause from the audience. The full context of the bit was not clear from the clip.
Chappelle made the remarks during back-to-back shows at the arena as part of his Karmageddon tour and the New York Comedy Festival.
The joke drew swift condemnation from conservatives. Commentator Benny Johnson called it “sick” and said it “isn’t even comedy.” Katie Miller asked whether Live Nation, the show’s promoter, agreed with the joke. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet responded by posting John 15:18–25, a passage about the world’s hatred.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed in September 2025 while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Neither Chappelle nor Live Nation had commented as of publication.
