Elon Musk has condemned Dave Chappelle over a joke about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, writing on X: “Shame, shame, shame on Chappelle.”
Musk was quoting a post by commentator Benny Johnson, who shared a screenshot of a 2022 tweet in which Kirk defended Chappelle after the comedian was attacked on stage during a Hollywood Bowl show. In the tweet, Kirk criticized then–Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón for not bringing tougher charges against the attacker, warning it signaled that “public acts of political violence are justifiable.”
“When Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage, Charlie stood up for him,” Johnson wrote. “After Charlie was murdered in an act of political violence himself, Chappelle is joking about it.”
During shows at Madison Square Garden on his Karmageddon tour this weekend, Chappelle told the audience: “I feel f***ed up saying this. It’s scary being a public speaker. 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.
