Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk has condemned those who laugh at political violence after Dave Chappelle made a joke referencing the killing of her husband, Charlie Kirk, during a show in New York on Saturday.
Chappelle was performing for a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden when he delivered the bit. In it, he talked about the pressure on famous people to say and do the right things before bringing up the murder of Kirk, who was fatally shot during a speaking event at Utah Valley University in September 2025.
Erika Kirk, who succeeded her husband as head of TPUSA, posted about the incident on X on Sunday.
“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,” she wrote. “A culture that laughs at assassination is one of profound moral decay. It threatens the very foundation of our country and the principles that hold our democracy together.
“You do not have to agree with someone’s politics to recognize the value of their life. This should not be so hard. Political violence must never be something this country tolerates, excuses, or celebrates,” she concluded.
Chappelle framed the remark around free speech, pointing to the chill on public commentary that spread across media and entertainment after the shooting.
“I feel fucked up saying this,” Chappelle said. “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. I know I shouldn’t say that, but it’s just a feeling.”
In the weeks after Kirk’s death, several journalists and TV personalities were suspended or fired over comments about the killing. They included then-MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd, who was let go after suggesting on air that the conservative activist and Second Amendment advocate had helped create the political climate that led to his assassination. The backlash culminated in ABC pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air for nearly a week over a monologue in which the host addressed the reaction to Kirk’s killing.
Chappelle, who has not responded publicly to Erika Kirk’s statement, has long courted controversy with his comedy, particularly around identity politics. His material about transgender people has been a flashpoint since 2021, when his Netflix special The Closer set off internal protests at the streamer, including an employee walkout. In an interview with NPR’s Newsmakers earlier this year, the comedian said some Republicans had “weaponized” transgender jokes like his and campaigned on them.
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Chappelle’s representative for comment on the backlash and Erika Kirk’s statement but did not hear back Monday.
Separately, on Saturday, Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan of the I’ve Had It podcast apologized for laughing at a joke about Kirk’s death on a prior episode. On Thursday’s episode, the hosts read posts from X about the midterms, including one that said, “We’re digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again.”
At least two of the podcast’s sponsors, Cash App and Chewy, then said on X that they were dropping their sponsorship.
In an Instagram post, the hosts of the progressive podcast said laughing at the joke was wrong and announced a donation to Everytown for Gun Safety.
“It was an insensitive joke, and we should not have laughed. We regret it, and we apologize,” they wrote. “Whatever our political differences, there is nothing funny about gun violence. We’ve long supported common-sense gun safety reform. To that end, we’ve made a donation to Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in America.”
On Monday, Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf scheduled Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old man accused of assassinating Kirk, to stand trial in the summer of 2028. A statement about the delay of the trial from the Kirk family called the decision “deeply disappointing.”