Erika Kirk Blasts 'Beyond Disgusting' Jokes as Dave Chappelle Says Charlie Kirk's Murder Put Him in Good Mood

Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, condemned comedians and commentators who joke about political assassination after Dave Chappelle told a Madison Square Garden audience he had been in a "good mood" since her husband's killing.

Chappelle, 53, made the remarks during his "Karmageddon" show at the New York arena on Saturday, Nov. 7. It was the second of two back-to-back performances there as part of the New York Comedy Festival. Phones were banned at the shows, but a short clip of the routine spread quickly on social media over the weekend.

"I feel f---ed up saying this. It's scary being a public speaker," Chappelle said in the video. "Ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered — and I shouldn't say this publicly — but, I feel better."

He continued: "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!'"

Members of the audience could be heard laughing, and some applauded. The clip runs less than a minute, and it is not clear what came before or after the bit in the full routine.

In a second clip from the same show, reported by TMZ, Chappelle appeared to suggest that Kirk was in hell. "I'm sure he's looking up at us right now, laughing so hard he can't breathe," the comedian said.

Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking on stage at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The man charged in the killing, Tyler Robinson, has pleaded not guilty to all seven charges against him.

Erika Kirk, who succeeded her husband as Turning Point USA's chief executive, responded on X on Sunday. She did not name Chappelle, but her post came as the clip circulated widely.

"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.

"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 said. "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."

She added: "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."

Asked for comment, Turning Point USA referred Newsweek to Erika Kirk's post on X.

Chappelle has not responded publicly to the criticism. Representatives for the comedian could not be reached for comment, and Fox News Digital said Chappelle's team and Madison Square Garden did not immediately respond to its requests.

Other conservative figures also condemned the joke. Elon Musk wrote, "Shame, shame, shame on Chappelle," and said the comedian was "just not funny anymore."

Commentator Benny Johnson called the remarks "sick" and pointed out that Kirk had publicly defended Chappelle in May 2022, when a man rushed the stage and attacked the comedian during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

"When Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage, Charlie stood up for him," Johnson wrote. After that attack, Kirk had criticized then-Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón over how the case was handled, and that post began circulating again online over the weekend.

Broadcaster Piers Morgan called Chappelle's remarks "disgusting" and noted that the comedian had himself been attacked on stage. Meghan McCain and Laura Loomer were among the others who criticized him. Katie Miller asked publicly whether Live Nation, the tour's promoter, agreed with the joke.

The controversy is a change from Chappelle's usual role in culture-war fights. He has more often been criticized from the left, especially over jokes about transgender people in his Netflix specials. Some conservatives have praised him in the past for refusing to back down from those critics.

This is also not the first time Chappelle has talked about Kirk's death on stage. In his Netflix special "The Unstoppable," released about three months after the shooting, he said the killing had shaken him as someone who speaks in public for a living.

"If you talk for a living and see Charlie Kirk get murdered that way, I'm going to be honest," Chappelle said in the special. He told the audience, "I was shook."

In the same special, Chappelle rejected comparisons some supporters had made between Kirk and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in April 1968.

"They said, 'Charlie Kirk is this generation's Martin Luther King [Jr.]' No, he's not!" Chappelle said.

He acknowledged that "both got murdered in a terrible fashion, they both got shot in the neck," but said "that's about where those similarities ended." He denied making light of Kirk's death at the time.

The latest remarks add to a long debate over comedy and political violence that has continued since Kirk's killing. Several entertainers have faced criticism for jokes about the assassination. Pete Davidson drew backlash for an explicit joke about Kirk during Netflix's "The Roast of Kevin Hart" in Los Angeles.

Critics argue that jokes about a recent killing go beyond normal comedic provocation, especially at a time of heightened concern about political violence. Defenders of stand-up have long said that comedians must be free to take on painful subjects, and that a short clip taken from a longer routine can strip away the context needed to judge the joke.

Chappelle has historically refused to apologize for controversial material. It is not clear whether the Kirk bit will stay in his act as the "Karmageddon" tour continues.