Dave Chappelle Faces Backlash Over Charlie Kirk Remark at Madison Square Garden

Comedian Dave Chappelle is facing a backlash after telling a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd that he has felt better since conservative activist Charlie Kirk was murdered.

In a leaked clip from the show that spread on X on Saturday night, Chappelle said: "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 added: "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 clip is less than a minute long, and what came before and after the remark is not clear.

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The remark drew swift condemnation from conservative commentators and social media users, many of whom accused Chappelle of making light of a political assassination. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet responded by posting a Bible passage, John 15:18-25. Neither Chappelle nor Live Nation had commented.

Chappelle made the remarks during back-to-back weekend shows at Madison Square Garden that closed his "Karmageddon" tour and opened the New York Comedy Festival. The shows were advertised as phone-free, with devices sealed in pouches, but a recording of the moment still circulated online. According to TMZ, the clip came from the Saturday night show.

Chappelle has spoken about Kirk before. In his Netflix special "The Unstoppable", released in December 2025, he pushed back against comparing Kirk to Martin Luther King Jr, saying Kirk "fundamentally can't function like" a civil rights leader. Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot dead on 10 September 2025 while speaking at Utah Valley University. Tyler Robinson has been charged with his murder. In 2022, Kirk defended Chappelle publicly after the comedian was attacked on stage during a performance.