WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Erika Kirk condemned Dave Chappelle and Jennifer Welch over remarks about the murder of her husband, Charlie Kirk.
  • Welch and Sullivan apologized after joking about “digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again.”
  • Cash App, Chewy.com, Boll & Branch, and Lola Blankets ended sponsorships of the I’ve Had It podcast.
  • Chappelle told a Madison Square Garden audience that he felt better after Charlie Kirk was murdered.

Erika Kirk has condemned comedian Dave Chappelle and podcaster Jennifer Welch over remarks about the murder of her husband, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Her response portrayed public laughter surrounding political assassination as obscene and corrosive.

Kirk addressed the controversy Sunday on X, directing her criticism at podcasters, comedians, and commentators who treated the killing as material for entertainment. She described that reaction in blistering terms.

“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,” Kirk wrote.

Kirk also described the lasting impact of her husband’s death on their family. “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 continued.

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Her statement then moved beyond the personal devastation suffered by her family and addressed what she saw as a broader moral crisis. She argued that celebrating assassination damages the country itself.

“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 said.

Kirk insisted that political disagreement does not erase the worth of the person on the other side. “You do not have to agree with someone’s politics to recognize the value of their life. This should not be so hard,” she wrote.

She ended with a direct rejection of attempts to normalize or excuse such violence. “Political violence must never be something this country tolerates, excuses, or celebrates.”

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The statement followed an episode of Welch’s I’ve Had It podcast that went live on November 5. Welch and Sullivan made what they claimed was a joke about “digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again.”

After the remark, the pair laughed for more than 20 seconds. The reaction that followed was swift, with the podcast facing backlash over the exchange and its treatment of Kirk’s murder.

Welch and Sullivan subsequently apologized, referring to the remark as “an insensitive joke.” They also acknowledged their reaction by saying, “We should not have laughed. We regret it, and we apologize.”

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That apology did not prevent sponsors from cutting ties with the program. Companies began abandoning the I’ve Had It podcast within hours as outrage over the comments continued.

Cash App was among the sponsors to leave. Announcing its decision on social media, the company wrote, “We do not condone violence of any kind, and we are no longer sponsors of this podcast.”

The sponsor losses did not end there. Welch also lost Chewy.com, Boll & Branch, and Lola Blankets following the controversy surrounding the podcast exchange.

Chappelle separately addressed Charlie Kirk’s murder during a Friday evening performance at Madison Square Garden. The comedian told the audience that he felt better following the Turning Point USA founder’s death.

“I feel fu**ed up saying this. It’s scary being a public speaker.” Chappelle told the audience he knew the admission was something he should not say publicly.

“And I mean look, ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered … and I shouldn’t say this publicly but, I feel better,” Chappelle said.

Chappelle continued by describing the remark as a feeling he had not requested. “I know I shouldn’t say that, but it’s just a feeling,” he said.

“I didn’t ask to feel this way.” Chappelle then described recognizing his unusually good mood while driving.

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“I just be driving around like, ‘why am I in such a good mood? Oh!’” he said.

Kirk’s response confronted both episodes as examples of political killing being converted into a source of amusement. Her message centered on the devastation carried by her and the couple’s two children, while warning against a culture that laughs at assassination.

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