Dave Chappelle told a sold out Madison Square Garden crowd that since Charlie Kirk was killed, ‘I shouldn’t say this publicly, but I feel better’

Dave Chappelle told a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd that he has felt better since Charlie Kirk was killed, as shown in a clip that circulated on X and reported by TMZ. “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,” Chappelle said.

Chappelle went on to describe his reaction. “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!’” he said.

TMZ described the footage as a leaked clip from the show. Chappelle acknowledged during the set that the comment could draw criticism, telling the crowd he knew he “shouldn’t say that.”

Chappelle’s remarks drew swift backlash from Kirk’s allies

The remarks quickly drew criticism from conservative commentators, according to IBTimes. Benny Johnson wrote, “This isn’t even comedy. It’s just sick,” while Katie Miller tagged Live Nation and asked whether the company agreed with the comments. Turning Point USA’s Andrew Kolvet responded by sharing a Bible passage, John 15:18-25, about hatred and persecution.

Chappelle previously addressed Kirk in his Netflix special, The Unstoppable. During that set, he said Kirk was “murdered in a terrible fashion” like Martin Luther King Jr. and noted both men were shot in the neck, but he argued the two could not be compared. Chappelle said internet personalities like Kirk stay negative because audiences mostly engage with content that upsets them, and said Kirk “fundamentally can’t function like” the civil rights leader.

He then asked the crowd to imagine King acting like Kirk and impersonated social media figures from both the left and the right.

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in September 2025. Amanda Seyfried later refused to apologize for comments she made about Kirk after his death.

Tyler Robinson has been charged with murder in Kirk’s killing, and his attorneys have indicated the trial could be years away, according to the Deseret News. Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, filed a victim’s motion for a speedy trial ahead of a recent hearing in Provo. Robinson’s defense asked for a trial in 2029, and the judge put off deciding on a trial date, according to Reuters.