Comedian Dave Chappelle is facing backlash after a joke about the late Charlie Kirk during a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday, Nov. 7.
In a clip circulating online, Chappelle tells the crowd he has felt better "ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered." He was performing back-to-back shows at the arena as part of his "Karmageddon" tour.
The short clip leaves the broader context of the routine unclear, and the full set has not been widely published. The remark drew sharp criticism online from conservative commentators and supporters of Kirk.
Neither the New York Comedy Festival nor Live Nation, sponsors of the Madison Square Garden performance, had responded publicly when Breitbart reported on the story. Chappelle has not publicly addressed the backlash in the reports reviewed.
Chappelle has joked about Kirk before. In a Netflix special, he rejected comparisons between Kirk and Martin Luther King Jr.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, often spoke publicly about his Christian faith. He died in September 2025 after he was fatally shot while speaking at a college event in Utah County, Utah. His widow, Erika Kirk, now leads the organization.
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