During his recent show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle joked about the late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk's killing and claimed he has been feeling "better" ever since it happened. After clips from the event circulated online, Chappelle, 53, faced backlash.Activist and SYM managing director Mukhtar defended the comedian via X. He posted a 37-second clip of Kirk joking about a “gay” person in Gaza and captioned it:“Here's Charlie Kirk making jokes about dead Palestinians.”In the clip, the Turning Point USA founder was heard making a sarcastic comment about “intersectionality” by referencing the Israel-Palestine conflict.“A gay person would go to Gaza, and they’d throw you off of tall buildings, right? Now they don’t have any tall buildings left… Is that too soon? I am sorry. Maybe you shouldn’t kill Jews, stupid Muslims…” Charlie Kirk stated.Meanwhile, Erika Kirk has condemned Dave Chappelle’s joke about her slain husband, calling it “disgusting.”Exploring Dave Chappelle’s comments about Charlie KirkDave Chappelle was at MSG over the weekend doing back-to-back shows, wrapping up his “Karmageddon” tour and opening the New York Comedy Festival. On Saturday night, he was heard saying on stage:“I feel f**ked 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. I know I shouldn’t say that, but it’s just a feeling. I didn’t ask to feel this way. I would just be driving around like, ‘Why am I in such a good mood? Oh!’ I can’t help it. It’s voluntary.”It remains unclear who filmed the joke at the sold-out show, as it was supposed to be phone-free, according to The New York Post.Another clip from Saturday’s event showed Dave Chappelle saying:“I’m sure Charlie Kirk is looking up at us right now, laughing so hard he can’t breathe.”Kirk was fatally shot by a sniper at the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, Utah, on September 10, 2025, during a TPUSA event. He was 31. Tyler Robinson has been charged with his assassination.Despite joking about Charlie Kirk’s killing, Dave Chappelle previously had a different take on the subject. In his December 2025 Netflix special The Unstoppable, the comedian said:“If you talk for a living and see Charlie Kirk get murdered that way, I’m gonna be honest, I was shook.”However, he joked that initial reports that the bullets that killed Kirk had pro-trans messages had him thinking:“Oh no! I’m dead as fried chicken!”In the Netflix special, Dave Chappelle also called the comparison between Charlie Kirk and Martin Luther King Jr. a “reach.”On Sunday, Erika Kirk wrote a lengthy reply to Dave Chappelle and others for joking about her dead husband. Her X post began:“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. 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.”Ms. Kirk continued:“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. 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.”Last week, Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan also faced criticism after they laughed at a midterm election result comment on their podcast, I’ve Had It, that read:“We’re digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again.”The duo ended up apologizing after they lost brand sponsorships, including from Cash App. Welch and Sullivan issued a statement:“We do not condone violence of any kind.”Meanwhile, right-wing commentator Benny Johnson called out Dave Chappelle’s recent joke:“This isn’t even comedy. It’s just sick…”Another conservative influencer, Alec Lace, added:“Dave Chappelle feels better ever since Charlie Kirk was murdered. He feels better knowing a father was taken from his kids just for having different opinions. What a sc*mbag.”It is noteworthy that Charlie Kirk received backlash for his controversial opinions about the January 2021 U.S. Capitol attack, George Floyd’s killing, voter fraud, climate change, the MeToo Movement, and the COVID-19 pandemic.