Comedian Dave Chappelle tells MSG crowd he feels 'better' after Charlie Kirk's death

Erika Kirk appeared to respond on X after comedian Dave Chappelle told a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden that he felt “better” following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, TMZ reported.

Chappelle made the remarks during a stand-up performance on Saturday night. In a clip that circulated on X, he spoke about the risks of being a public speaker before bringing up Kirk’s k!lling.

“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 said.

“I know I shouldn’t say that, but it’s just a feeling. I didn’t ask to feel this way,” Chappelle added, before joking that he sometimes found himself wondering why he was in such a good mood.

Chappelle had previously criticised comparisons between Kirk and Martin Luther King Jr. in his Netflix stand-up special The Unstoppable. He said Kirk “fundamentally can’t function like” a civil rights leader and argued that internet personalities “are negative because they have to be”.

Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University in September 2025.