Dave Chappelle Tells MSG Crowd He Feels Better After Charlie Kirk Murder

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

Dave Chappelle told a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden that he has felt “better” since the murder of Charlie Kirk, according to reports from the New York Post and TMZ.

The comedian made the remarks during back-to-back weekend shows that served as the conclusion to his “Karmageddon” tour and the opening of the New York Comedy Festival. A clip of the moment, which lasts less than a minute, began circulating on X on Saturday night.

In the footage, Chappelle appears to weigh the weight of his words before speaking. “I feel f–ked up saying this. It’s scary being a public speaker,” Chappelle said, according to the New York Post. “And I mean look, ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered … and I shouldn’t say this publicly but, I feel better.”

The Madison Square Garden audience responded with laughter and scattered applause, the New York Post reported.

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Chappelle continued his commentary by addressing the involuntary nature of 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, according to both outlets.

A shift in tone since the 2025 assassination

The comments mark a stark departure from Chappelle’s previous reaction to the event. Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University, the New York Post reported.

Dave Chappelle Tells MSG Crowd He Feels Better After Charlie Kirk Murder — Photo: tmz.com

At the time of the shooting, Chappelle expressed a much different sentiment. In his December Netflix special, “The Unstoppable…,” he told audiences that the incident had rattled him. “If you talk for a living and see Charlie Kirk get murdered that way, I’m gonna be honest, I was shook,” Chappelle said during that special, the New York Post reported.

During that same Netflix special, Chappelle noted that early reports suggested the bullets bore pro-transgender messages, an detail that left him thinking, “Oh no! I’m dead as fried chicken!” He also used that platform to reject comparisons between Kirk and Martin Luther King Jr., calling such comparisons “a reach,” according to the New York Post.

The Madison Square Garden show was advertised as a phone-free event, with attendees’ devices secured in Yondr pouches to prevent unauthorized recording. However, a clip of the remarks still reached social media via attendees.

"I'm so happy Charlie Kirk was killed. I can't help it, it's involuntary." -Dave Chappelle tonight at Madison Square Garden

— Post by @robkhenderson on X

Rob Henderson, a writer who attended the Saturday performance, shared his account on X before the video surfaced. Henderson, who noted he had been Kirk’s final long-form interview guest, wrote that Chappelle said, “I’m so happy Charlie Kirk was killed. I can’t help it, it’s involuntary,” according to the New York Post.

The context of the Madison Square Garden performance

The leaked video provides only a brief window into the set. Because the clip is less than a minute long, the New York Post noted that it is unclear what Chappelle said immediately before or after the remarks regarding Kirk.

TMZ reported that Erika Kirk, the widow of the Turning Point USA founder, posted on X following the comedian’s performance, though the specific content of her response was not detailed in the reporting.

Kirk's assassination continues to influence current politics and culture. Tyler Robinson has been charged with his murder, according to the New York Post.

As the clip continues to circulate, the conversation remains centered on the intersection of dark comedy and the highly charged reactions to political violence. Whether Chappelle’s remarks were intended as a provocation or a reflection of a shifting personal perspective remains an open question for his audience.