Piers Morgan has publicly ripped Dave Chappelle over a joke about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Morgan, 61, fired off a scathing tweet on Sunday after Chappelle, 53, told a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd that he has felt “better” ever since the conservative commentator was murdered last year. The British broadcaster called the bit “disgusting” and zeroed in on what he labeled “especially egregious” hypocrisy, noting that Chappelle himself survived an onstage attack at the Hollywood Bowl in 2022 when an armed audience member tackled him mid-performance.
Morgan did not stop at slamming the comedian. He also tore into the Garden audience, describing the crowd as “repellent” for “roaring with laughter at his shamefully inhumane remarks” about Kirk.
Chappelle delivered the joke during his weekend stand-up run in New York City. “Ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered, and I shouldn’t say this publicly, but I feel better,” the four-time “SNL” host said. He continued, “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!'”
Kirk’s widow, Erika, 37, joined the chorus of condemnation with her own X post on Sunday. “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,” she wrote.
The Turning Point USA CEO, who shares two children with her late husband, warned that such humor reflects a culture with “profound moral decay” that “threatens the very foundation of our country.” She drew a sharp line between political disagreement and violence, stating that while it’s acceptable to disagree over beliefs, “political violence must never be something this country tolerates, excuses, or celebrates.”
Morgan amplified Erika’s message by retweeting her and adding his own sympathies. “Agreed. It’s disgusting, and for you and your family, it must be so incredibly painful,” he wrote.
Elon Musk also waded into the fray, calling Chappelle “cruel” in an X post. Conservative political activist Riley Gaines tweeted footage of the joke alongside a single-word verdict: “Shameful.”
The backlash arrives with particular force because Chappelle himself had previously acknowledged being shaken by Kirk’s death. Three months after the September 2025 shooting, the comedian addressed the killing in his December 2025 Netflix special “The Unstoppable.” “I mean, Charlie Kirk was the wholesome white guy. And they killed this motherf—er?” Chappelle said in the special. He also pushed back on efforts to anoint Kirk as “this generation’s Martin Luther King Jr.,” noting, “They both got murdered in a terrible fashion. They both got shot in the neck. But that’s about where those similarities ended.”
Kirk died at 31 in September 2025 after being shot on stage at Utah Valley University during a stop on his American Comeback Tour. The accused shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, is awaiting trial.
Chappelle’s 2022 Hollywood Bowl attack came during a performance at the Los Angeles venue, where an audience member carrying a knife and gun replica rushed the stage and tackled him before security intervened. The comedian was not seriously injured, and the incident became a defining moment in discussions about performer safety.
The outlet has reached out to Chappelle’s rep for comment.
