Dave Chappelle Says He Feels “Better” Since Charlie Kirk’s Assassination During Madison Square Garden Show

Comedian Dave Chappelle has drawn attention after telling a sold-out audience at Madison Square Garden that he has felt “better” since conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September 2025. The remark came during a performance on November 7, 2026, and a short clip from the show has since circulated on social media.

According to TMZ, Chappelle acknowledged that the comment might be uncomfortable to say publicly before explaining his reaction.

“I feel f***ed up saying this. It’s scary being a public speaker,”

Chappelle said. He then added,

“Ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered … and I shouldn’t say this publicly, but I feel better.”

The comedian continued by describing the feeling as something he had not consciously chosen.

“I know I shouldn’t say that, but it’s just a feeling. I didn’t ask to feel this way,”

he told the audience, before joking about wondering why he was in a good mood while driving.

The circulating clip offers only a short portion of the performance, so the wider context of the routine is not fully clear.

Chappelle Previously Addressed Kirk’s Assassination in His Netflix Special

This is not the first time Chappelle has discussed Kirk’s death in his stand-up material. In his December 2025 Netflix special, Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable, the comedian addressed reactions to the assassination and pushed back against comparisons between Kirk and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Chappelle argued that the two figures should not be treated as equivalent simply because they were both assassinated. He described Kirk as an internet personality and questioned whether his public approach could be compared with King's civil rights leadership. The comments were part of a wider routine about political discourse and free speech.

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. Chappelle's latest remarks revisit the subject from a notably different angle than his earlier comments in The Unstoppable, where he said the killing had left him shaken.