Dave Chappelle stuns audience with Charlie Kirk comment in surprise Netflix comedy special
Dave Chappelle has spoken out once again about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
In his new Netflix special, The Unstoppable, released Friday, December 20, the 52-year-old comedian calls Kirk “an internet personality” and a “wholesome white man” whose death came as a shock, USA Today reported.
“That’s another reason why it’s hard to speak out in America, because if you speak for a living and you see Charlie Kirk killed like that, I’ll be honest, I’m shaken,” Chappelle said during the 75-minute special.
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed while speaking on a Utah college campus on Sept. 10.
The shooting suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, has been charged with multiple felonies, including aggravated murder in the death of the Turning Point USA founder.
Chappelle, who previously spoke about Kirk at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia in October, also brought up initial reports that said the bullets used to kill Kirk were inscribed with transgender messages; these reports were later shot down, according to CNN.
Dave Chappelle called Kirk ‘an internet personality’ and a ‘wholesome white guy’ in his new Netflix special The Unstoppable; Kirk’s death was shocking; Pictured in the 2021 film The Closer
The stand-up comedian said: ‘If you talk for a living and you see Charlie Kirk murdered like this, I’ll be honest, I’m shaken’; Kirk photographed on September 10 before he was fatally shot
The comic shed light on the fact that he, too, could be a target. Entertainment Weekly.
He was, of course, referring to past anti-transgender statements he has made:
‘When all the information was still shoddy, they came forward and said: ‘Apparently the bullet had transgender messages written on it.’ “Oh no! I died like a fried chicken!” I said.
The stand-up comedian later criticized Kirk for comparing him to civil rights leader Martin Luther King, who was killed by a sniper’s bullet in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.
‘And the white people said it right away. “Charlie Kirk is this generation’s Martin Luther King,” they said. No, it’s not like that,’ Chappelle said.
He added: ‘This is access. You know, they were both killed in a horrific way, they were both shot in the neck, but that’s where the similarities end.’
Chappelle continued: ‘Charlie Kirk is a mom-internet personality. Essentially by design, Dr. He can’t work like King. Internet s—‘s are negative because they have to be, because s— no one will engage with them unless it upsets them. This is Charlie Kirk.’
He then asked the crowd, asking: ‘Dr. Can you imagine King acting like Charlie Kirk? “Smash the like button and subscribe! Follow me for more content like this! I believe all black people should be free; change my mind.”‘
Join the discussion
What does Dave Chappelle’s take on the Charlie Kirk assassination say about comedy and free speech today?
Chappelle’s new comedy special aired Friday, December 20
The comedian took issue with Kirk’s comparisons to civil rights leader Martin Luther King; Kirk was fatally shot by suspect Tyler Robinson during a visit to Utah Valley University on September 10.
Chappelle also took a jab at Kirk during his set at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia on October 1; Photographed during promotions for her hosting gig on SNL on January 14
The stand-up comic’s Netflix special also covers the performance in Saudi Arabia, as well as American politics, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ legal troubles, censorship and ‘cancel culture’, and the Israel and Palestine conflict
This isn’t the first time Chappelle has slammed Kirk’s assassination.
On Oct. 1, the four-time SNL host used his set at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia to cast Kirk.
“Right now in America, they say if you talk about Charlie Kirk, it will be cancelled,” Chappelle told the crowd of 6,000. Diversity.
‘I don’t know if this is true, but I’ll find out.’
As well as performing in Saudi Arabia, Chappelle’s Netflix special also covers American politics and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ legal troubles, censorship and ‘cancel culture’, and the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
