Comedians Rebuke Jokes About Charlie Kirk Killing as 1-Year Anniversary Nears
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 9
Comedians Rebuke Jokes About Charlie Kirk Killing as 1-Year Anniversary Nears
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 9
Summary
One year after Charlie Kirk was shot dead in Utah, comedians Michael Loftus and Bryan Callen denounced jokes about his killing as cruel rather than funny, arguing that mocking a murder in front of a victim’s family crosses a line.
Pete Davidson drew one of the sharpest reactions after a May 10 joke at Netflix’s Kevin Hart roast prompted a loud groan and online backlash, with Loftus calling comics who target a dead man “absolute cowards.”
The fallout has already spread beyond stand-up: ABC briefly suspended Jimmy Kimmel after comments about the killing and the suspect, while DC Comics canceled Gretchen Felker-Martin’s “Red Hood” series over incendiary posts.
The dispute has widened into a free-speech fight, with more than 400 entertainment figures backing Kimmel in an ACLU-supported letter even as critics argue the issue is less censorship than taste, compassion and political double standards.