In the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, a dispute has unfolded over who may joke about a killing and what decency demands afterward. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet, speaking to Fox News Digital, has set a deliberately modest standard: that no one celebrate political violence or rejoice when a man is assassinated. The matter has moved from a podcast that laughed at a grim post to a comedian's remarks before a large crowd, and sponsors have begun to step away, as they are entitled to do. Whether this becomes a real exchange or simply another sour chapter in the long American habit of pu
TPUSA's Andrew Kolvet Hits Jennifer Welch, Dave Chappelle Over Mocking Charlie Kirk's Murder
Charlie Kirk was murdered, and the podcast hosts and comedian faced public criticism for mocking his killing.
"Nobody's done this to you, Jennifer. You've done this to yourself."
Mark
Why did Kolvet focus so much on the apology itself?
Mimi
Because Welch said it "was for us." To him that showed it was never aimed at the people who were hurt. He said an apology belongs to the aggrieved.
Luke
Worth noting that we have Kolvet's characterization of what Welch said and meant. The reporting is his interview, so her side is only as it is relayed here.
Mark
He says TPUSA isn't behind the boycott. Does that matter?
Mimi
It matters to the framing. He calls it grassroots and says Welch is wrong to read it as TPUSA waging war on her show.
Luke
That's his account. Nothing in this piece independently verifies who organized what, only that several sponsors dropped the show.
Mark
What about the Reagan comparison?
Mimi
He used it to argue that even in a divided country, 1981 treated assassination as evil. The Oscars were delayed a day.
Luke
And the claim that only one obscure comedian joked about it comes from reports he recalls. It's his historical recollection, not something the story checks.
Mark
And the offer to sit down with Welch?
Mimi
He said closed-door, no content, generous in spirit, with very low expectations. He framed it as Kirk's approach to talking with anyone.
Luke
She has said she won't. Whether anything happens is unknown, and Chappelle hasn't responded in this piece either.
Il Polso
- Two podcast hosts laughed on air while reading a post that mocked Charlie Kirk's killing, and the clip spread fast enough to draw fierce backlash.
- Sponsors have pulled their advertising from the 'I've Had It' podcast, and each withdrawal tightens the financial squeeze on the show.
- Welch's apology, framed as being 'for us,' drew a sharp rebuke from Kolvet, who calls it self-serving and says it deepened the damage.
- Kolvet denies that Turning Point USA organized the boycott, insisting brands have every right to distance themselves, and offers to sit down with Welch.
- Chappelle's Madison Square Garden remark that he felt better after the assassination now joins the controversy, and the question of whether more sponsors will leave remains unsettled.
In the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, a dispute has unfolded over who may joke about a killing and what decency demands afterward. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet, speaking to Fox News Digital, has set a deliberately modest standard: that no one celebrate political violence or rejoice when a man is assassinated. The matter has moved from a podcast that laughed at a grim post to a comedian's remarks before a large crowd, and sponsors have begun to step away, as they are entitled to do. Whether this becomes a real exchange or simply another sour chapter in the long American habit of public outrage remains an open question.
Andrew Kolvet, spokesman for Turning Point USA, has spent this week responding to two acts of mockery aimed at the killing of Charlie Kirk. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he named the hosts of the "I've Had It" podcast, Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, and the comedian Dave Chappelle. His standard is modest: do not celebrate or condone political violence, and do not be glad when someone is assassinated.
The podcast controversy began when Welch and Sullivan, celebrating Democratic midterm victories, laughed uncontrollably while reading an online post saying, "We're digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again." The clip drew backlash, and several sponsors pulled their ads. Welch then apologized, insisting the apology was "for us." Kolvet called that a sign of narcissism and said the apology did more harm than good.
Kolvet says neither he nor Turning Point USA is behind the boycott, which he calls grassroots, and he still welcomes the sponsors' choices. He says brands have free speech too. He does not want Welch jailed or silenced, and he offers to sit down with her privately, though he expects little. On Chappelle, he recalled that in 1981 a single obscure comedian joked about the attempt on Ronald Reagan's life, and the joke bombed. He also recalled that Kirk had defended Chappelle after a 2022 attack on stage, which makes the comedian's silence now especially painful to him.
Kolvet closes with a plea for safety and long lives amid disagreement, and for a culture with a firm line against political violence. What comes next is whether his offer leads to conversation and whether more sponsors walk away.
Andrew Kolvet, the spokesman for Turning Point USA, spent part of this week answering two separate acts of mockery aimed at the murder of Charlie Kirk. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he named the hosts of the "I've Had It" podcast, Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, and the comedian Dave Chappelle. The standard he wanted them to meet, he said, is a low one: don't celebrate, condone or glorify political violence, and don't be happy when someone is assassinated.
The podcast controversy began last week. Welch and Sullivan were celebrating Democratic victories in the 2026 midterms when they read aloud an online post that said, "We're digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again." They laughed uncontrollably as they read it. The clip drew backlash, and several sponsors pulled their ads from the show.
Welch and Sullivan then issued an apology. Welch later insisted it was not directed at Kolvet or at others who were offended by the mockery, and said it "was for us." Kolvet seized on that. An apology, he said, is for the person who was aggrieved and hurt, and it is not for the one apologizing, "unless you're a narcissist." He called her remark shocking and said the apology ended up doing her and her podcast more harm than good.
Kolvet said neither he nor Turning Point USA is behind the boycott, which he described as grassroots. He rejected Welch's suggestion that the organization was waging war on her show. "Nobody's done this to you, Jennifer. You've done this to yourself," he said. He still welcomed the sponsors' decisions. He said he is generally not pro-cancel culture, but that brands have free speech too, including the right to decline association with someone who celebrates the murder of an innocent man over his politics. He added that he is not asking for Welch to be imprisoned or to lose her show or her ability to voice opinions.
He also said he would sit down with Welch, even though she has said she never would with him, a stance he called petty. He described a closed-door conversation, not one staged for content, in which he would be open and gracious, though he put his expectations "infinitesimally low." He tied the offer to Kirk, who he said was willing to talk to anyone, including people who hated him, because he believed violence follows when conversation stops. Debate, in Kolvet's words, is a release valve for the culture's tensions.
On Chappelle, Kolvet said he has no intention to "speech police" the comedian. But he called it "a really crazy thing to say" when Chappelle told a crowd at Madison Square Garden that he felt better after Kirk's assassination. Kolvet reached back to 1981 and the attempt on President Ronald Reagan's life. From reports at the time, he said, he had learned that only one obscure comedian joked about it at a Los Angeles comedy club, and the joke bombed. The Academy Awards ceremony was delayed a day out of respect for the recovering president. Reagan, he noted, was not popular with the media then, yet the country understood that political assassination is evil.
There is a personal edge to his disappointment. In 2022, Kirk defended Chappelle after a man attacked the comedian on stage at the Hollywood Bowl, following the controversy over his jokes about transgender people. Kolvet said Kirk was always warning about the rise of political violence and "assassination culture," and that it is deeply disappointing Chappelle could not return those sympathies when Kirk lost his life.
Kolvet closed by saying Americans should wish one another safety and long lives even amid political disagreement, and that the culture depends on a bright line around political violence. He said he wants a culture where comedians do not tell such jokes because they know nobody will laugh. What to watch next is whether his offer to Welch leads to any conversation, and whether more sponsors leave the podcast.
Citazioni salienti
We're asking don't celebrate, condone or glorify political violence. It's a very, very low bar.— Andrew Kolvet, Turning Point USA spokesman
Pro tip, an apology is for the other person.— Andrew Kolvet, responding to Jennifer Welch
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