Comedians speaking out against cruel Charlie Kirk jokes on the first anniversary of his death

As the one-year mark since the murder of Charlie Kirk approaches this week, some comedians are calling out fellow comics for their jokes and reactions following the assassination of the conservative activist.In May, Pete Davidson made a joke about Kirk’s assassination during Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart” in Los Angeles.Yet even in today’s “anything goes” style in the world of entertainment, Davidson’s joke shocked some fellow humorists. Talking about fellow comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, Davidson said on May 10, 2026, “Tony reminds me of Charlie Kirk in that he’s definitely been on camera letting a guy unload in his throat.”“I watched it, and the reaction, you know, was like a giant groan, which is not what you want as a comedian,” performer and comedy writer Michael Loftus told Fox News Digital.

“With Davidson, it’s like, ‘My reputation precedes me.I’m daring, I’m brash.

I’ll say anything.’ Well, yeah, I’ll say anything about the guy who is not going to punch me back.You’re certainly brave about the guy who’s not in the room.”Loftus, who met Kirk years ago at the nonpartisan political convention Politicon in Los Angeles, said that as a comedian, he’s “all about freedom of speech and the First Amendment,” but described those who made jokes about Kirk as “just absolute cowards.”Comedian Bryan Callen told Fox News Digital that satire has long helped keep rulers in check and prevented people from taking themselves too seriously.“You’re reminded that we’re all going to die someday,” he said, explaining how comedy acts as a social equalizer and brings people together by highlighting human flaws.“But then there’s something called good taste and compassion and things that just don’t make you laugh because somebody was killed,” he said.

“When something terrible happens publicly, and you see somebody killed in front of their children and their wife, I think we need a button that says, ‘Wait...