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When political hatred makes murder funny

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Cite

Alpert, J. (2026, November 11). When political hatred makes murder funny. Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/4800074/when-political-hatred-makes-murder-funny/

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Washington Examiner · collected 2026-11-11 · by Jonathan Alpert

Quick Summary

Dave Chappelle and two progressive podcasters have made jokes about Charlie Kirk’s murder, highlighting how political hatred can lead people to find humor in violence against ideological opponents. This article questions whether such behavior reflects a broader societal erosion of moral boundaries due to extreme political polarization. It argues that when people view their political adversaries as fundamentally evil, they may rationalize harmful acts against them without regard for normal ethical standards.
Written by AI on 2026-11-11, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Dave Chappelle, a comedian, sparked controversy after making jokes about feeling better since Charlie Kirk's assassination in New York City. During a stand-up performance at Madison Square Garden, Chappelle stated that he feels "better" following the murder of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization. This comment provoked outrage and backlash from various media figures and Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, who condemned such remarks as insensitive and inappropriate.

Multiple sponsors dropped Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan’s podcast "I’ve Had It" after they laughed at a joke about digging up Charlie Kirk's body and killing him again. Brands like Cash App, Shopify, Chewy, Boll & Branch, and Zenni canceled their advertisements on the show due to its content deemed insensitive.

The incident highlights deepening political divisions where individuals celebrate acts of violence against those with opposing views, raising concerns about incitement and the normalization of such behaviors in public discourse.

Written for “Charlie Kirk Joke Backlash” on 2026-11-12, grounded in this article and the 22 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans strongly left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans strongly left for article 145770 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-11-11

Story

Charlie Kirk Joke Backlash
Entertainment · 23 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Conservatives Turn On Dave Chapelle After He Appears To Celebrate Charlie Kirk Assassination Same event
The Daily Caller
Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 1 of 29 claims Outlet record 92/100
‘The hard questions only go one way’: Glenn Beck slams media’s hypocrisy over Trump’s ‘hate’ and Chappelle’s Kirk joke Same event
Blaze Media
Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 1 of 28 claims Outlet record 95/100
Leftist podcasters laugh at sick Charlie Kirk assassination joke — then cry cancel culture after multiple advertisers flee Same event
Blaze Media
Hedges 2 of 28 claims Outlet record 95/100
Erika Kirk blasts ‘beyond disgusting’ jokes after Dave Chappelle mocks Charlie Kirk assassination Different event
NBC News
Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 77/100
“While both articles discuss jokes made about Charlie Kirk's murder, Article A focuses on various individuals making such comments and their implications, while Article B specifically mentions Erika Kirk's reaction to Dave Chappelle's joke, discussing a particular instance of the event rather than the general trend.”
'An incredibly dangerous moment’: Auron MacIntyre warns Chappelle’s Kirk joke gives the left license to celebrate Different event
Blaze Media
Hedges 0 of 24 claims Outlet record 95/100
“While both articles discuss Dave Chappelle's joke about Charlie Kirk's death and express concern, they have different emphases and additional context that suggests they are not describing the exact same incident but related commentary.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
10
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
Washington Examiner's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
23
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-11 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Washington Examiner · 4685 article(s) · 9 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 9 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Jonathan Alpert
6 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
Those who would be horrified by the murder of someone they admire can find it amusing when the victim belongs to the opposing political camp.
2026-11-11 · assertive framing · When political hatred makes murder funny
Now a congressional investigation suggests the problem may reach the leadership of my own profession.
2026-11-09 · assertive framing · The Disturbing Factor Ruining The Crucial Doctor-Patient Relationship
Now those whose candidates lost may be wondering just how bad things are going to get.
2026-11-05 · assertive framing · Losing an election isn’t a mental health emergency
Maybe the problem isn't that children can't handle disappointment.
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · America's softest generation isn't the kids — it's their parents
Hundreds of women looked at Lindsay Clancy, a mother who killed her three young children, and thought: That could have been me.
2026-09-17 · assertive framing · What the Lindsay Clancy case reveals about toxic femininity
Maybe you mistook disagreement for prejudice.
2026-08-26 · assertive framing · AOC says ‘Woke 1 was crazy,’ but Democrats still owe voters an explanation
Also by Jonathan Alpert
The Disturbing Factor Ruining The Crucial Doctor-Patient Relationship
2026-11-09 · The Daily Wire
Losing an election isn’t a mental health emergency
2026-11-05 · Washington Examiner
America's softest generation isn't the kids — it's their parents
2026-10-17 · Fox News
What the Lindsay Clancy case reveals about toxic femininity
2026-09-17 · Washington Examiner
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 6 articles by Jonathan Alpert →

Topics

No topics tagged.

Subjects

Kirk PERSON · 3× Charlie Kirk’s PERSON · 1× Dave Chappelle PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Those who would be horrified by the murder of someone they admire can find it amusing when the victim belongs to the opposing political camp.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-11
Those who would be horrified by the murder of someone they admire can find it amusing when the victim belongs to the opposing political camp.
2026-11-11 · Washington Examiner
When political hatred makes murder funny · assertive framing

Claims (10 extracted, 0 hedged)

Apparently, Charlie Kirk’s murder is now something to laugh about. asserted
murder → laugh → ?
Dave Chappelle recently joked that he’s been in a better mood since Kirk was killed, drawing laughter from his audience. asserted
Kirk → joke → audience
And two progressive podcasters found humor in the idea of digging up Kirk’s body and killing him again. asserted
podcasters → find → him
This begs the question: Have we become so consumed by political hatred that even murder is fair game for laughs? asserted
murder → beg → laughs
You don’t have to agree with a single thing Kirk said to find this disturbing. asserted
this → have → thing
You just need to be a decent human being. asserted
You → need → ?
Political tribalism makes it easy to justify behavior we’d otherwise condemn. asserted
we → make → behavior
Those who would be horrified by the murder of someone they admire can find it amusing when the victim belongs to the opposing political camp. asserted
victim → horrify → camp
Once people see their opponents as morally reprehensible, they begin to believe they deserve whatever happens to them. asserted
whatever → see → them
The usual standards of decency no longer seem to apply. asserted
standards → seem → decency
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