Former Daily Show host Trevor Noah is facing widespread criticism after making jokes about the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a recent stand-up performance. Kirk was shot and killed on September 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University.
“The guy was shot while defending guns,” Noah told the audience.
“Do you understand how, I’m not even writing that as a joke, as a human, you have to admit that is an incongruous, funny thing that happens. You’re onstage, like, ‘Let me tell you why people should have guns.’ Wa-pow!”
Noah’s remarks were part of a larger segment in which he praised Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival for “moving in the right direction” on civil liberties, highlighting the event’s mixed-gender audience.
During the same routine, he shifted to the topic of Kirk’s assassination, saying that other comedians had cautioned him not to address it publicly.
“Meanwhile, here, comedians are sh*tting themselves,” Noah said.
“‘Don’t say anything about Charlie Kirk.’ ‘I wasn’t going to say anything about him.’ ‘Yeah, but don’t say anything about Charlie.’ … ‘there’s nothing funny about it.’ ‘Oh, now you tested me,’” he continued.
“As a comedian, I can find something funny about anything. “Do you understand how, I’m not even writing that as a joke, as a human, you have to admit that is an incongruous, funny thing that happens. You’re onstage, like, ‘Let me tell you why people should have guns.’ Wa-pow!”
Trevor Noah jokes about Charlie Kirk’s assassination during his standup set
These people are sick pic.twitter.com/U2W2XRwJVA [1]
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) October 9, 2025 [2]
He defended his comments afterward as part of a broader argument about free speech in comedy.
“There’s nothing inherently funny about death,” Noah said.
“But this idea that you can’t even joke about something, that’s ridiculous. It’s literally what comedians do.”
Noah compared his remarks to historical humor about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, suggesting audiences should not react with outrage.
“This is the same country where people make jokes about Lincoln being shot,” he said, arguing that comedians should not be “terrorized” into silence.
However, critics noted that jokes about Lincoln’s assassination emerged long after his death, not within weeks of the tragedy.
The timing of Noah’s comments, coming less than a month after Kirk’s assassination, has fueled public outrage.
Critics accused him of displaying poor judgment and disrespect toward a murdered public figure, particularly one whose death remains under investigation.
Noah’s decision to commend Saudi Arabia’s comedy scene while mocking an American political figure’s killing also drew sharp criticism.
Commentators pointed out that Saudi Arabia enforces strict speech restrictions and punishes dissent, making Noah’s praise appear contradictory to his stated defense of free expression.
Following the performance, social media users, including many conservative commentators, condemned the comedian’s remarks as insensitive.
Several said the joke minimized political violence in the United States at a time when tensions remain high.
In the weeks since Kirk’s death, multiple media figures have faced backlash for their reactions.
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live was temporarily suspended after Kimmel made false claims that Kirk’s assassin was a MAGA supporter.
During the same Riyadh festival that Noah attended, comedian Dave Chappelle made reference to the controversy, telling the audience, “Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, you’ll get canceled. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m going to find out.”
Chappelle added, “It’s easier to talk here than it is in America.”
He went on to quip that if the U.S. government ever forced him to censor himself, he would signal his audience by saying the phrase, “I stand with Israel.”
Charlie Kirk’s death has continued to spark debate over the tone and responsibility of public figures addressing political violence.
An individual has been arrested for threatening to kill my wife, my four children, and me. He sent a letter to my home saying he hated our views and wanted us dead.
He is being charged federally and faces prison time.
I want to thank President Trump, AG Pam Bondi, and the… pic.twitter.com/yRAw53QGOg [3]
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 10, 2025 [4]