Trevor Noah says it was funny that Charlie Kirk…
Former “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah said he discovered it “funny” that Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while defending weapons at a talking event at Utah Valley University last month.
“The guy was shot while defending guns. 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,” Noah argued. “You are there. You’re onstage, like, ‘Let me tell you why people should have guns.’ Wa-pow!”
Before acknowledging that he discovered the circumstances surrounding the TPUSA founder’s assassination humorous, Noah praised the Saudi Arabian authorities for “moving in the right direction” on civil liberties after its Riyadh Comedy Festival featured a combined viewers of males and girls.
The comic used the Saudi comedy competition as a segue to converse about Kirk, mentioning that other comedians warned him to steer clear from saying something about the late TPUSA founder in his act.
“Meanwhile, here, comedians are s—ting themselves,” he told the group. “‘Don’t say something about Charlie Kirk.’ ‘I wasn’t going say something about him.’ ‘Yeah, but don’t say something about Charlie.’ ‘I wasn’t going to say something about Charlie Kirk.’ ‘But don’t. There’s nothing funny about it.’
“Oh, now you tested me,” he added, before stating that “as a comedian,” he was sure he may discover one thing funny about Kirk’s homicide.
Comedian Trevor Noah said in a standup set that it was “funny” that Charlie Kirk died while speaking about weapons. Youtube/ Trevor Noah
Kirk was assassinated during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025. via REUTERS
The former “Daily Show” host called the controversy over jokes about Kirk’s assassination “ridiculous,” noting that while there’s nothing inherently funny about death, telling jokes is “literally what comedians do.”
“To me, it’s like, ‘Someone got shot.’ It’s not great. I didn’t wish for it. But now you can’t, like, terrorize your population if they dare to say something about the thing. Do you know what I mean?” Noah explained. “This is the same country where people make jokes about Abraham Lincoln being shot.”
Although his remarks have been controversial, Noah wasn’t the first comic to reward Saudi Arabia for its civil liberties while concurrently evoking the assassination of Kirk.
In the weeks since Kirk’s death, some left-wing media figures have discovered themselves in scorching water for remarks about the killing and his alleged murderer. After the transient suspension of late-night speak show host Jimmy Kimmel after he appeared to falsely recommend the suspect was a MAGA supporter, many have fretted about the state of free speech in America.
Noah said other comedians have warned him to not speak about Kirk in his act. Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Comedians like Dave Chappelle poked enjoyable at an alleged chilling impact on free speech in the US after they signed contracts to do government-approved comedy acts at the Saudi Riyadh Comedy Festival.
According to The New York Times, Chappelle quipped during a set that passed off over the weekend, “Right now in America, they are saying that if you speak about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m going to discover out.
“It’s easier to talk here than it is in America,” he argued, later joking that if the US authorities ever cracked down on him, the uncharacteristic phrase he would use to alert people he had been compromised could be, “I stand with Israel.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Noah’s management for remark.
Fox News’ Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
We present you with the trending topics. Get the best latest Entertainment news and content on our web site daily.