Trevor Noah jokes he finds it 'funny' that Charlie Kirk got shot while defending guns

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Trevor Noah, the former host of 'The Daily Show', spoke about the recent death of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), who was shot while talking about gun rights at an event at Utah Valley University last month.

Noah said the situation was “funny” because it was so unusual. He said, "You have to admit that is an incongruous thing that happens."

Noah stressed that making jokes about death does not mean wishing harm; it is simply part of a comedian’s role to navigate difficult topics with humor. He also said, “Let me tell you something: Jokes will never kill you. Never."

Trevor Noah talks about Charlie Kirk's murder and the Saudi Comedy Festival

Trevor Noah shared a video on his YouTube channel of his recent stand-up at the Comedy Cellar, where he used humor to tackle sensitive topics and show how comedians can comment on current events with sharp insight.

Speaking about Charlie Kirk's murder, he said, "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. You are there. You're onstage, like, ‘Let me tell you why people should have guns.’ Wa-pow!"

Noah admitted that other comedians had warned him against referencing Kirk.

"Meanwhile, here, comedians are s**tting themselves. ‘Don’t say anything about Charlie Kirk.’ ‘I wasn’t going say anything about him.’ ‘Yeah, but don’t say anything about Charlie.’ ‘I wasn’t going to say anything about Charlie Kirk.’ ‘But don’t. There’s nothing funny about it'."

He compared the timing of Kirk’s death to a darkly ironic moment in history, saying, “That would be like if the captain of the Titanic was giving an impassioned speech about icebergs right before it happened,” drawing laughs from the audience.

In the same show, he dismissed the backlash over jokes about Kirk’s murder as “ridiculous,” explaining, "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? This is the same country where people make jokes about Abraham Lincoln being shot."

The 'Born a Crime' author also spoke out against gun violence and criticized how people reacted to Kirk’s death.

“It is pretty crazy that America’s response to the guy getting shot was to limit speech instead of limiting the thing that ended his life,” Noah said.

He continued, “What happened to Charlie Kirk? He got shot. All right. Tell people to shut up.” Noah added a humorous note, “We gotta get some word control out in these streets.”

Concluding on the power of comedy, he emphasized, “Let me tell you something: Jokes will never kill you. Never," as per The Hill. 

Noah stressed that making jokes about death does not mean wishing harm, it is simply part of a comedian’s role to navigate difficult topics with humor.

He then broadened the conversation, connecting the incident to a larger issue about free speech and comedy. Reflecting on his childhood in South Africa, he said, “When I was growing up until I was 6 years old, maybe even like closer to 10, free speech wasn’t a thing. You couldn’t just say whatever you wanted. There was no stand-up comedy in South Africa because you’d go to jail.”

He added, “One of the first things you lose, funny enough, in an authoritarian regime is comedy, this crazy trend that you can follow throughout time. Go to Russia, South Africa.”

Beyond discussing Charlie Kirk, Noah took a moment to praise the Saudi Arabian government for what he viewed as progress on civil liberties, highlighting that the Riyadh Comedy Festival welcomed a mixed audience of men and women.

Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue about Charlie Kirk sparks temporary show shutdown

Noah was well aware of how sensitive the topic of Charlie Kirk could be. In the weeks after Kirk’s death, public figures faced intense scrutiny for their remarks. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, for example, had his show briefly taken off the air following a monologue about Kirk, sparking debates about free speech in the US.

Comedians like Dave Chappelle also pointed out the perceived limits on what could be said, especially while performing in Saudi Arabia.

Chappelle joked, "Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m going to find out."