Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Turning Point USA, has voiced strong disapproval regarding recent remarks from "I've Had It" podcast hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, as well as comedian Dave Chappelle, which made light of Charlie Kirk's hypothetical death.
Podcast Hosts Face Backlash Over Remarks
Last week, Welch and Sullivan drew significant criticism after they were heard laughing while reading an online comment stating, "We're digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again." The hosts made these remarks while celebrating recent Democratic electoral victories.
Following a wave of negative reactions and the withdrawal of several sponsors, Welch and Sullivan issued an apology. However, Welch later clarified that the apology was not intended for Kolvet or others offended by their comments, but rather, as she put it, "for us."
"Pro tip, an apology is for the other person," Kolvet stated in response to Welch. "It is for people that you've aggrieved and hurt. It's not for you, unless you're a narcissist. And then I guess it is about you. So, that was pretty shocking."
Since the podcast hosts' laughing incident gained widespread attention, numerous sponsors have disassociated themselves from the program. While Kolvet maintained that neither he nor Turning Point USA initiated what he described as a "grassroots" boycott, he expressed support for the companies' decisions to end their partnerships with the show.
"I'm generally not pro-cancel culture, but I also believe that these brands get their own free speech," Kolvet explained. "These brands get to have the speech to say, 'I don't want to be associated with somebody that celebrates the murder of an innocent man because of his politics.'
"I'm not asking for Jennifer Welch to be imprisoned. I'm not asking for her to not have a show or to be able to express her opinions. ... All I'm saying is it's not that hard. Don't celebrate political violence," he continued.
"Don't laugh at it. Don't rub it in our faces that one of the most important people in the conservative movement in the country for Gen Z was murdered in cold blood. Don't do it. Don't be a ghoul, don't be vile, don't spew that venom and don't perpetuate that culture.
"Cause when you do, you're participating in something very dark and brands, consumers, Americans all have a right to say what they feel about your antics and your behavior," Kolvet added.
Kolvet suggested that Welch's subsequent "apology" ultimately caused more detriment to her and her podcast than benefit. He also rejected her assertion that the boycott movement was an attempt by Turning Point USA to wage war against her podcast.
"Nobody's done this to you, Jennifer. You've done this to yourself," he told Welch. "I don't expect you to listen to me but maybe, just maybe you will listen to all those brands who no longer want to be associated with you."
Despite Welch's reportedly "petty" insistence that she would never meet with him, Kolvet affirmed his willingness to engage in a discussion.
"I wouldn't do it for content. I would sit down in a closed-door space, and my heart would be open, and I would be generous and gracious to her and hope that it would be a fruitful conversation," he said. "My expectation for that is infinitesimally low, but certainly I would be open to that.
"You know, Charlie modeled that," Kolvet continued. "He was willing to talk to anybody. He was willing to talk to people that hated his guts. ... But Charlie wanted to have those conversations because he knew that once conversations stopped happening, that's when violence happens.
"And, so, our conversation, our debate is an escape hatch," he added. "It's a release valve for the tensions in our culture. And, you know, hopefully she changes her mind and her posture about having conversations with people that don't agree with her completely."
Dave Chappelle's Comments Also Draw Criticism
Addressing remarks made by comedian Dave Chappelle, Kolvet stated he has no intention of "speech policing him." However, he characterized Chappelle's comment to a Madison Square Garden audience, where he reportedly said he "feel[s] better" after Kirk's "assassination," as "a really crazy thing to say."
Kolvet recalled the public reaction to the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, noting that reports from that era indicated only one obscure comedian joked about the event at a Los Angeles comedy club, and the joke reportedly "bombed." He also pointed out that the Academy Awards ceremony was postponed by a day out of respect for the recovering president.
"Ronald Reagan was not a popular president in the media in 1981. He was much maligned, as a matter of fact, but the country as a whole understood that political assassination is an evil, evil thing," Kolvet said.
Kolvet highlighted that Kirk himself defended Chappelle in 2022 after the comedian was attacked during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl, following controversy over his jokes about transgender people.
"We need to be kind to our fellow Americans," Kolvet continued. "We need to wish the best for them. We need to hope for their safety and that just because I disagree with you politically doesn't mean that I wish ill upon you or physical harm. As a matter of fact, I hope you're safe, and I hope that you live a long life and I hope I can convince you on the merits of my arguments, or you can convince me of yours.
"But political violence is not something to be toyed around with, and our culture literally depends on us having a bright line right there," Kolvet emphasized.
"I want to live in a culture where comedians don't even tell those jokes because they know nobody's going to laugh," he added. "And that's the best way to make sure that we're not replaying the same scene a hundred times more in the future."
