Debating Pete Davidson on Charlie Kirk’s ‘dark humor’: ‘He often made 9/11 jokes…’

A Pete Davidson joke about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk sparked a debate after it awkwardly appeared on comedian Kevin Hart’s live show on Netflix. The punchline makes the audience feel uncomfortable.The moment occurred at the Kevin Hart Roast at the Kia Forum in California, where several comedians, including Tom Brady, Chelsea Handler, Jeff Ross and Dwayne Johnson, took part in the televised event.Davidson used dark humor and directed some of his shots at comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. When comparing Hinchcliffe to Kirk, he made a remark that elicited groans from the crowd.“Tony reminded me of Charlie Kirk in that he definitely had a guy talking down his throat on camera,” Davidson said.Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was killed in a shooting at Utah Valley University in 2025. References to his death were seen as a cause for discomfort among viewers.Davidson followed up the joke with another comment about Hinchcliffe’s podcast title, saying: “Someone please kill Tony.”The scene also referenced rapper Kanye West, with Davidson saying, “Kanye and I had a feud, so I took footage from the better gay Nazis.” West had previously faced backlash for anti-Semitic comments, for which he later apologized in a public statement.Despite the backlash to parts of Hart’s performance, Davidson praised Hart’s comedic influence. “You’ve been super nice to me,” he told the host before leaving the stage.The roast format has traditionally been known for pushing boundaries, and the Netflix special saw several comedians delivering similarly controversial content throughout the night. Davidson’s remarks, however, stood out.After clips from the show circulated, reactions online were mixed, with some arguing that no topic in comedy is taboo, while others said the joke crossed a line given the circumstances of Kirk’s death.One user commented that while roast comedy is supposed to be extreme, “it’s not even funny. Roast is supposed to be shocking, but also funny. Not just shockingly crazy.”Others defended the format, saying performers at a barbecue show should take risks and push boundaries, regardless of sensitivity.Davidson is known for incorporating personal trauma into comedy and has often spoken publicly about using dark humor as a coping mechanism. His father, a firefighter, died in the September 11 attacks, a loss that influenced much of his work.Netflix’s Roast is live-streamed as part of the platform’s Comedy Festival and is exempt from broadcast restrictions, allowing all content to be streamed uncensored.