Podcasters Who Laughed at Kirk Jokes Donate to Everytown
Podcast hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan apologized Saturday, November 7, 2026, for laughing at a joke about digging up Charlie Kirk's body. In the same Instagram statement, they announced a donation to Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun-control advocacy group. The apology followed their November 5 episode of the I've Had It podcast, which drew condemnation and cost the show several sponsors. Welch and Sullivan called the joke insensitive and admitted they should not have laughed. The pairing matters. Two women laughed at a line about a murdered activist, then tied their apology to a gun-policy group. Gun owners should read that donation for what it is: a political move dressed up as contrition.
Key Details
The episode, titled "Drinking MAGA Tears," featured the hosts reading social media posts celebrating Democratic election wins. Welch read a line stating, "We're digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again." Both hosts dropped their heads and laughed for more than 20 seconds. A producer's remark about zooming in for Fox News was captured on the recording before Welch replied, "No comment." The key facts:
- Episode date: November 5, 2026
- Apology posted: Saturday, November 7, 2026, on Instagram
- Donation recipient: Everytown for Gun Safety
- Sponsors that pulled back: Cash App, Chewy, Boll & Branch, Lola Blankets
- Cash App's public statement on X: "We do not condone violence of any kind, and we are no longer sponsors of this podcast."
- Conservative activist Brian Atlas says the hosts later edited and removed the laughing segment.
- The account that first posted the "digging up" line has been set to private.
The hosts also claimed that suspect Tyler Robinson was "a MAGA person" from a "white MAGA family." Robinson was registered to vote without a party affiliation, and his mother told police he had grown more supportive of gay and transgender rights before the shooting. The hosts' political framing did not match that record.
Background
Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10, 2025, while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Prosecutors charged Robinson with aggravated murder and said they will seek the death penalty. Robinson is an accused defendant, and the case has not reached a verdict. Every claim about his motives belongs in court, not on a podcast.
Everytown for Gun Safety is one of the largest gun-control advocacy organizations in the country. It was founded by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and pushes for expanded background checks, red-flag laws, and other restrictions on firearm access. Its donors and supporters have fought Second Amendment litigation for years. When a podcast donates to Everytown after a controversy, the group gets the money and the hosts get a talking point.
Advertisers have pulled support from shows after controversies before. This case followed the familiar pattern: a clip goes viral, brands move within days, and the hosts issue a statement. What changed is the apology's structure. The donation became part of the apology itself.
Why It Matters for Gun Owners
Gun owners are the audience for a lot of podcasts, and many of those shows rely on sponsors who also sell to us. Every time a brand pulls from a show, that decision reflects how the brand weighs customer reaction against its own marketing budget. Gun owners should track which companies pull ads and which stay put. Those brands are making a choice about our money.
The donation angle deserves attention too. Money sent to Everytown funds lobbying, litigation, and ballot campaigns aimed at narrowing the rights Second Amendment owners exercise every day. A show that laughs at a murder joke, then funds gun-control advocacy, has told you where its politics sit. Listen with that in mind.
Practically, check whether the episode and the statement remain online before you rely on either. The hosts reportedly edited the segment, and a private account hides posts from anyone outside the follower list. Screenshot anything you plan to cite, and note the date. If you want to respond, send a factual message to sponsors or the show. Do not threaten anyone or harass family members.
DownRange Analysis
This case has no Second Amendment legal question attached to it. No court ruled on a firearm restriction. Under New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the government must justify gun laws with historical analogues, and this story does not touch that test. The relevance is political and commercial, not constitutional.
The commercial lesson is clear. Sponsors fled because the joke made them look bad, not because of anything about firearms. That kind of pressure can cut in both directions, and gun owners should expect it. Brands that sell to us will face the same public scrutiny for their own choices.
What should a gun owner do right now? Decide where your money goes. Buy from companies that support your rights and avoid those that fund the opposition without disclosure. If a show or brand has funneled money to Everytown, that is public information. Use it. Keep your criticism sharp, factual, and aimed at the people who made the decisions.
