Liberal podcaster Jennifer Welch has faced widespread criticism after joking about the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk while celebrating major Democratic victories in the midterm elections.
Welch made the remarks during Thursday’s episode of her I’ve Had It podcast, which she co-hosts with Angie Sullivan.
The pair discussed the election results, describing the Republican defeats as evidence of a broader cultural shift in the United States.
During the programme, the hosts read out social media posts mocking Republican losses and making predictions about what they described as the return of ‘Woke 3.0’.
Hosts Read Out Jokes About Republican Defeats
Welch began reading several posts from X that poked fun at conservative politics and suggested changes that could follow the Democrats‘ electoral success.
Among the jokes were references to landmarks being renamed ‘Pronoun Park’ and ‘Trans Towers’, alongside comments about invented pronouns and newborn babies receiving septum piercings in hospitals.
Another post called on Chick-fil-A to open on Sundays, while a separate joke targeted conservative attitudes towards homosexuality and religious education.
However, the most controversial comment came at the end of the list.
Reading the post aloud, Welch said: ‘We’re digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again.’
Both hosts burst into laughter, with their reaction continuing for more than 20 seconds.
Afterwards, Welch attempted to distance herself from the remark, saying: ‘No comment, no comment on that one.’
Welch Makes Claim About Kirk’s Killer
The podcast host subsequently addressed Kirk’s assassination, claiming that he had been shot by a ‘MAGA person’ from a ‘white MAGA family’.
Kirk was killed in September 2025 while attending a rally at Utah Valley University.
Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged in connection with the assassination.
However, Robinson has not publicly espoused MAGA political views.
Prosecutors allege that Robinson confessed to killing the conservative activist because he ‘had enough of his hatred’.
Podcaster Celebrates Democratic Election Success
Elsewhere in the episode, Welch expressed enthusiasm over the Democratic victories and praised the social media users whose jokes targeted Republicans.
She described the posts as evidence of Americans’ creativity and said they had strengthened her sense of patriotism.
‘People are so fing clever. I love this country. I’m a patriot.
I am a fing patriot. These people make me patriotic,’ she said.
Comparing her reaction to the political commentary on conservative news network Fox News, she added: ‘Fox News makes me hate America, right? These people make me love it. Love it.’
Turning Point USA Spokesperson Condemns Welch
Clips of the exchange quickly circulated online, attracting criticism from conservative commentators and supporters of Kirk.
Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA and a close friend of the late activist, criticised Welch in a post on X.
‘I don’t know where, when, or how, whether in this life or the next, but Jennifer Welch will regret being an ugly, demonic witch who laughs at the murder of an innocent man,’ Kolvet wrote.
His response was accompanied by a clip of Welch and Sullivan laughing at the joke.
Political Commentators Join Backlash
Australian political commentator Rita Panahi also condemned the podcast hosts, describing Welch and Sullivan as ‘thoroughly disgusting’.
She further accused the pair of presenting themselves as morally superior while laughing about Kirk’s death.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald also criticised their reaction, questioning why more people on the political left were not challenging the remarks.
‘Very few on the left will object to this even on just basic decency or humanity grounds,’ Greenwald wrote on X.
He added that people should be able to question the appropriateness of publicly laughing about someone being fatally shot without facing criticism from their own political audience.
Greenwald also argued that online groupthink discourages commentators from speaking out against behaviour that might attract disapproval from their followers.
