What did W Kamau Bell say? Comedian’s essay on Charlie Kirk, refusing to mourn the conservative activist sparks backlash

American stand-up comedian and television host W Kamau Bell is currently trending after he wrote and posted a lengthy essay on Charlie Kirk on his Substack page on September 13, three days after the conservative activist was assassinated. He said that he, in his "good conscience," couldn't have empathy for Kirk, as the latter himself didn't believe in empathy.

Titled, “Charlie Kirk Said, ‘I Can’t Stand Empathy.’ Well, if he insists,” Bell began his essay by mentioning the last few moments of Kirk’s life, when he was speaking on gun violence at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, before being fatally shot in the neck.

The comedian followed up with a few personal anecdotes about his experience with racism and how important it was to ensure there was proper security before doing shows across the country, including at college campuses.

W Kamau Bell then went on to share Charlie Kirk’s quote on empathy, where the right-wing commentator said,

“I can't stand empathy. I think empathy is a made-up, New Age term that — it does a lot of damage, but it is very effective when it comes to politics.”

Bell then wrote,

“When I see Charlie Kirk getting shot and killed, presumably for his beliefs, I am reminded that I've imagined myself in that same position many times. (So have all of the security guards and production managers who worked to keep me safe on the road.) And yet, I have no empathy for him.”

He clarified that he has “no extra empathy” for the late TPUSA founder, adding,

“Charlie Kirk would be fine with my lack of empathy for him, not that I needed his permission.”

W Kamau Bell’s essay, the link of which he posted on his X account, has now sparked backlash.

One person wrote,

“You're a liar, and obviously get influenced by your governor, who lacks brains and empathy for human life. Narcissists like you people need help, we know that. Some of his comments that struck the wrong chord with you were his opinions, the rest was your misunderstanding of English.”

Another person wrote.

“Empathy is painful and needs to be controlled. Compassion for others doesn’t require you to put yourself through the other’s pain. Have some compassion,”

A netizen wrote,

“He’s referring to toxic empathy - not sure you know what that is - but let’s not let that context get in the way of your lying and hard work to smear. He’s on camera countless times, engaging with empathy with those he disagreed with, so your assertion is easily disproven.”

Meanwhile, others supported W Kamau Bell.

One fan wrote,

“Thanks, WKB, for speaking truth. Agree completely.”

Another wrote,

“Thanks. Knew I could count on you. As I said earlier on here, they have so much extra time on their hands, avoiding empathy and reality.”

Another fan wrote,

“Well said. Thank you”

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Exploring W Kamau Bell’s essay on Charlie Kirk

W Kamau Bell’s essay criticized Charlie Kirk’s take on empathy. The comedian mentioned that empathy is not a “made-up New Age term” like Kirk claimed. Instead, it first appeared in the English language in 1909.

“What in the overconfident white man yammer is going on with this sentence? ‘Empathy is a made-up New Age term’??? I hate to go all Oxford English on ya, but here we go. Empathy is not a New Age term, unless Charlie thought the NEW AGE started in 1909. That’s the first time empathy appeared in the English language,” he explained.

Bell even shared the word’s history from the Oxford Dictionary. Later, he called Charlie “extremely hypocritical” for being a “man who spent much of his time labelling himself a Christian” but still not valuing empathy. According to the CNN host, it would be “difficult” to find a Charlie Kirk quote “espousing the values of Christianity” rather than a quote where he was “promoting hate.”

“Charlie Kirk was like a used car salesman at the end of the fiscal year. He was literally giving the hatred away! His slogan might as well have been, ‘Come through! I’ve got a hatred for YOU!’” Bell added.

He shared that the day after Kirk’s murder, he met a woman who was “generally an empathetic person” but was finding it hard to show empathy for Charlie. W. Kamau Bell wrote that he assured the woman that it was fine.

The comic hit back at those who fired their employees for “describing who Charlie Kirk literally was,” but claimed that he won’t be gaslit into pretending that the late commentator was

“some sort of saint in death when he was actually just a truly awful person in life.”

W Kamau Bell claimed that Kirk hated

“the Blacks, the Browns, the gays, the trans, the Gazans, the libs, the women, the Latinos, the Latinas, the Latinx, the undocumented, the Browns who were documented, the Chicagoans, the San Franciscans, the woke, the broke, the comedians who told good jokes, and much more!”

He continued,

“Charlie Kirk hated the Democrats and the ladies who owned cats, but he looooooooooooooved the plutocrats.”

Elsewhere, W Kamau Bell called the now-deceased Trump loyalist a “bad-faith actor who spent all his time coming up with new ways to create more bad faith.”

According to Bell, Kirk did what he did for money, clicks, giggles, clout, and “worst of all, he did it for his Dear Leader Donald Trump.” The United Shades of America creator mocked Trump’s decision to posthumously honor Charlie with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by comparing it to the “10-year-old me getting a comb as a ‘toy’ in my Happy Meal.”

W Kamau Bell advocated for gun control towards the end, calling it a lesson from Charlie’s assassination. He claimed that the best way to honor Kirk’s memory was to “get our politicians to finally enact sensible gun reform.”

“Ironically, Charlie Kirk would hate that,”

Bell added, before sharing Kirk’s quote on gun deaths being worth the cost to protect the Second Amendment.

W Kamau Bell hinted that if Charlie Kirk’s death was “political violence,” so was George Floyd’s murder. However, Bell claimed that Kirk was “not a noble figure,” and never gave Floyd the “grace,” and didn’t deserve one himself.

W Kamau Bell wrapped up by pointing out that the suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, was everything Charlie Kirk seemingly advocated for: a 22-year-old, conservative, white Christian man.

“I cannot in good conscience express empathy for Charlie Kirk. If that bothers you, take solace in the fact that Charlie wouldn’t have it any other way. Who’s with me?” the Emmy winner asked.

Oakland native W Kamau Bell also urged people neither to express “empathy without action,” nor to label “gun violence” as “political violence.”

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On September 10, Charlie Kirk, 31, was attending the TPUSA event “The American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when he was shot in the neck by a sniper’s bullet and killed. Robinson was arrested three days later as the primary suspect, and the investigation continues.

Donald Trump has mourned the death of Kirk, who is survived by his wife Erika and their two children. His public memorial will take place in Arizona on September 21.