Podcast hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan have issued an apology after facing backlash for laughing at a social media post that referenced the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
During Thursday's episode of the "I've Had It" podcast, Welch and Sullivan were reading audience reactions to recent election results when they encountered a post that joked about "digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again." The hosts can be heard laughing at the comment.
Welch and Sullivan, who have often expressed opposition to conservative viewpoints, continued to read other posts that mocked Republican election losses and conservative stances on various issues. One post read, "You can't even fathom the pronouns we're going to invent," which the hosts also found humorous.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Saturday, the hosts acknowledged their reaction was insensitive. "On Thursday’s show, we laughed at a joke about Charlie Kirk. It was an insensitive joke, and we should not have laughed. We regret it, and we apologize," they stated. They added, "Whatever our political differences, there is nothing funny about gun violence. We’ve long supported common-sense gun safety reform."
As a gesture of their commitment, Welch and Sullivan announced they had made a donation to Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization focused on gun violence prevention. "We’ll keep using our platforms to fight for the safety of all Americans," their statement concluded.
Their initial on-air remarks drew criticism from various commentators, including conservative activists and media figures. Riley Gaines, a conservative activist, expressed on X (formerly Twitter) that the hosts "celebrate your death, laugh uncontrollably, and still be fully convinced they're the 'good guys.'" Similarly, influencer Collin Rugg posted that the hosts "will celebrate your death, laugh uncontrollably, and still be fully convinced they're the 'good guys.'"
Media Research Center President David Bozell told Fox News Digital, "If Madison Ave. would stop sponsoring gutter trash, gutter trash would go out of business." Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff also criticized the hosts' comments, stating that they were not helping the Democratic party and were hijacking attention earned through election victories.