Comedian Dave Chappelle weighed in on a recent cultural comparison involving conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, forcefully rejecting claims that Kirk represents a modern-day equivalent of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In remarks addressing the comparison, Chappelle said he was struck by how quickly some were willing to equate the two figures, despite what he described as fundamentally different roles, methods, and impacts.

“And the whites were quick to say this. They said Charlie Kirk is this generation’s Martin Luther King,” Chappelle said.

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“Noooo he’s not. That’s a reach.”

Chappelle acknowledged a superficial similarity often cited in the comparison but dismissed it as irrelevant to the broader historical and moral context.

“You know, they both got murdered in a terrible fashion. They both got shot in the neck, but that’s about where those similarities,” he said.

He then sharply contrasted Kirk’s role as a media personality with King’s leadership during the civil rights movement, arguing that the comparison ignores the structural differences between activism and internet-driven commentary.

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“Charlie Kirk is a motherf**king internet personality, no by design, fundamentally, he can’t function like Dr King,” Chappelle said.

Chappelle suggested that the nature of online media incentivizes provocation rather than persuasion, which he argued explains the tone and tactics used by internet figures.

“Internet niggas are negative because they have to be, because nobody will engage them unless they say shit that makes them upset,” he said.

“That’s Charlie Kirk.”

To further illustrate his point, Chappelle mocked the idea of Martin Luther King Jr. operating within modern internet culture, portraying it as incompatible with King’s message and approach.

“Could you imagine Dr King was behaving like Charlie Kirk?” Chappelle said. “Smash that like button and subscribe. Follow me for more content like this. I believe all black people should be free. Change my mind.”

WATCH:

BREAKING : In his new Netflix special “The Unstoppable,” Dave Chappelle dismisses Charlie Kirk as just a “motherf***ing internet personality” – ignoring the fact that Kirk built his influence through massive in-person campus tours, speaking directly to thousands of young people,… pic.twitter.com/d02rF8WmNA

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