TMZ faced massive backlash after staff of the outlet could be heard erupting in cheers seconds before host Harvey Levin announced Charlie Kirk’s death on Wednesday.
The footage, captured during a live broadcast covering Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University, revealed audible cheers, laughter, and applause from the newsroom as producers relayed President Donald Trump’s confirmation of Kirk’s passing.
Kirk, 31, a beloved husband, father of two very young children, and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck from 200 yards away while speaking on campus, in what Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has called a “political assassination.”
Listen to this video of @TMZ announcing the death of Charlie Kirk. You can audibly hear the staff cheering as the receive the news that Kirk has died. It is seconds before it is relayed to the on air host. Disgusting. pic.twitter.com/8b8BJVyD2r
— Tim Sharp (@realtimsharp) September 10, 2025
In a desperate bid to deflect the outrage, TMZ issued a statement claiming the cheers were unrelated to Kirk’s death.
According to the outlet, the noise came from employees in another part of the building who were watching a live police car chase unfolding in Temple City, California, not the tragic announcement. Hosts Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere addressed the controversy on air, calling the laughter “tone-deaf” in hindsight and apologizing for the poor optics during a time of national mourning.
“As we were reporting the assassination of Charlie Kirk, there were some people in the back room away from our news desk who were watching a car chase, and they were laughing and clapping…they were not laughing that way about Charlie Kirk’s assassination,” Levin claimed.
TMZ issues clarification and apology over “tone death laughter” that could be heard in the background during livestream reporting about Charlie Kirk.
“As we were reporting the asssasination of Charlie Kirk there were some people in the back room away from our news desk who were… pic.twitter.com/kGOiCWTKOo
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) September 11, 2025
But here’s the kicker: while there indeed was an active police pursuit originating in Temple City on Wednesday, around 1:17 p.m. PDT, where a theft suspect in a white SUV led the California Highway Patrol on an intermittent chase through South Los Angeles before switching vehicles, the timing and context raise serious doubts about TMZ’s excuse.
The chase, which ended with the suspect in custody, was real, but everyone was quick to point out that the cheers in the video align precisely with the feed’s confirmation of Kirk’s death.
Spotted in a community note (not verified)
News broadcasts of the then-ongoing car chase interrupted their coverage with, “President Trump says Charlie Kirk has died.” (See timestamp 11:21).
TMZ crew were watching the chase AND cheering his death.https://t.co/CzH0llayUZ
— Joshua Konkle (@7SwanSwimming) September 11, 2025
Video analysis showed the cheers clearly erupted as a producer said, “Yeah, Trump just said he’s dead,” undermining TMZ’s narrative.
This scandal is part of a clear pattern of left-wing jubilation following Kirk’s murder. Eyewitnesses at the scene reported liberals cheering the shooting, online trolls mocked his death with vile posts, and even MSNBC fired a commentator for justifying the violence.
The post WATCH: Vile TMZ Staff Caught Cheering Moments Before Announcing Charlie Kirk’s Death, Outlet Wildly Claims It Was Over a ‘Car Chase,’ Excuse Obviously Falls Flat appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.