Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, co-hosts of the 'I've Had It' podcast, address the backlash after apologizing for laughing at a joke about digging up Kirk’s body. (Credit: I've Had it Podcast - Nov. 8)
Liberal podcasters tell TPUSA to ‘f--- off’ as Charlie Kirk backlash costs them advertisers
by Alec Schemmel,Andrew Miller · Fox NewsNEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A source in the office of a prominent nationally elected Democrat called "I've Had It" podcast host Jennifer Welch a "sicko" after she allegedly sought help managing backlash over a joke about digging up Charlie Kirk 's body. Welch denied the source's account as she and co-host Angie Sullivan renewed their attacks on Turning Point USA , with Sullivan telling the conservative organization to "f— all the way off" despite the hosts' earlier apology.
The controversy has also cost the podcast advertisers. Cash App announced it was ending its sponsorship, saying on social media: "We do not condone violence of any kind, and we are no longer sponsors of this podcast." Luxury bedding company Boll & Branch also reportedly dropped its sponsorship, while Turning Point USA's Andrew Kolvet claimed on X that several other advertisers had withdrawn their support.
The hosts apologized over the weekend, but Sullivan subsequently told TPUSA to "f--- off" while Welch said her apology was motivated by her own convictions rather than pressure from the conservative organization.
"Alright there's a huge online, cancellation campaign from all the titty babies over at Turning Point who want the 'I've Had It' podcast cancelled," Welch said in a video posted to the podcast's YouTube channel. She accused Turning Point USA of "spearheading" the campaign because they're "losers and they lost" and "want to prove to their donors we can cancel libs."
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"When we apologize for laughing at a joke on our podcast, that wasn't for you. That was for us," Welch continued. "Because someone I loved very much died from gun violence two years ago and I just didn't feel good about that. And that apology was so that when I advocate for common sense gun reform that I'm doing it clean and clear. I don't expect you to understand this because at Turning Point y'all laugh at violence all the time."
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A Democratic source told Fox News Digital that Welch called them while seeking advice on how to manage the fallout from her comments. According to the source, Welch blamed Turning Point USA for the controversy rather than expressing remorse.
"I am not Turning Point. I'm a national Dem and we don't need people like her in this party because it is exactly what we don’t like about the hard right," the source said. The source also called Welch a "sicko" and estimated that the podcast had lost "tens of thousands" of dollars in sponsorships over the weekend. The source further alleged that Welch's team used ChatGPT to help formulate a response to the controversy and identify "ways out of this."
Welch denied the claims in a text message to Fox News Digital, saying she had not spoken with a top Democrat and that the podcast had not used ChatGPT. "Those are both wholly untrue," she said.
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"We laughed at an insensitive joke. We regret it, and we apologized," Welch said. She added that the podcast had removed the segment and donated to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-control advocacy organization.
"Turning Point, the group leading the cancellation against us, mocks violence and never apologizes," Welch added. "We still have plenty of advertisers and we aren’t going anywhere."
While discussing their apology, Welch called TPUSA a "hateful organization," and Sullivan said she was "not going to be lectured by these people."
"These people support Representatives to Congress that protect pedophiles and sex traffickers. They're completely fine with American citizens being gunned down on the streets of Minnesota. They're fine with putting people in cages and treating them like animals," she continued. "And for those of you at Turning Point who are worried that I don't talk enough, but yet, you don't believe in universal human rights, I want you to hear me: F— off. F— all the way off."
The controversy began during an episode last week in which Welch and Sullivan read social media posts celebrating Democratic victories in the midterm elections. Both laughed after Welch read one post saying, "We’re digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again." The hosts also suggested, without presenting evidence, that Kirk's accused killer supported President Donald Trump. Voter records, however, showed that he was unaffiliated and had not voted in the previous two general elections.
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After the episode sparked backlash, Welch and Sullivan posted an apology Saturday saying they had laughed at an "insensitive joke" and "should not have laughed." They said there was "nothing funny about gun violence."
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The hosts' remarks also drew criticism from Democrats, including strategist Kaivan Shroff. "They are not helping Democrats," Shroff told Fox News Digital. "They are hijacking the attention Democrats actually earned at the ballot box."
Alec Schemmel is a Politics Reporter for Fox News Digital who is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina but now resides in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore Metro Area.