Charlie Kirk’s life was cut short by a sniper’s bullet, but a single cartoon in Newsday turned his tragedy into a sick punchline—sparking a firestorm so fierce the paper had to beg for forgiveness. What was so “vile” about this sketch that it unleashed boycott calls and left a nation divided?
It’s the kind of gut-wrenching betrayal that makes you question what lines we’re still willing to cross: a grieving family’s pain mocked, a movement’s hero reduced to a smear, all while the ink’s still wet on a story too raw to touch. This isn’t just about a drawing—it’s a mirror to our fractured times, daring us to face the cost of reckless strokes.
See the cartoon that broke the internet and decide for yourself—click the link to uncover the full story and share your take below. Where’s the line for you? 👇
A Long Island newspaper was forced to apologize Sunday for a political cartoon on the assassination of Charlie Kirk after it ignited a firestorm for the “vile” and “insensitive” piece.
Newsday admitted it should have never printed the cartoon, which appeared in its Saturday paper and depicted an empty chair with a blood stain sitting at a tent labeled “Charlie Kirk” and “Prove me Wrong.”
The cartoon published in Newsday’s Saturday paper depicted an empty chair and blood stain at a tent labeled “Prove me Wrong.”Newsday
An arrow points to the seat with the text “Turning Point USA,” which is the name of the conservative nonprofit co-founded by Kirk.
The controversial drawing, penned by Pulitzer finalist illustrator Chip Bok, quickly ignited outrage on the island.
“Newsday—the only daily paper for Long Island—has crossed a line. By publishing a vile cartoon about the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, the paper has mocked tragedy, stoked division, and poured gasoline on the flames of political violence,” Suffolk County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Garcia said in a statement.
“This isn’t journalism. It’s a reckless, partisan attack that blames the victim, silences free speech, and shames everything this country should stand for,” Garcia said.
Newsday issued an apology on Sunday after the torrent of criticism over the cartoon, removing the traumatic image across its digital platforms.Newsday
The chairman immediately called for the paper to remove the cartoon from all its platforms, terminate Bok’s contract, and apologize to Kirk’s family and Newsday’s readership.
Bok — who has penned cartoons for the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, and Newsweek — is not employed by Newsday, the outlet told The Post.
The cartoon that was published was “syndicated,” meaning it was sold to the outlet or borrowed from the artist for publishing.
“Until these actions are taken, we call on advertisers and subscribers to boycott Newsday. Do not support a publication that normalizes hate and endangers lives,” the politician raged.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman also rushed to “cancel” Long Island’s daily paper over the “over the top despicable” cartoon.
“The unconscionable cartoon in Newsday trivializing the assassination of Charlie Kirk is so over the top despicable that it is shocking even for the majority of us who realized long ago that Newsday abandoned any pretension of fairness,” the Republican wrote in a Facebook post Saturday.
“Cancel Newsday!” he wrote.
Kirk, 31, had just answered a question from an audience member about mass shootings committed by transgender people during a Sept. 10 event at Utah Valley University when he was hit by a single round.
The conservative influencer appeared to recoil in pain and grab at his neck as the crack of a single gunshot rang out from the crowd, sending thousands of spectators into a panic, dramatic video from the scene showed.
The alleged gunman was identified Friday as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah student who allegedly wrote “Hey fascist! Catch!” on a bullet.
Newsday issued an apology on Sunday after the torrent of criticism over the cartoon, removing the image across its digital platform.
Kirk jerked back and appeared to recoil in pain and grab at his neck as the crack of a single gunshot rang out from the crowd.
“On Saturday, Newsday published a syndicated editorial cartoon referring to the assassination of Charlie Kirk that was insensitive and offensive,” the outlet wrote in an apology on Sunday.
“We deeply regret this mistake and sincerely apologize to the family of Charlie Kirk and to all. We made an error in judgment. The cartoon has been removed from our digital platforms,” Newsday said.
The outlet claimed Bok used the name of Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, and the theme of his Utah event, “Prove Me Wrong,” to “suggest that Kirk’s assassination might be a turning point for healing our nation’s divide.”
Politicians blasted the longtime paper for publishing the cartoon.Bloomberg via Getty Images
“The imagery was inappropriate and should never have been published in Newsday,” the paper said.
A few hours before the long-form apology, Newsday simply posted “Newsday apologizes for cartoon about Charlie Kirk assassination.”
Some lawmakers accepted the publication’s apology — while other’s weren’t so quick to drop their grudge.
“Today, a little more than 19 hours after the statement from our Suffolk GOP condemning this disgraceful political cartoon, Newsday has publicly acknowledged its mistake, apologized to the Kirk family, its readers, and the broader public, and removed the cartoon from its platforms,” Garcia wrote in a statement after the apology was released.
“On behalf of the Suffolk County and Brookhaven Republican Committees, I accept this apology. We recognize that owning up to such an egregious error is not easy, and we hope this moment serves as a reminder to every newsroom in America that words and images matter,” he said.
Some readers were still disheartened by the outlet’s choice to publish the cartoon in the first place.
“How can you even come back from this?” one user wrote.
