TMZ’s Double Betrayal: Caught Cheering Charlie Kirk’s Death, Then Caught Lying

As former President Donald Trump announced to the nation that conservative commentator Charlie Kirk had been assassinated in a shocking act of political violence, a hot mic at TMZ's newsroom captured something grotesque: cheering. Applause. Audible delight. The reaction wasn’t isolated, muffled, or misunderstood—it was unambiguous celebration. The very moment Trump uttered the words, someone in the newsroom clapped. Others followed. It was caught live, and it was damning.

But what came next made it worse. Harvey Levin, founder and public face of TMZ, released a video statement attempting to explain away the now-viral footage. According to him, the cheering had nothing to do with Kirk’s death—it was just the newsroom reacting to a “high-speed chase.”

Addressing tone deaf laughter pic.twitter.com/7lOvG7z3H4

— TMZ (@TMZ) September 11, 2025

The only problem? That excuse didn’t hold up to scrutiny.

The “High-Speed Chase” That Nobody Else Saw

According to Grok, the AI assistant from X, no such high-speed chase was covered on TMZ that day. Local station KTLA reported a minor vehicle pursuit, but even that involved a crash—not exactly the kind of moment that would send a newsroom into riotous applause.

"I couldn't find a specific TMZ article or blog post about a high-speed chase on September 10, 2025... TMZ may have been..." — Grok AI via X

The idea that a team of veteran journalists would erupt with cheers over a routine car chase—while a former president delivers a national tragedy—isn't just implausible. It’s insulting. And more importantly, it’s telling. Telling of a newsroom that is so deeply ideologically captured, it can no longer recognize when its own behavior crosses moral lines.

TMZ’s Staff Culture and the Elephant in the Room

Let’s address what many are now openly discussing online: TMZ’s newsroom is overwhelmingly progressive, and predominantly LGBTQ+. That isn’t an accusation—it’s a fact. Harvey Levin himself is an openly gay man who has long championed LGBTQ+ inclusion within his organization. That’s commendable in itself, but when it becomes a political monoculture, problems arise.

Charlie Kirk, a vocal critic of LGBTQ+ activism, was a lightning rod for progressive outrage. He was loathed by many in that sphere—not for what he did, but for what he represented. And when news of his death broke, the raw, unfiltered reaction of the newsroom spoke volumes.

This wasn’t just a gaffe. This was a moment when the mask slipped. We saw what they really felt. And worse—when caught—they lied.

The Ethical Rot of Celebrating a Death

No matter your politics, celebrating the death of a public figure—especially one murdered in an act of political violence—is the ultimate failure of journalistic ethics. A newsroom should be a place of discipline, objectivity, and human decency. Not a place where clapping echoes off the walls when a man is assassinated.

Harvey Levin had a choice. He could have come clean. Acknowledge the inexcusable lapse in judgment. Apologize sincerely. Fire those responsible. Reaffirm standards. But instead, he chose denial. Spin. PR damage control. He blamed it on a “chase.”

Meanwhile, the internet wasn’t buying it. No articles, no blog posts, no video segments appeared about the supposed chase. Viewers noted that high-speed chases are daily occurrences in Los Angeles—hardly worthy of breaking newsroom protocol or producing emotional eruptions. That excuse was shredded within hours.

We All Heard It. We All Saw It.

The clip remains live, spreading across platforms. It is the moment the press betrayed not just one man, but the idea of moral journalism. What does it say when the death of a political opponent becomes content for celebration in one of the most influential newsrooms in America?

It says our media class is broken. It says their biases are no longer hidden—they are proudly worn, even in death. And it says we have crossed a line that demands not just critique—but accountability.

Final Thoughts: When a Lie Is Louder Than the Truth

Charlie Kirk is gone. His death should have been met with the dignity we afford to all human beings. Instead, it was met with applause. And when the public gasped, the newsroom spun lies.

That’s a double betrayal. A double disgrace. And if we let this moment pass without consequence, it won’t be the last.

TMZ owes the public more than a 17-second excuse. It owes us truth. It owes us accountability. It owes the nation an apology that means something.