Cash App and Zenni Cut Ties With 'I've Had It' Podcast Over Charlie Kirk Joke as Chewy Denies Sponsorship

Fox Business anchor Dagen McDowell claims the pet retailer had backed the podcast for roughly two years

I've Had It Charlie Kirk joke, I've Had It podcast — Kirk on stage at a Turning Point USA event in Tampa, Florida, in July 2025, roughly two months before a gunman killed him Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 4.0

Cash App and Zenni Optical have cut ties with I've Had It after its hosts laughed at a post joking about Charlie Kirk's assassination. Pet retailer Chewy took a different line, saying it does not sponsor the left-leaning podcast. A Fox Business anchor claims the brand did pay for adverts on the show.

The row began with Thursday 5 November's episode, in which Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan read listeners' posts about the Democrats' midterm wins. One post said: 'We're digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again.' A gunman killed Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, in September 2025. The hosts have since apologised.

Brand Responses

Cash App posted on X on Friday 6 November that it does not condone violence and that 'we are no longer sponsors of this podcast.' Zenni Optical, the online glasses seller, said it had 'cancelled advertising on I've Had It' and was reviewing its podcast placements against its brand safety standards. Bedding company Boll & Branch said it is not advertising on the show and has ruled out doing so.

Chewy posted its own statement on Saturday 7 November, as shown below. 'We do not sponsor or support the I've Had It podcast,' it wrote. The post passed five million views on X. Chewy also condemned violence in all forms and said the hosts' comments did not reflect its values. Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet urged followers to shop there, writing: 'Good for Chewy for distancing itself from Jennifer Welch.'

We do not sponsor or support the “I’ve Had It” podcast. We unequivocally condemn violence in all forms. The comments made by the hosts do not reflect Chewy’s values or what we stand for as a company.
— Chewy (@Chewy) November 7, 2026

Why Chewy Faces Questions

Fox Business anchor Dagen McDowell claimed Chewy had backed the podcast for roughly two years. She shared an image of what she called a disabled Chewy web page aimed at the show's audience. She added a clip from a 13 August episode that she said featured a Chewy discount offer. Chewy's statement uses the present tense and does not say whether the company bought adverts on the podcast in the past.

Pressure on Chewy began before the company spoke. Former Trump official Richard Grenell also asked on Saturday, 7 November, whether the brand had distanced itself from the show, in a post that passed 150,000 views. Influencer Benny Johnson named Zenni, Cash App, Lola Blankets, and Chewy among the brands that had quit, and urged followers to contact the podcast's other advertisers. Writer Kylie Cheung argued that Kirk had long defended cruel humour as free speech.

What Happens Next

On Instagram on Saturday, the hosts said: 'It was an insensitive joke, and we should not have laughed.' They added that they had given money to Everytown for Gun Safety. The episode now runs without the joke. Adverts for luggage brand Monos and wallet maker Ridge still ran on YouTube on Saturday.

Welch has accused Turning Point USA of leading a campaign against the show. Kirk's widow, Erika, called laughing at political assassination 'beyond disgusting' on Sunday. She did not name the hosts. In an earlier row, ABC took Jimmy Kimmel off air for six days in September 2025 over remarks about the reaction to Kirk's death.