Staff Reports
A short audio clip from the I’ve Had It podcast has blown up into a full blown branding crisis. Hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan laughed while reading a social‑media line about digging up Charlie Kirk and “doing it again.” That laughter cost the show dearly in sponsors, produced a public apology, and prompted a small Wisconsin brewery to offer to step in — a move that only made the story smell worse.
What happened and the immediate fallout
The clip in question captures the hosts reading, “We’re digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again,” and then laughing. The episode was later edited and the hosts posted an apology saying, “It was an insensitive joke, and we should not have laughed.” They also said they donated to a gun‑safety group. The viral audio prompted a wave of advertiser withdrawals and pauses as companies moved to protect their brands from association with a show that turned a real man’s murder into a punch line.
Minocqua Brewing’s offer — and the podcast’s reaction
Enter Minocqua Brewing Company. The brewery’s social post called Charlie Kirk “an awful human being” and offered to “step in and partner” after sponsors pulled away. The show’s producer read that post aloud, and Jennifer Welch replied, “That is so sweet.” If you’re keeping score: a podcast laughed about a referenced murder, apologized, then publicly warmed to an offer rooted in contempt for the slain man. Charming. The brewery’s owner has cultivated a reputation for provocative posts, so this was hardly an act of neutral charity — it was a political stunt wrapped in a free ad read.
Advertisers fled — and the excuse machine kicked in
Dozens of advertisers, including major brands, announced they would not sponsor the episode after the clip spread. That’s how brand safety works: companies do not want their ads next to material that celebrates violence or mocks a murdered person. The hosts blamed “harassment” and accused political rivals of orchestrating a cancellation campaign. That may be convenient. It does not erase the audio or explain why praising a brewery that attacks a dead man was an acceptable remedy for what the hosts did.
A test of decency — and what should come next
This episode is a lesson in choices and consequences. Public figures and podcasters can argue and spar, but they ought not to treat murder as a punch line. The hosts have apologized and said they donated; fine. The better test is whether they will show consistent restraint going forward and stop accepting praise that comes with more contempt for a dead man. The brewery can keep trying to buy attention. Advertisers will keep guarding their reputations. Ordinary decency should be the one thing none of them auction off for clicks.
