“Disgusting & Inhumane”: What the Timestamp Evidence Reveals About TMZ’s Staff Cheering During Charlie Kirk Death Announcement

Correction: While there was a car chase in California, it was not a high-speed pursuit — those have been outlawed for years. There was nothing noteworthy to clap, cheer, or laugh about, and crucially, nothing occurred in that chase at the exact moment Charlie Kirk’s death was announced. (Video included below in the article.) 

Investigations and visual timestamp analysis now show cheering and clapping in the TMZ newsroom seconds before the live announcement that Charlie Kirk had died—despite the outlet’s insistence that staff were reacting to something else. The backlash is growing as both social media users and third-party auditors say TMZ’s explanation doesn’t hold up.

What the Evidence Says

• Viewers aligned visual timestamps (clocks visible on TMZ’s livestream) with audio, showing cheers and applause in the newsroom immediately before the announcement was made that Charlie Kirk had died. This timing undermines the claim that staff were responding to a different event.
• Just 1-3 seconds after the clapping died down, Harvey Levin turns on screen and says, “Trump just posted that Charlie Kirk is dead.” Some have further noted that video and newsroom movement suggests the staffers heard the death announcement before the broadcasted one.
• TMZ’s apology claimed the cheers were in response to a “high-speed chase being watched in another room.” However, several independent source checks confirm that no high-speed chase was occurring at that exact time. Local law enforcement records and traffic reports show no such chase nearby that matches the timing.

Why This Is So Disturbing

The moment isn’t just cringe-worthy—it’s profoundly inhumane. A human life was lost. A family is grieving. Here we have a media outlet that’s supposed to report with dignity, and instead, what seems to be celebration or at least reaction before confirming death. Whether intentional or not, the optics are horrifying.

To contrast, media trust depends heavily on credibility. When a newsroom is perceived to celebrate someone’s death—even indirectly—it tears at that crediblity, especially in a divisive moment like this. It erases the boundary between reporting and commentating, empathy and spectacle.

TMZ’s Official Position & Pushback

• TMZ’s bosses—Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere—again apologized for “horrible timing” and said the laughter was unrelated to Kirk’s death. 
• They claimed the staff were watching a police chase in Los Angeles. But that assertion is now widely challenged. No high-speed chase logs match that time. No credible source outside TMZ has confirmed such a chase. 

❓ What ISN’T verified (yet)

• No official response from Fox Entertainment or any Fox network has been found addressing TMZ’s newsroom incident.
• No confirmation from law enforcement or traffic authorities that a police chase was ongoing at the exact time TMZ claims—meaning the “car chase” explanation remains unsubstantiated in those respects.

NOTE: We will be watching the developing story closely and provide updates as they become available.

🗣️ MainEvent.News | Backstage Take

This is more than a media gaffe—this is a moment of moral failure. Even if TMZ staff did not celebrate Kirk’s death intentionally, the fact that background cheers were audible just before an official death announcement shows a grievous lack of awareness or control. In news, perception is almost as powerful as fact. In this case, the perception is that they cheered. That is unacceptable and hurts more than any correction can undo.

The timing makes it nearly impossible to believe they were ignorant of Kirk’s status. And when no supporting evidence shows a high-speed chase, the “excuse” begins to look like damage control. The public has a right to demand accountability—not just apologies.