Charlie Kirk's Friend Andrew Kolvet Rips Pete Davidson for Kevin Hart 'Roast' Joke

Pete Davidson is catching heat over a controversial joke aimed at slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk during "The Roast of Kevin Hart" ... and now one of Charlie's close friends says the whole thing left him seriously disgusted.

Andrew Kolvet -- a Turning Point USA producer -- said Monday he thought the joke was wildly distasteful considering Charlie was murdered in such a brutal and public way ... adding he physically cringed hearing it land during the Netflix special -- much like the audience's reaction inside the room.

During the roast, Pete was talking about fellow comic Tony Hinchcliffe when he dropped the line, "Tony reminds me of Charlie Kirk, in that he’s definitely been on camera letting a guy unload in his throat," ... before adding, "Please somebody f***ing kill Tony" ... a reference to Hinchcliffe's own podcast, "Kill Tony."

Andrew says he genuinely believes comedy can be an important release valve during tense cultural moments -- especially in an era becoming increasingly "woke" -- but he says this crossed the line completely.