A Facebook post made on Sept. 12 by the Pie Life Pizzeria owner, Joe Smith, following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, sparked backlash in Wheaton and prompted a public response from the Milton Township Republican Organization. 

In the post, shared on Smith’s personal Facebook account within 24 hours of Kirk’s death, he wrote, “Play Nazi games, win Nazi prizes.” The comment quickly spread through social media after the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) reposted it.

A community member notified the Republican organization of this post, so they reposted a photo of Smith and his original post and wrote, “Everyone meet Joe. Joe owns ‘Pie Life Pizzeria’ on Roosevelt Rd. in Glen Ellyn. Joe has a lot of opinions and loves airing them on social media. Well, we want to make sure Joe gets his message out to the folks of Glen Ellyn so they know what he stands for. #makestupidpostswinstupidprizes.”

The post received dozens of reactions and comments from community members. Some called for others to stop supporting the restaurant, with one user writing, “Making this viral so all can boycott this guy,” and another asking, “So are there any other East Coast-style pizza places near Wheaton that at the very least keep their political opinions to themselves and make good pizza?” Smith has also stated that he has received voicemails leaving fake pizza orders followed by threatening messages. 

The Republican organization chairman, Jeff Castle, later described Smith’s comment as “extremely inappropriate and disgusting,” saying that any language which appears to justify, excuse or minimize political violence is wholly unacceptable in civil society. 

“The MTRO believes that community leaders and business owners have a responsibility to uphold higher standards, as their public remarks carry significant influence and reflect upon the values of the communities they serve,” Castle said. 

However, the group emphasized that it did not call for a boycott of Pie Life Pizzeria but rather wanted to inform. 

Despite the controversy, Smith has long mixed pizza and politics, blending the two into his business. 

Pie Life Pizzeria on Roosevelt Rd. in Glen Ellyn, is about to hit its second anniversary of being open. Before its current location, Smith had a restaurant in New Jersey and later sold it. When his wife became pregnant, they decided to move to Illinois. They’ve bounced around in different locations until they have now settled here in Wheaton. Smith has always been outspoken about his political beliefs and has demonstrated them in his business before. 

“We put up a couple of things we feel deeply about as a part of decorations or stances,” Smith said. “Like when Bernie was running, we had Bernie flyers, and when someone is running for office that we endorse, we put their signs up.”

In response to the MTRO post, Smith launched what he calls the pizza box revolution, an initiative where he uses pizza boxes to share political messages and social commentary. In the restaurant, some of the pizza boxes on display read, “We support women’s control over their bodies” and “We support our entire immigrant community.”

“I was initially contemplating how we’re going to respond. It took a couple of days to think it through, and as a political activist, I came out with ‘we needed a pizza box revolution,’” Smith said. “It’s so that we could put our common ideas out there very simply on our boxes, and that could be used in protest mode, rally mode or a uniting way.” 

Smith continues to merge politics with business, using his platform to share messages on current issues. The move has received mixed reactions, with some residents supporting his right to speak out while others question whether political statements belong in a business setting.

That divide reflects broader debates over free speech and consequences. Faculty chair of the College of DuPage’s Legal Studies program, Annie Knight, explained how the First Amendment protects individuals’ right to express their opinions. Still, it does not prevent the public from responding. 

“Joe, the business owner, took the opportunity to express his opinion, and the Republican committee did exactly what is in their right from the First Amendment perspective,” Knight said. “The First Amendment requires us to hear things we maybe don’t want to hear, to put up with people making spaces that are inflammatory or upsetting, but that’s part of protecting our right to expression.”

Knight also explained that while the government cannot punish someone for speech like Smith’s, private citizens and customers can respond in their own ways.

“We have freedom of speech, but we’re not exactly free from the consequences of it,” she said. “And that’s a decision a lot of business people will take into consideration.”

Smith had expressed that he will continue to be vocal about his political opinions and has plans for his next steps to challenge the MTRO. He is currently assisting Senator Karina Villa in collecting signatures for her campaign for reelection.

“We’re getting hundreds of signatures out here for progressive candidates that have solutions for the communities that they’re going to represent, because we are going to win every single election,” Smith said. “The Milton Township Republican Organization is finished. They’re not going to win another election around here.”

His business has received backlash on social media. However, Smith has received support from community members, which he deeply appreciates. Pie Life Pizzeria remains open, and Smith said he will continue to use his business as a platform for his values.

“At Pie Life Pizzeria, we support democracy; if it exists for one, it exists for all,” Smith said.