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Memes

Erika Kirk memes are taking over social media following her theatrical Turning Point appearances

“Everyone grieves differently.”

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Rachel Kiley

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Erika Kirk memes have taken over social media after months of people side-eyeing her public appearances as she grieves the murder of her husband.

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Following the shooting death of rightwing podcaster Charlie Kirk back in September, Erika Kirk has suddenly and aggressively risen to the forefront of the MAGA movement. 

She’s taken over Turning Point USA (TPUSA), the organization he co-founded to sway youths towards hard right political views, and subsequently appeared at numerous events put on by the group, where she’s often joined by other major rightwing figures like Vice President JD Vance.

It didn’t take long for criticisms to begin rolling in suggesting that Kirk was repeatedly behaving in a way that felt strange for an allegedly grieving widow. Her hugs with Vance got some side eye, but it’s really the theatricality of her appearances at TPUSA rallies and pseudo-memorials for her dead husband that have sustained the backlash. 

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For instance, shortly before Christmas, TPUSA put on its annual AmericaFest event, which saw Kirk appear on stage multiple times—more than once amidst a dazzling display of pyrotechnics.

It’s probably worth reiterating here that Kirk is now the CEO of the organization that puts on these events, not some random public personality who is invited and subject to the whims of whomever is in charge.

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The Erika Kirk backlash

That the mother of two appears to be focusing so heavily on raising her own star meter and putting on all these music and light shows doesn’t innately mean she isn’t grieving her husband’s death, but it’s very easy to understand why people on both sides of the political aisle are taken aback by it. 

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Erika Kirk memes

AmericaFest 2025 seemed to push the bewilderment about Kirk’s behavior to new heights, culminating in what so many things do on the internet—memes.

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Maybe try toning down the pyrotechnics, just for a little while.


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