What to Know
In the months after Charlie Kirk’s death, his wife Erika has made headlines due to her many public appearances. In the eyes of critics, Erika’s events, interviews, and outfit choices are not exactly screaming “grieving widow.” To illustrate the contrast between how Erika is acting and how people think grieving widows should act, a lot of people have shared videos that exaggerate what Erika has been doing lately.
In one video that has gone viral, Erika is seen walking backstage before using a power boosted lift and jumping on stage in front of a huge audience. And while some people on social media find it hilarious, the video is actually AI-generated.
The video claimed Erika was on stage at Rolling Loud Orlando 2026.
However, this event has not happened yet and is scheduled for May 2026. Additionally, given that it’s a hip-hop music festival, it’s probably safe to say that Erika will not be taking the stage. In text over the video, the creator compared Erika to “normal widows,” writing, “normal widows: ‘i miss my husband'” vs. “erika kirk at rolling loud miami 2026.” According to a report from Lead Stories, the AI-generated video uses footage from rapper Psy’s performance. Presumably, lots of people who watched the video already knew it wasn’t real, but some argued that the fact that some people didn’t know was telling. “The fact that people aren’t sure if it’s real or not tells you everything you need to know,” one person commented on the video.
@slayatknight #ug #underground #zukenee ♬ original sound – Zukenee
Over the past several months, Erika has been accused of grifting on multiple occasions and people have made jokes about the “stages of grift.” Similarly, in the comments on this video, one critic joked, “Leave her alone….She is clearly going through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, marketing, world-tour and run for congress.” Someone else said, “we said stages of grief but all she heard was stages 😭😭,” and a third critic joked that Erika could be preparing for “Erika Kirk: The Grieving World Tour.”
Similar videos have gone viral.
The video that shows an AI-generated Erika jumping on stage is not the only one that makes Erika look like she’s doing way more than she already is. Some of the other videos that show Erika doing dramatic performances on stage are also AI-generated. Other popular clips do not actually show Erika herself, and are clearly meant to be jokes about how she’s been acting. One clip shared to social media is actually footage from Cascada’s “Evacuate the Dancefloor” music video, but is captioned with, “Normal widows: I miss my husband so much!!!!” and then “Erika Kirk:”
Erika has not actually appeared in any music videos or performed at any music festivals, but she has been scrutinized for her public appearances. Even some people who say they believe that everyone grieves differently have had questions about how Erika has managed to appear at so many events looking relatively put together.
Critics have also questioned how she’s able to show up for her kids as she does all of these interviews and events. Erika and Charlie welcomed a daughter in 2022 and a son in 2024. Previously, Erika opened up about how it was hard to explain Charlie’s death to their three-year-old child.
“What do you tell a three-year-old? She’s three,” she said, per People. “I said, ‘Baby, daddy loves you so much. Don’t you worry. He’s on a work trip with Jesus, so he can afford your blueberry budget.’”
