Erika Kirk Criticized for Dancing on Stage after Charlie's Murder — But Did She?

On Sept. 10, 2025, right-wing commentator and activist Charlie Kirk was hosting an event at a Utah College when he was shot and killed. He left behind a wife, Erika Kirk, two young children, and an extremist right-wing company called Turning Point USA.

Despite Kirk supporting beliefs that suggest a woman should stay home, Erika has stepped up to be the driving force behind TP USA.

Her behavior has been under a microscope of public opinion since Charlie's passing, with people criticizing her oddly robotic behavior and calling her tears "fake." But a new video purporting to show Erika dancing on stage at a TP USA event has drawn even more strident criticism than usual. Here's what people had to say about it and what we know about the video's authenticity.

The video in question shows Erika wearing a sparkly gold pantsuit and smiling at the crowd while sparklers erupt on the stage in front of her. She appears to grab a rope, dancing and swinging wildly over the crowd with a beaming grin on her face.

But did it even happen?

No, the video appears to be AI.

And it's far from the only video claiming to show a jubilant Erika dancing on stage. In other videos, she wears an American flag-themed pantsuit, and in some, she appears to be twerking. At least one video turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

But the rest are all fake, and they're all based off the very real videos that show her entering the stage at TP USA events with sparklers erupting on all sides, including an event where she was joined by rapper Nicki Minaj. While those entrances are real, the dancing is fake.

However, in comment sections all across social media, people were dismayed that they couldn't tell if it was real or fake. One user wrote, "This is more real than reality."

Erika has been under fire for her behavior since Charlie's murder, with rumors swirling about why she's acting contrary to the way people expect.

Instead of staying home to focus on supporting her young children through the loss of their father, Erika has seemingly been hitting the stage nearly every week since Charlie's death.

She has appeared on podcasts and news segments, and every time she's asked about Charlie, Erika summons a tear, dabs at her eyes lightly, and appears to be struggling to muster up emotion. At least, that's what the internet thinks.

Rumors have suggested that she's pregnant, and it's not Charlie's. Some rumors have painted her into a relationship with the married Vice President JD Vance, while others have suggested that no, she's actually in a relationship with President Donald Trump.

Others have even gone so far as to suggest that she orchestrated her husband's murder because he was speaking out about the Epstein files in the weeks prior to his murder.

But, of course, it's all rumor and speculation. Just like rumors that suggested she was arrested for child trafficking in Romania which appear to be false, it's hard to pinpoint the source of these rumors. However, they do appear to be generally false.

While Erika's often-robotic behavior doesn't do her any favors on the world stage as she walks the role of grieving widow, the rumors about her following her husband's murder appear to be intentionally salacious.

As one TikTok user pointed out, "If you're going to criticize Erika Kirk, there's plenty there to work with. You don't need to make things up." As a controversial figure, there's no shortage of things that critics can find to complain about her behavior without resorting to wild speculation.