Turning Point USA, the organization led by Erika Kirk following the assassination of her husband Charlie, addressed an online conspiracy theory claiming that Erika had removed her and Charlie’s wedding photo from his office bookshelf.
During a December interview, Erika sat down in her late husband’s office, the space where he used to film his podcast.
Viewers noticed that the framed photograph that appeared in the background of Charlie’s videos was nowhere to be seen. In its place was what appeared to be a scripture.
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People began speculating that Erika had taken down the wedding photo, accusing her of being unaffected by her husband’s passing and even “using” him for personal gain.
During the interview, the widow explained that she had not entered Charlie’s office in a long time. But the visible change on the bookshelf was taken by conspiracy theorists as a sign that she was lying.
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Responding to the criticism, a Turning Point USA spokesperson clarified in a statement to Newsweek that the 37-year-old mother did not remove the framed wedding photo.
“Erika moved it to a lower shelf when her daughter asked to see it so she could hold and look at the photo,” they said.
“It’s still on the studio shelf, just lower down where her daughter can look at it whenever she’s in there with her mom.”
Charlie and Erika married in 2021. The couple welcomed a daughter in August 2022 and a son in May 2024.
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The right-wing political activist was fatally struck in the neck by a rooftop sniper on September 10 last year while speaking at a Turning Point event at Utah Valley University.
Prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated m*rder in the case. His next hearing is set for February 24.
In her December interview, Erika told the host Glenn Beck of Blaze TV, “I’m actually sitting at [Charlie’s] office, this is his home office, and I have not been in here for a very long time.
“That’s part of the reason why I keep looking down. It’s not because I don’t want to look at you; it’s because there are so many treasures in here.”
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She then held up a handwritten note in which Charlie had listed his priorities: “family, children, legacy,” contrasting them with “careerism, consumerism, and loneliness.”
The interview gained traction two months later when an X user shared two screenshots highlighting that the wedding photo was no longer on Charlie’s bookshelf.
Candace Owens, a conservative podcaster who often spreads conspiracy theories about Erika and Charlie, was among those who questioned the widow.
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She said, “During that interview, she was playing the part as you are about to see of ‘This is my first time back in his office,’ and she keeps looking down, and she says, ‘Sorry, I’m looking down. I’m just looking at all of these things that Charlie left over on his desk.’
“The obvious insinuation to the public being that she had not yet traversed into that space. She had not gone through the things. The internet was correct to call that out.”
Many viewers defended Erika, noting that she had not specified how long it had been since she last entered Charlie’s office and suggesting she may have moved the framed photo to her nightstand.
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The Turning Point CEO opened up about her grieving process in October amid the criticism of her public appearances.
“There is no linear blueprint for grief. One day you’re collapsed on the floor crying out the name Jesus in between labored breaths,” she wrote on Instagram.
“The next you’re playing with your children in the living room, surrounded by family photos, and feeling a rush of something you can only attempt to define as divinely planted and bittersweet joy as a smile breaks through on your face.”
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In a separate post, she shared that “everything in the home is still the same after these several months,” including Charlie’s socks on the floor, his shoes by the door, and his vitamins on the counter.
She then directly addressed her detractors, adding, “That’s how it’ll stay. I don’t say that because I need one more thing for this world to judge me on, quite frankly they’re already at capacity, and none of it shakes me.”
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In the months after Charlie’s assassination, Erika’s behavior has come under public scrutiny, with people criticizing her for laughing, wearing glittery clothing, and making efforts to sell Charlie’s final book.
In an audio recording recently leaked by Owens, Erika can be heard giggling with the Turning Point team about how much she hated Zoom and describing Charlie’s memorial service as “an event of the century.”
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During the audio clip, reportedly recorded two weeks after Charlie’s assassination, Erika also expressed excitement over merchandise sales. She said, “I think we’re at like 200,000 for merch sales. Don’t quote me on that, because I think it just keeps bumping up like crazy.”
She added, “It’s weird to say I’m excited. I really hesitate saying that. It’s really hard for me to say that. It’s a really weird thing to say.
“But I think it comes from a space of peace, knowing that God is using this and we’re humbly witnessing the gospel in real time.”
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