Political commentator and conspiracy theorist Candace Owens has been one of the loudest voices in the online ambush of Erika Kirk since the demise of her husband, Charlie Kirk.
Owens previously worked as a communications director at Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a conservative political youth group co-founded by Charlie, from 2017 to 2019.
Highlights
- A resurfaced 2019 photo of Erika Kirk and Candace Owens has users convinced about the source of their ongoing feud.
- Owens has leveled several bizarre allegations against Erika since the assassination of her husband, Charlie Kirk.
- Employees of Charlie’s nonprofit organization Turning Point USA, currently led by Erika, have been accused of plotting the attempt on Charlie’s life.
She reportedly was friends with the couple at one point.
Netizens floated a theory about what may have soured relations between Candace and Erika after a 2019 photo resurfaced.
“Seeing this photo, it makes sense why Candace is so jealous of Erika,” one user wrote on Instagram.
Candace Owens accused Erika Kirk of “manipulating” viewers about Charlie Kirk’s demise
Image credits: Candace Owens
On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated while giving a speech at Utah Valley University.
TPUSA’s board then appointed his widow, Erika Kirk, as the new CEO. The decision was allegedly made in keeping with her late husband’s wishes.
Erika soon started making several media appearances, embracing her new role. She even received a standing ovation at the State of the Union address, where she was honored by The US President.
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Erika’s choice of outfits at the events, along with the pomp and pageantry of her entrances, being in stark contrast to her emotional speeches led many to make fun of the newly widowed mother of two.
The internet was flooded with memes about her public events, with some comparing them to the grand entrances of pop singers or professional wrestlers.
Erika kept appearing on podcasts and keynote events to talk about the tragedy and her subsequent duty toward TPUSA for months on end, at which point critics were exasperated.
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“Erika Kirk’s grieving widow gimmick is stale bread” — comments like these took over social media.
Candace Owens, who was reportedly asked to quit TPUSA after controversial comments about Adolf Hitler, joined in on the criticisms against Erika. She raised questions about Erika’s public appearances representing TPUSA, as well as her conduct at Charlie’s funeral.
Candace Owens launched a podcast video series for further takedown of Erika Kirk
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In February 2026, Owens launched a multi-episode video series titled Bride of Charlie, the latest attempt in her serialized takedown of Erika. She took things further and alleged that Erika had lied about her whereabouts around the time Charlie was assassinated.
“Erica [said she] was in the hospital with her mom,” Owens said. “That's a lie.
“I'm tired of pretending that Erica was not using her Instagram to manipulate us, okay?” she continued. “You don't go from ‘My mom doesn't want to be posted on Instagram, I don't post my mom on Instagram’ for two years, to I'm now going to post her in a frail condition two days before Charlie gets assassinated. That feels manipulative to me.”
Image credits: Candace Owens/Facebook
Erika posted a video with her mother, who was seemingly bedridden at the time, on September 8, 2025.
Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old man from Utah, has been charged with aggravated m*rder in Charlie’s homicide, with a preliminary hearing due in May. The FBI has confirmed that evidence suggested Robinson was acting alone.
Elsewhere in the podcast series, Owens insinuated that Erika was born male — a claim she had previously levied against Briggite Macron, France’s First Lady.
Netizens believe Candace Owens’ “hatred” for Erika Kirk began on her wedding day
Image credits: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Owens’ ongoing series has kept the spotlight on her and Erika’s bitter feud. It has led to an old photo of the two together from Owens’ wedding day going viral online.
In December 2019, Owens married entrepreneur and former chairman of Turning Point UK, George Farmer. He is the son of British statesman and House of Lords member Michael Farmer.
Erika, who was dating Charlie at the time, posted a picture with Owens and Becki Falwell, wife of Jerry Falwell Jr., an attorney and former president of Liberty University.
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“CONGRATULATIONS to the gorgeous Candace Owens on her wedding day!” Erika wrote. “May God continue to bless you & George as you start page one, chapter one, of one of the greatest love stories God has ever written.”
Users recently dug up the post and left comments condemning Owens’ verbal attack on Erika, given that the two looked friendly in the picture.
“I just don’t understand why she’s doing this,” one person said. Another wrote, “Why is Candace dehumanizing Charlie's wife, children and his family business?”
Image credits: Candace Owens/Facebook
One user shared the post on X and speculated if this was the moment when Owens started feeling differently about Erika.
“Candace Owens got all dolled up for her Wedding Day only to be effortlessly outshined by Erika Kirk,” the user wrote. “This is where Candace’s villain arc began.”
Several others agreed with the individual.
One said, “Looks like a very fake smile on [Candace Owens].” Another commented, “Absolutely mogged her.”
Image credits: mrserikakirk/Instagram
“Candace looks like the least happy person in that photo,” a third tweeted. “Weird for her wedding day.”
“You can tell this is how she really felt,” one said, sharing an angry-looking GIF of Amy Poehler from the sitcom Parks and Recreation.
“She’s extremely jealous of white women,” a person speculated. “I hate to make it racial, but it’s true.”
“Now I see why Candace is so obsessed with Erika!” another commented. One more chimed in: “Envy k*lls.”
Erika Kirk blasted Candace Owens for accusing TPUSA staff of plotting Charlie’s homicide
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In the Bride of Charlie series, Owens claimed that Charlie’s assassination was an “inside job” by TPUSA employees, possibly with foreign help from Israeli, French, and Egyptian governments.
She also claimed that Erika had been followed by Egyptian aircraft during her travels and that her family had connections with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Call me what you want,” Erika responded to Owens’ allegations in a FOX News interview in December 2025. “Go down that rabbit hole, whatever.”
Image credits: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
“But when you go after my family, my Turning Point USA family, my Charlie Kirk show family, when you go after the people that I love, and you’re making hundreds and thousands of dollars every single episode going after the people that I love, because, somehow, they’re in on this? No.”
Erika also dismissed the Egyptian airplane theory while speaking to CBS: “If you want to go through my flight log, go right ahead. It’s very boring. You say I was here on this date. I have a photo on my phone to prove that I actually was in the hospital because I was having contractions.”
"Brutally mogged." The internet reacted to a resurfaced photo of Candace Owens and Erika Kirk at the former's wedding
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