Erika Kirk has gained sudden fame in recent weeks, but her meteoric rise began under some of the most horrific circumstances imaginable.
As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Erika’s husband, Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed last month during a speaking engagement at a Utah college.
In the weeks since, Erika has become an overnight celebrity, and this week, her sudden rise has resulted in both an unexpected honor and some new criticisms about her past.
Erika Kirk honored by Time magazine, slammed by social media users
On Wednesday morning, Time magazine released its Time 100 Next list. The magazine describes the honorees as “The World’s Most Influential Rising Stars.”
Erika earned a spot, along with a very flattering write-up from the magazine’s editors.
“Few would have faulted Erika Kirk if she had stood before tens of thousands at her husband’s memorial and demanded retribution,” Erika’s profile begins.
“Instead, 11 days after Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at a university, his 36-year-old widow offered something rare in today’s politics: forgiveness.
“Now raising two young children without her husband, what Erika Kirk models to America’s political leadership is the strength of resilience and grace.”
Of course, like her late husband, Erika holds some controversial views, the most extreme of which, many believe, cross the line into dangerous bigotry.
As a result of this controversy, the praise she’s received has been countered by concerns about her rise to fame.
Erika Kirk’s past receives new scrutiny
From pageant contestant to casting director to fashion mogul to CEO of Turning Point USA, Erika has certainly worn a lot of hats over the course of her young life.
And as the public learns more about her colorful past, some social media users have raised doubts about the compatibility of all those roles and the consistency of her beliefs.
On Tuesday, one X user posted a photo of Erika from before her marriage to Charlie.
She’s seen posing in a New York City stairwell and modeling a sweatshirt from Italian luxury brand Fendi.
The caption, “…what she order? Fish fillet?” is a line from the Jay Z-Kanye West album Watch the Throne.
It’s a different image than the one that Erika has been projecting in more recent years, and the contrast has led some to question her authenticity.
“She really lived 400 different lives before becoming a soulless demonic right wing grifter,” wrote one commenter.
“The way that Charlie would condemn this behavior for anyone other than Erika,” another added.
“I just know Charlie would have called this masculine and immodest if it wasn’t her posting it,” a third chimed in.
Needless to say, the public remains sharply divided on the matter of the Kirks and their influence on society.