In the months since Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a speaking engagement, his widow, Erika Kirk, has made numerous public appearances.
Erika has been criticized by some observers who believe that she’s been too oriented toward business and publicity in the wake of her husband’s death.
Now, she’s taking flak for an entirely different reason.
During one of her recent media events, Erika hugged a controversial country singer, and many observers believe that the interaction was not as innocent as it seemed.
Erika and Jason’s awkward moment goes viral
It all went down at the Fox Nation Patriot Awards, where Erika received an award named in honor of her late husband.
The award was presented by country singer Jason Aldean, who is no stranger to controversy himself.
At one point in the ceremony, Erika and Jason hugged, and many viewers felt that the display went on too long and was generally too affectionate — especially as it all went down in front of Aldean’s wife.
You can watch the moment below at about the five minute mark.
“Whatever happened to a good ol respectful handshake?” one person wrote (via Yahoo! News).
“Extremely inappropriate!!!! And shame on Jason for doing it!” a second commented.
“He tried to pull away at least once and she held him tighter and pulled him back in,” a third chimed in.
Defenders lash out at critics for making mountain out of molehill
Of course, Erika also had plenty of defenders who insisted that she and Jason did nothing wrong.
“I wasn’t bothered. I think it’s all being taken out of context,” one person commented.
“Oh my God, people make big deal out of nothing. That’s just a hug of appreciation,” another added.
“Let’s not make more of this than it has to be.. Just stop!!” a third chimed in.
This is not the first time that Erika’s public displays of affection have attracted controversy.
Last month, she got flak for hugging J.D. Vance and comparing the vice president to her late husband.
After a few memes and some light jesting, the public mostly moved on from that situation — and we’re guessing that’s what will happen here too.