Erika Kirk has faced backlash for taking on the role of president of Turning Point USA. Among the critics was her late husband Charlie Kirk’s friend Candace Owens — and now, she’s addressing the controversy.
“I get this question: ‘You were a stay-at-home mom, that’s what you should go back to doing.’ A lot of people don’t realize that before I met Charlie, I had my own company, and I still do,” Erika, 37, said in a video clip shared by Turning Point USA on Wednesday, March 4, via X.
She claimed that she “built” her company “in a way that when I got married and had children, it could run on its own” and she didn’t have to “do day-to-day.”
“That’s the beautiful thing,” the former Summer House guest star said. “Young women in here, if you do create a company or business, and you’re an entrepreneur, build it in a way that it sustains itself so that when you do find your husband and you have children, family, that’s your main focus.”
“Unfortunately, I did not see my life being like this. So, when people are like, ‘Oh, so she’s now in this role,’ I am honoring what the Lord has put in front of me, and I’m also honoring my husband’s request,” she continued. “And now I have to be the sole provider for my children.”
Craig Hudson – Pool via CNP / MEGA
Charlie was known for his controversial views before his death, including his thoughts on women’s roles.
“Young women, they don’t value having children,” Charlie told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in 2025. “Trump voters, young men, they want family, children and legacy. Young women who voted for Kamala Harris, they want careerism, consumerism and loneliness.”
Many people felt like Erika taking on the role of president after Charlie’s death was in direct contradiction to his views, and she was often called out online.
“I think the mistake they’ve made, and I’ve said this on my podcast, [Erika] should never have become the CEO and chairman overnight,” Candace previously said in a TikTok video she shared on December 8. “They should have put in place an interim CEO. That’s what any company would do.”
Charlie was shot and killed during the first stop of his American Comeback Tour on September 10, 2025. Erika was elected as the new CEO of Turning Point just eight days after Charlie’s murder.
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