A viral Turning Point USA clip featuring Erika Kirk and Vice President JD Vance has ignited a storm online — and everyone’s got an opinion.
The footage, taken during a TPUSA event in Mississippi, appears to show Erika putting drops in her eyes before stepping onto the stage — where she later hugged Vance and said, “No one will ever replace Charlie, but I do see some similarities of my husband in JD, Vice President JD Vance.” What might have been intended as a heartfelt tribute quickly spiraled into an internet battlefield.
One user posted, “Just in case you didn’t believe Erika Kirk is a psyop, here’s her prepping fake tears before going on stage. You’re being played, MAGA.” Another piled on, writing, “Johnson’s no more tears shampoo major endorsement deal.” The sarcasm wasn’t subtle — and it set the tone for what followed.
Soon after, multiple AI-generated versions of the video began circulating — including one showing Erika dancing with Vance. The fakes blurred the line between satire and reality, leaving viewers unsure what they were even looking at. Was it a deepfake? Was it real? At this point, no one seemed to know.
Erika Kirk, widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is no stranger to controversy. Her husband’s death has remained a flashpoint in right-wing media circles, and it flared again when late-night host Jimmy Kimmel joked about the tragedy. Kimmel had linked her husband’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, to “the MAGA gang.” The backlash was swift — Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group even pulled Kimmel’s show for a time.
When Kimmel returned, he offered a careful on-air comment, but stopped short of saying sorry. Erika didn’t seem to care. “If you wanna say I’m sorry to someone who’s grieving, go right ahead. But if that’s not in your heart, then don’t do it,” she told Fox News.
Now, the internet has turned that defiance into a meme. The “no more tears” line became a trending hashtag, with users joking that Erika Kirk had scored her “first major endorsement deal” with Johnson’s shampoo.
As the jokes fly, others have come to her defense. Some say the pile-on is cruel given her recent loss. Others accuse her of playing into emotional theatrics to build her own following. And then there’s the more salacious corner of the internet — the ones speculating that her bond with JD Vance might go deeper than shared ideology.
Those rumors only intensified when New York Times contributor Shannon Watts tweeted that Vance would “announce divorce and marry Charlie Kirk’s widow by the end of 2026.” The post exploded, racking up 8.5 million views and more gossip than substance.
Meanwhile, Vance’s own comments about faith at the event — that he “hoped” his wife, Usha, would embrace Christianity — added another layer to the circus. Critics and pundits questioned whether those remarks, paired with the emotional TPUSA moment, could affect his 2028 presidential ambitions. Vance later clarified that his wife “has no plans to convert” and publicly praised her in an effort to shut down the noise.
But the noise hasn’t stopped. Neither Erika Kirk nor JD Vance has issued a formal statement about the allegations, the deepfakes, or Shannon Watts’ viral post. The clip keeps circulating, spawning new theories by the day.
Whether Erika Kirk was genuinely emotional or just “playing MAGA,” the bigger message might be this: in 2025, you can’t believe everything that trends — especially when everyone’s making money off the performance. (Watch the clip and some of the reactions below — including a few AI-generated curveballs.)
Just in case you didn't believe Erika Kirk is a psyop, here's her prepping fake tears before going on stage.
You're being played, MAGA. pic.twitter.com/O1mWpqrh1Z
— ❄️ Snow 🔻 Himbo ☭ (@SnowHimbo) November 1, 2025
