Erika Kirk Under Scrutiny As Photos Her Mar-a-Lago Gala Go Viral

Erika Kirk’s black-tie gala has sparked backlash over the cost of attendance. The event, hosted at Mar-a-Lago, reportedly charged as much as $10,000 per plate.

Nearly a thousand people were said to be in attendance, suggesting a significant influx of revenue for Turning Point USA, the nonprofit previously led by Erika’s late husband, Charlie Kirk.

Erika Kirk was also photographed grinning widely while hosting, prompting many to question her grieving process a few months after Charlie’s passing.

Earlier in the week, Erika played host to many TPUSA supporters at a fundraiser held at Mar-a-Lago.

According to reports that circulated online, the event was held to raise funds for the nonprofit as part of the tribute to her husband, Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September.

While such an event wouldn’t typically seem out of the ordinary, it led to Erika being scrutinized when alleged details of what it cost to attend the event also emerged.

It was speculated that each attendee paid a whopping $10,000 per plate, with high-profile names like the head of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Fabián “Chiqui” Tapia, being one of the many to have attended the occasion.

The number of attendees was also said to be around a thousand, although neither the statistics nor the amount per plate has been officially confirmed.

Online, the cost of the plate led to comments about Erika being a grifter, a notion that has gained widespread attention ever since Erika began making more media appearances in recent weeks.

“Grifting, not grieving,” a netizen noted, while another said, “Grieving? More like laughing all the way to the bank.”

A third person commented, “I’ve had periods that lasted longer than Erika Kirk’s grieving period.”

Erika, dressed in a black evening gown, was also scrutinized for her cheerful demeanor, evident in some of the pictures she posed with attendees.

“If my husband had died the way hers did, I still would be struggling to get out of bed,” a user commented.

“Happiest widow I have ever seen,” another person sarcastically remarked.

Elsewhere in the comment section, many netizens also pushed theories suggesting that Erika and TPUSA were somehow involved in Charlie’s death.

These theories have gained traction in recent weeks, with popular podcasters like Candace Owens echoing similar remarks.

Seemingly tired of all the noise, Erika called for an end to it during an upcoming town hall set to air over the weekend on CBS.

The grieving widow asked the political commentator, who was a close friend of her late husband, and other similar individuals to stop propagating such ideas.

However, she did not indicate whether any legal action would be taken if they continued to do so.

“Stop. That’s it. That’s all I have to say. Stop,” the mother of two told CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.

Erika’s remarks drew a response from Candace Owens, who had previously delivered a scathing analysis of the widow’s recent Fox News interview.

According to Owens, she has no problem with Erika’s request for the theories to stop.

However, she will only do so if the mother of two can point out any lies in her earlier comments about the circumstances surrounding Charlie’s death or in her recent criticisms of Erika.

“So, Erika would like me to stop lying, and I would like to honor that,” Owens said in a conversation on her YouTube channel.

“I can only honor that if Erika is more explicit in terms of what I have lied about, she ranted on. “Where am I lying? Because I would like to stop if you can tell me.”

The political commentator then doubled down on her request for real answers regarding Charlie’s death.

Owens noted, “We’re three months in now. We are still getting rehearsed answers, and I feel like what is missing from all this is, I don’t know, like passion? Normal passion, not like this ChatGPT feeling of well, ‘we all need to unite around the mission.'”

Owens’ brutal criticism of Erika went further, as she also questioned her ability to run Turning Point USA as the new CEO.

The right-wing commentator especially took aim at Erika’s warning for conspiracy theorists to back off her TPUSA staff, whom she called her family.

“[Erika is] expanding the wings of people that we’re not allowed to critique because they’re in the family,” Owens claimed. “I hate to say this…but this is why there are many people who do not believe that women are equipped to lead companies.”

“Because what you are watching here is an unbelievably emotional response that is absent of any logic,” she added.

Although Erika has asked Owens to “stop” with the stories about Charlie, she has yet to fully address all the comments made by her as a feud between the two women brews.