Thank you for writing this and sharing such a personal and hard story. I know it took awhile and wasn't easy. I can't imagine the grief you went through, but you are spot on with every word on Erika. She's more than a grifter from her husband's death, she is evil incarnate. In fact there are so many weird and unanswered questions about his assassination and who was really behind it, that it wouldn't surprise me if she was part of the plan. I know that sounds crazy, but the world right now is absolutely crazy.
Thank you, Obie, for reading it with that level of care and support! I needed to stay anchored in what I know to be true, not what felt incredibly tempting while writing such an emotionally charged piece in a moment this distorted. What is clear and documented is how quickly Charlie Kirk’s death was folded into a new ideological branding, with Erika at the helm.
I am so sorry for the tragedy you’ve experienced. As others have said, you are an exceptional writer. I followed you on X and Bluesky and am so glad to see you here, as I’ve left all social media except Substack.
Losing a partner is something one cannot understand unless you’ve been through it. My life partner died of cancer at 51 in 2014. Eleven years later, I can say my grief has transformed into love and memories, good and not. Lisa was an extremely damaged person, but she loved me with her whole heart.
Grief does not grow smaller with time; we grow around it. Time does not heal; it makes the waves come farther apart, and they knock us down less.
You’ve far more compassion for Erika Kirk than I do. She’s a charlatan. I wish you peace and send love and support. 🫂💜
Thank you for this, Paula. I’m truly sorry about Lisa. Anyone who has lived through that kind of loss knows there’s a before and an after, and no bridge between them except survival. We learn how to stay standing when the water hits between waves.
As for Erika, I probably do have more patience than she deserves. Some of that is because I know how fragile the early days are. Some of it is because I am very deliberate about where I place my anger. But no, I don’t disagree with you. Charlatan is not an unfair word.
Thank you for your kindness. Wishing you so much peace.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. eriKa KirK. Is just as bad as both donnie little dick and her dead husband. I wonder if he'd be proud of her? I would have felt sorry for her and I do still feel sorry for the children but for this blatant propagandised play for the money. Grifting in these circumstances is especially abhorrent!
🥺 wow. I'm so incredibly sorry. This was a jolt. I was expecting this to be a humor take down. When the agonizing reality hit, it did so with gusto. Forget these grifter creeps, your story stands alone and tragically moving. I'm sure that was supremely painful to revisit. Wishing you strength in your journey. NSD
Ah! It didn’t have my opening snark. I get it. And thank you, NSD. You’ve shown me great kindness here. I needed to write this to hopefully unflatten the spectacle of widowhood. I’ve nothing for her or her ilk.
This is such a strong piece. It felt early on like she invited a team into a war room to figure out how to weaponize this moment. I respect the grieving process, but what we’ve seen her roll out is not that.
Thank you, Jeff. That dissonance is exactly what forced me to write this, because grief in its real form is often painfully unpresentable. No love lost here for Charlie, by any means, but I’m sick of watching her husband’s life and death be deployed in service of a far right political agenda.
Multi — there’s reporting on Charlie taking x amount from several turning point corps so as to be extra opaque on who gets what / got and continues to now
Thank you for letting me know I wasn't the only one that saw and believe your most accurate description of how this is playing out! I don't mean to dismiss what her and her children have lost. But corruption runs deep.
Thank you for speaking up on the reality of grief. I don't know what Erika claims to be feeling, but it isn't grief for a deceased loved one. Her behavior, make-up and costumes scream "new lover" not grieving widow.
🫂 You are a truly remarkable writer, and an absolutely genuine human being.
The Tammy Faye connection is a direct hit on Christian nationalism as accurate as that of a Peregrine Falcon, and shines the brightest light on that which is the most despicable… just how much of a facade it all is!
Thank you, Terry. I tried to write this piece a dozen times and kept getting stuck until I accepted one hard truth. Erika is grieving, but she is also Charlie’s legacy. And instead of softening, her commitment to this grotesque strain of Christian nationalism has only hardened into more hate. Once that clicked, the Tammy Faye comparison wrote itself.
😊 the octopus is my chosen emoji for a warm hug, for some time now…
And yes, the legacy of Charlie certainly faded in my mind from that of a bully who relied on the Dunning-Kruger effect to berate and belittle young adults to that of a buffoon who’s wife, who by all standards of societal decency should have been a heartbroken and inconsolable human, basically unbuckled JD’s pants on live television. What brazen tactics are these but to sell the hatred of the callous souls living in those putrid meat suits. I despise this brand of manipulation and will fight it with you till I have nothing left to give.
I truly wish more people were like you, not in the sense of being profoundly heartbroken, but for being able to articulate with impactful words your raw exposed nerves in a way that is not divisive and hurtful. Your truth is heard, seen, and felt by me.
Your words land hard and I’ve read your pain — so thank you for your time to write to me. When grief is absorbed into ideology it stops being human and starts being useful for division, and that is where the danger lives. I don’t need people to share my pain or mirror my language. I need them to see clearly and refuse to be manipulated by performance dressed up as faith. Knowing this landed with you, and that you recognized the line I was trying to draw, genuinely matters to me. 🐙
Such a powerful and moving piece. It sounds like your husband left a legacy that many can only dream of.
Thank you for writing this and sharing such a personal and hard story. I know it took awhile and wasn't easy. I can't imagine the grief you went through, but you are spot on with every word on Erika. She's more than a grifter from her husband's death, she is evil incarnate. In fact there are so many weird and unanswered questions about his assassination and who was really behind it, that it wouldn't surprise me if she was part of the plan. I know that sounds crazy, but the world right now is absolutely crazy.
Thank you, Obie, for reading it with that level of care and support! I needed to stay anchored in what I know to be true, not what felt incredibly tempting while writing such an emotionally charged piece in a moment this distorted. What is clear and documented is how quickly Charlie Kirk’s death was folded into a new ideological branding, with Erika at the helm.
Yes, it’s a crazy world right now.
These people are literally the spawn of satan…zero principle or character…pure grift and spectacle. God help us.
You meant to say “Gd help them” 😏
I am so sorry for the tragedy you’ve experienced. As others have said, you are an exceptional writer. I followed you on X and Bluesky and am so glad to see you here, as I’ve left all social media except Substack.
Losing a partner is something one cannot understand unless you’ve been through it. My life partner died of cancer at 51 in 2014. Eleven years later, I can say my grief has transformed into love and memories, good and not. Lisa was an extremely damaged person, but she loved me with her whole heart.
Grief does not grow smaller with time; we grow around it. Time does not heal; it makes the waves come farther apart, and they knock us down less.
You’ve far more compassion for Erika Kirk than I do. She’s a charlatan. I wish you peace and send love and support. 🫂💜
Thank you for this, Paula. I’m truly sorry about Lisa. Anyone who has lived through that kind of loss knows there’s a before and an after, and no bridge between them except survival. We learn how to stay standing when the water hits between waves.
As for Erika, I probably do have more patience than she deserves. Some of that is because I know how fragile the early days are. Some of it is because I am very deliberate about where I place my anger. But no, I don’t disagree with you. Charlatan is not an unfair word.
Thank you for your kindness. Wishing you so much peace.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. eriKa KirK. Is just as bad as both donnie little dick and her dead husband. I wonder if he'd be proud of her? I would have felt sorry for her and I do still feel sorry for the children but for this blatant propagandised play for the money. Grifting in these circumstances is especially abhorrent!
I’ve exactly no room for white Christian nationalism.
🥺 wow. I'm so incredibly sorry. This was a jolt. I was expecting this to be a humor take down. When the agonizing reality hit, it did so with gusto. Forget these grifter creeps, your story stands alone and tragically moving. I'm sure that was supremely painful to revisit. Wishing you strength in your journey. NSD
Ah! It didn’t have my opening snark. I get it. And thank you, NSD. You’ve shown me great kindness here. I needed to write this to hopefully unflatten the spectacle of widowhood. I’ve nothing for her or her ilk.
Thank you!
This is such a strong piece. It felt early on like she invited a team into a war room to figure out how to weaponize this moment. I respect the grieving process, but what we’ve seen her roll out is not that.
Thank you, Jeff. That dissonance is exactly what forced me to write this, because grief in its real form is often painfully unpresentable. No love lost here for Charlie, by any means, but I’m sick of watching her husband’s life and death be deployed in service of a far right political agenda.
You might like my new book on TPUSA https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Mountains-Mandate-Dangerous-Christianize-ebook/dp/B0FQWJB4W3
Thanks for sharing, Matthew. Looks like a good read.
Erika Kirk isn't just in this for political gain, she's grifting for money, too. TPUSA made her and her late husband millionaires.
Multi — there’s reporting on Charlie taking x amount from several turning point corps so as to be extra opaque on who gets what / got and continues to now
Thank you for letting me know I wasn't the only one that saw and believe your most accurate description of how this is playing out! I don't mean to dismiss what her and her children have lost. But corruption runs deep.
It’s the scamvangelism I can’t get past. She is exactly who he was and it’s all hate.
Spot on. Well written. Sorry for your loss.
Thank you and thank you, Sharon.
This was dead on.
Well done.
Interesting comment 😏
I appreciate you reading me, Chris.
You're a great writer.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
Thank you and thank you !
Her narcissism is profound. Blah
Blah indeed.
Thank you for speaking up on the reality of grief. I don't know what Erika claims to be feeling, but it isn't grief for a deceased loved one. Her behavior, make-up and costumes scream "new lover" not grieving widow.
Thank you. I imagine she is feeling grief, but she is who her deceased husband was and I’ve no place for her choreographed performances.
Really well done.
Thank you very much, Gail.
🫂 You are a truly remarkable writer, and an absolutely genuine human being.
The Tammy Faye connection is a direct hit on Christian nationalism as accurate as that of a Peregrine Falcon, and shines the brightest light on that which is the most despicable… just how much of a facade it all is!
✌🏻💙🐙
I love the octopus!
Thank you, Terry. I tried to write this piece a dozen times and kept getting stuck until I accepted one hard truth. Erika is grieving, but she is also Charlie’s legacy. And instead of softening, her commitment to this grotesque strain of Christian nationalism has only hardened into more hate. Once that clicked, the Tammy Faye comparison wrote itself.
😊 the octopus is my chosen emoji for a warm hug, for some time now…
And yes, the legacy of Charlie certainly faded in my mind from that of a bully who relied on the Dunning-Kruger effect to berate and belittle young adults to that of a buffoon who’s wife, who by all standards of societal decency should have been a heartbroken and inconsolable human, basically unbuckled JD’s pants on live television. What brazen tactics are these but to sell the hatred of the callous souls living in those putrid meat suits. I despise this brand of manipulation and will fight it with you till I have nothing left to give.
I truly wish more people were like you, not in the sense of being profoundly heartbroken, but for being able to articulate with impactful words your raw exposed nerves in a way that is not divisive and hurtful. Your truth is heard, seen, and felt by me.
My respect is deep.
🐙
Your words land hard and I’ve read your pain — so thank you for your time to write to me. When grief is absorbed into ideology it stops being human and starts being useful for division, and that is where the danger lives. I don’t need people to share my pain or mirror my language. I need them to see clearly and refuse to be manipulated by performance dressed up as faith. Knowing this landed with you, and that you recognized the line I was trying to draw, genuinely matters to me. 🐙