'Everyone Grieves Differently': Erika Kirk's Public Mourning Sparks Debate as the Internet Turns Her Grief Into a Meme

Following the death of her husband, conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk has remained firmly in the public eye. Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson on 10 September 2025 at Utah Valley University while speaking about gun violence, a killing that shocked supporters and critics alike.

In the weeks since, Erika Kirk has given multiple interviews, assumed leadership of Turning Point USA, led AmericaFest 2025 with a pyrotechnic entrance, and promoted Charlie Kirk's final book. Her visibility has sparked intense online scrutiny, with many users focusing not just on her politics but on how she appears to be grieving.

Online, many people have drawn attention to her manner of grieving, with some turning it into a meme using the phrase 'Everyone grieves differently,' often accompanied by GIFs. Her public mourning has sparked debate, with critics calling out what they see as mockery directed at Erika and questioning whether her grief is being unfairly scrutinised.

Erika Kirk's Grieving Meme

The Erika Kirk grieving meme stems from the perception that her way of mourning differs markedly from what people typically expect.

The memes often juxtapose her highly visible public appearances with more conventional images of tearful grief, peaking between 27 and 28 December and attracting millions of views.

Her frequent appearances, media interviews, promotion of Charlie Kirk's final book, and a dramatic entrance at TPUSA's AmericaFest 2025—complete with pyrotechnics—did not sit well with many netizens.

Memes depicting her public 'grieving' range from captions such as 'Everyone grieves differently' to 'normal widows,' usually followed by a GIF or video highlighting her performances and stage presence.

Common formats of the meme include comparisons like: 'normal widows: "I miss my husband" — Erika Kirk:' or 'Everyone grieves differently — Erika Kirk.'

One particularly viral meme read, 'Erika Kirk 30 seconds after her husband is pronounced dead,' accompanied by a clip showing her seemingly ready to perform.

Another one accused, 'Her husband's death is like her winning the Super Bowl.'

Some comments crossed into overt mockery, with one user writing, 'Her husband is crying in the grave 🤣,' while another remarked, 'I'm so sorry, but every single one of these Erika Kirk memes is absolutely killing me. You're all HELL.'

People Defend Erika Kirk

Many netizens have found the meme funny, but not everyone took it well. Several people have come to defend Charlie's widow and her way of mourning.

Supporters such as Tim Pool have described the mockery as sick and defended her right to feel bittersweet joy amid Bible verses and rally energy.

On his X post, he wrote: 'I don't understand what Erika has done to be constantly mocked and ridiculed like this. Our society is sick and dishonourable.'

People responded to his post, sharing what they had observed about Erika following her husband's death.

One wrote: 'Probably because her husband was brutally executed in front of the entire internet and she's parading around with WWE entrances three weeks later.'

Another resonated with the comment, adding: 'You don't understand why this woman is being mocked? Alternating between talk about retribution and forgiveness and doing WWE Christian grifting events, basically trying to soak up the spotlight while cramming the Bible into middle schools and high schools. Fuck off, dude.'

One user even shared their mother's experience, saying: 'I dunno, man. When my dad died, my mum didn't have pyrotechnics and PAC money to comfort her, so she sorta stayed in bed for a while, inconsolable.'

Others remained supportive of the TPUSA chairwoman and CEO. One wrote: 'Insulting a widow isn't the flex you think it is.' Another echoed: 'The left's obsession with her needs to be studied. Dare I say cult-like behaviour.'

Eric Daugherty, Chief Content Officer at Right Line News, also posted an excerpt from one of Erika's interviews. The caption of his post quoted Erika saying: 'If myself or Charlie spent every single second responding to every accusation, responding to every insult, every judgement – we'd get NOTHING done. We just wouldn't.'

Another quote from her reads: 'I'm not gonna ask God to remove those people from my life. It just makes me stronger.' One comment on the post said: 'Great mindset. Let the noise be noise and push forward.'

Despite the widespread memes and criticism, Erika has remained silent and has not directly addressed any of the backlash about her grieving. During a question-and-answer session with Nicki Minaj, she resonated with the rapper's approach to handling hate.

The Super Base singer said, 'I didn't notice.' Erika replied, 'Amen! I feel the same way. When people ask, "What do you think about them?" I'm like, "I don't think about them."'