However, Erika’s message ended with a promotion for Charlie’s last book, which sparked criticism from some corners. Detractors were quick to accuse her of opportunism, with one social media user sarcastically remarking, “Can’t be a Conservative Christmas message without ‘order now’ somewhere in the mix,” while another pointed out, “The grift is strong in this one.”

Since Charlie’s tragic death in September 2025, Erika Kirk has maintained a public presence. Just a week before Christmas, she spoke at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, donning makeup that drew some unfortunate comments. She has also participated in interviews where she has discussed promoting Charlie’s posthumous book and shared insights into coping with her grief, attempting to balance public scrutiny with personal loss.

The video ends with Erika encouraging viewers to grab a copy of Kirk’s last book in time for Christmas. Critics were unsurprisingly quick to label her an opportunist and a grifter. “Can’t be a Conservative Christmas message without ‘order now’ somewhere in the mix,” one user quipped on X, while another wrote, “The grift is strong in this one.”

Erika Kirk has remained in the public eye following the fatal shooting of her husband Charlie Kirk in September 2025. One week before Christmas, she spoke at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference in Phoenix (and wore some unfortunately leathery makeup for her speech). She’s also done interviews promoting Charlie’s posthumously released book and opening up about how she’s handled her grief since his passing.

According to Erika, this has been her way of honoring Charlie’s life and continuing his work. However, for many others, it comes across as self-serving. “Died four months ago. Been doing this for 11 weeks. Wasted NO time,” someone noted on Reddit. Others have found it pretty ironic that she’s touring and self-promoting instead of focusing on her children (she has two with Charlie). “You’d think she’d want to spend as much time as possible with her very young kids who lost their dad in a very traumatic, public way that they don’t yet understand – rather than palm them off on nannies and doing her pyrotechnic tour,” another person wrote on Reddit.

Erika had a clapback for those who thinks she’s doing it for attention and personal gain. On December 11, 2025, just two weeks before Christmas, she appeared on Fox News’ “Outnumbered” with Harris Faulkner to push back on the conspiracy theories and profiteering accusations against her. She said the criticism didn’t surprise her at all, as she and Charlie had been dealing with attacks long before he was murdered. She also stressed that she wouldn’t let the backlash stop her from doing what she believes her husband would have wanted. “I’m not going to sit in the corner and cry and be in a fetal position. This is a duty to my husband and it’s an absolute honor and I will never back down. So my message to them is to stop,” the current Turning Point USA CEO told her haters.