Leaked Call Exposes Widow’s SMILE

A widow giggles and praises merchandise sales just days after her husband’s assassination, exposing raw nerves in conservative leadership.

Story Snapshot

Candace Owens leaks TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk’s internal Zoom call five days post-Charlie Kirk’s death, showing her smiling amid staff grief.
Erika Kirk demands loyalty checks and boasts of 200,000+ memorial merch sales, sparking conspiracy theories on her demeanor.
TPUSA faces morale collapse and donor risks as Owens frames the episode as power grabs and mistrust.
Conservative circles divide between Owens’ exposé and defenses of Erika’s resilience during transition.

Charlie Kirk’s Assassination Triggers Leadership Crisis

Charlie Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012, building it into a conservative powerhouse for youth activism. Assassins killed him around September 10, 2025, creating instant turmoil. Erika Kirk, his widow, stepped in as CEO days later. Staff reeled from shock as the organization pivoted under her command. This swift handover set the stage for a leaked call that would ignite public fury.

Erika Kirk Addresses Staff in Leaked Zoom Call

Erika Kirk hosted the Zoom call around September 15, 2025, with aide Stacy Sheridan by her side. She opened giggling about hating Zoom, then shifted to grief protocols. Employees received instructions to journal private memories of Kirk and report to the office instead of isolating. Kirk pledged job security, vowing to fight for every position. She dismissed pre-assassination priorities as irrelevant.

Loyalty Probes and Merchandise Celebration Emerge

During the call, Kirk revealed staff faced questions on loyalty and private conversations. One termination followed soon after, per Owens’ account. Kirk praised the memorial as the event of the century, complete with fireworks. She highlighted over 200,000 merchandise units sold, calling it a triumph. Her beaming tone contrasted sharply with expectations of widow’s mourning, fueling unease.

Candace Owens Releases the Footage

On January 23, 2026, Candace Owens announced on X her possession of the call and termination audio. TPUSA had sent her a cease-and-desist over prior Kirk death coverage. Three days later, on January 26, she dropped the full video on YouTube to her 5.75 million subscribers. Owens portrayed it as proof of internal fear, scrutiny, and Erika’s power consolidation.

TPUSA stayed silent, neither confirming nor denying authenticity. Online reactions exploded with shock, many echoing sickness at Erika’s joy. Defenders saw resilience in her job-fighting stance and organizational focus. Common sense demands leaders project strength in crisis, yet optics matter—giggling amid fresh graves invites doubt on true grief.

Conservative Movement Fractures Under Scrutiny

Short-term fallout hits TPUSA staff hardest, with eroded trust and firing fears. Conspiracy theories question Erika’s mourning legitimacy, politicizing Kirk family pain. Long-term, lawsuits loom over the leak, while donor flight threatens finances despite merch windfall. Conservative media rifts deepen, pitting Owens’ whistleblowing against TPUSA stability.