Erika Kirk's Pageant Days Scrutinized, As Alleged Ex Says He Was 'Warned' She'd Do 'Anything To Get To The Top'

Erika Kirk has been hit with more accusations from Candace Owens, who was previously good friends with her late husband, Charlie Kirk.

The podcaster has been running an investigative series into the life of the mother of two, with the latest episode alleging that Erika misrepresented how she first became involved in the pageant world.

Candace Owens also claims she spoke to one of Erika Kirk's exes, who claims they were "warned" by people in the beauty pageant world about the TPUSA CEO.

Before becoming Charlie Kirk's wife and now the CEO of his nonprofit organization, Turning Point USA, Erika Kirk had been deeply involved in the pageant world, even winning the Miss Arizona crown.

Erika has previously described her entry into pageantry as largely a matter of chance, claiming she received a letter informing her that someone had "nominated" her to participate in an event.

Those claims have since come under scrutiny by Candace Owens, who challenges that narrative in the third episode of "Bride of Charlie," a documentary series she has been running as an investigation into Erika's past.

"If you have to say you weren't groomed for something, you probably were," Owens said about Erika, seemingly referencing a resurfaced clip where she denied being groomed for pageants.

She added, "I should also add here that some pageant women disputed [Erika's] narrative; they wrote to us that she was just randomly invited. They said that minors, in particular, are not just freely solicited to join the pageant world and that their photo has to be submitted by a parent or a guardian. I'm not an expert on that."

To bolster her argument that Erika's involvement in pageantry was not a matter of chance, Owens pointed out that the mother of two actively participated in such events "every single year, from 2005 through 2012."

"Erika has been involved in pageants from the very beginning," Owens emphasized.

According to the podcaster, Erika's mother, Lori Frantzve, was the one who initially pushed her into pageantry at a young age.

Owens further alleged that the Turning Point USA CEO herself was also complicit, claiming that she had harbored ambitions for fame long before her public role today.

"Her mother is definitely the person who pushed that," Owens stated in the documentary. "Erika, without question, and anybody who's being objective and honest and looking at her history of the people that she's dated and the people wanted to be in close proximity to can guarantee that this girl wanted to be famous, like, very badly."

As part of her investigation, Owens said she contacted one of Erika's former partners, who she claims corroborated her theory that both Erika and her mother were driven by a hunger for fame.

"I mean, one of [Erika's] exes was very clear," the political commentator stated. "He said to me, 'I was warned by another person in the beauty pageant world that that girl will do anything to get to the top, and her mother will do anything to help her get to the top."

While it's unclear who said ex is, Erika reportedly once dated JT Massey, a man with whom she auditioned to compete on "The Amazing Race" in 2014.

Regarding the widow's past romantic life, Owens labeled her a liar for claiming she didn't date anyone for five years before meeting her late husband, Charlie.

"There is something casual about the way Erika lies and how she lies about her background, how she lies about whether or not she's had boyfriends, didn't date for five years. That's not true," Owens said in the second episode of her documentary.

She added, "It's almost like she glitches, and she doesn't remember. And there's an element of that that to me feels like information is being downloaded, like she's remembering things and can't quite remember it."

In her documentary, Owens also made remarks about Erika and her mother, Lori, centering on what she described as an alleged hunger for fame.

Owens claimed that Lori had "always been the person in Erika's ear," adding that she routinely encouraged her daughter to "work the room" whenever the former beauty queen found herself moving within high-profile social and political circles.

"She's this type of person that tells her who to go after in each and every room. She knows who those people are, who Erika should instantly transform into, what she has to say," Owens said of Lori.

Following the release of the third episode, online users continued to share their reactions, many of them appearing in the replies on Owens' X page, where she posted a link to the documentary.

Some fans found the documentary appalling and strongly criticized Owens for going after Erika.

"Candace, you missed your calling in life. You should have been a stand-up comedian," one wrote sarcastically.

Another netizen questioned the podcaster, "How can you look in the mirror and call yourself Charlie's friend? His children will eventually watch what you're doing - have you no shame?"

"Candace is criminally harassing the Kirk Family," one more wrote.

Conversely, some netizens appreciated Owens for her investigative work.

"The family tree made me throw in the towel. What a fraud these people are," a concerned user said.

One more commented, "Erica is surrounded by a tsunami of corruption! Like the corruption is EVERYWHERE and the waters run deep! Seems like almost EVERYONE in her life are very VERY bad apples!"