Erika Kirk Addresses Calls For Her To 'Go Back To Being A Stay-At-Home-Mom' As Critics Slam TPUSA CEO Role

Erika Kirk has finally addressed criticism over stepping into her late husband's role while managing the responsibilities of raising their two children.

The TPUSA CEO assumed the position months after her husband, Charlie Kirk, was tragically killed at an event for his nonprofit last year.

In response to the backlash, Erika Kirk emphasized that taking over her late husband's role was not a "business opportunity" but a way to honor his legacy.

After months of criticism for taking over Charlie Kirk's role instead of remaining a stay-at-home mom, Erika Kirk addressed the backlash in a recent speech.

The speech was shared online via her late husband's nonprofit social media accounts, the same organization she was made CEO in the wake of the right-wing influencer's death.

Erika began by clarifying that she had always run a business even before marrying Charlie and had designed it to be self-sufficient so she could focus on both her marriage and motherhood.

"I get this question: 'You were a stay-at-home mom, that's what you should go back to doing.' A lot of people don't realize that before I met Charlie, I had my own company, and I still do," Erika said in the viral footage.

"I built it in a way that when I got married and had children, it could run on its own. I didn't have to do day-to-day," she added.

Erika then went on to directly address negative comments about her new role as Charlie's successor, explaining that it wasn't planned and that she chose to take it on to honor her late husband's legacy while also providing for their children.

"Unfortunately, I did not see my life being like this," the mother of two remarked. "So, when people are like, 'Oh, so she's now in this role,' I am honoring what the lord has put in front of me, and I'm also honoring my husband's request. And now I have to be the sole provider for my children."

She also slammed comments that she was in it for the money and fame, a narrative that has been pushed by both netizens and high-profile podcasters like Candace Owens.

"This is not a business card opportunity. There is something very Biblical in a woman honoring her husband and stepping up and standing in," the TPUSA CEO shared.

"My focus is on making sure my children are amazing, young, Biblically-aligned little humans, but again, your life is so much greater than just this blip on a radar," she also remarked.

The shared speech drew mixed reactions from netizens in the comment section.

Several showed support for Erika, emphasizing how it must be difficult to act in Charlie's place while still mourning his demise.

"The strength it takes to lead while grieving is something most people will never understand. Charlie's legacy is in good hands. Praying for Erika. She looks beautiful, as always," one netizen noted.

"The sound in her voice…..She didn't ask for this life that has been bestowed upon her. It's not what she would have wanted - at all. But, she deserves grace in this transition of hers," another user remarked.

Amid the praise, some netizens doubled down on their criticism of Erika, particularly on her juggling her new role as CEO with motherhood.

"Nobody cares what she thinks about motherhood," one critic commented. "She abandoned her role as their mother, when they needed her the most, to go on book tours and take over a multimillion-dollar 'non-profit.'"

"You wanted this position all along, but Charlie was in the way," another individual said.

One more wrote, "Go home and take care of your children. You don't need to be ceo."

Erika Kirk's speech also comes days after her late husband's friend, Owens, debuted a documentary series in which she examined the mother-of-two's life to highlight alleged inconsistencies.

The podcaster alleged to have found that Erika misrepresented her date of birth and disputed her claim that she was raised solely by her mother following her parents' divorce.

Owens also claimed that Erika and her mother, Lori Frantzve, were eager for fame even before Erika met Charlie Kirk, adding that Lori often coached her daughter on how to "work the room" when interacting with high-profile individuals.