Erika Kirk addresses White House Correspondents dinner attendance – Celebrity News – Entertainment

Erika Kirk is speaking out after facing backlash over her attending the White House Correspondents’ dinner on April 25, taking to her late husband’s The Charlie Kirk Show to share her blistering statement about the matter.

Kirk, 37, took over as the CEO of her late husband’s Turning Point USA and has become a massive face for the conservative and Republican movement following her husband’s death in September 2025 at the age of 31. He was shot and killed during a speaking event for the organization at a Utah college.

Now, after she was seen evacuating the Washington Hilton in tears after gunshots were heard at a security checkpoint at the event, leading to its abrupt cancellation and chaos, she is addressing her viral tears and the backlash over her being there.

Not only have some attacked her for her reaction, claiming it was over the top, but she has also faced criticism from followers for attending in the first place.

On the Wednesday, April 29 episode of the show, she took to the microphone to defend her decision once and for all.

Sporting a peculiar ensemble of a black long-sleeved top and black baseball cap pulled low over her blond hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail, Kirk firmly spoke out against her critics by saying she wanted to look the journalists in the eye who she said had been dehumanizing her for months.

“Everyone is asking why I even went to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. And it was because many of the journalists in that room have attempted to dehumanize me, and I wanted to meet some of them face-to-face, quite frankly,” she said.

“Why have a conversation about me when you can have a conversation with me?”

She then went on to detail an encounter she had with a reporter at the event, who she said she called out for “slander, lies and accusations” about both her and her husband’s death, before saying she found it fascinating how everyone was getting along at the dinner, but wouldn’t once they all got back to their respective offices after the weekend’s end.

“I said to her, you know what’s so interesting? This is my first time at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and I find it so fascinating the dynamic that’s going on right now,” she recalled.

“Because everyone is all dressed up and you guys are coming in and out of each other’s cocktail parties, and so, for one night, you are able to put aside all of your differences for the sake of freedom of speech. And then, by Monday morning, things will go back to being an absolute bloodbath between all of you.”

Kirk then smirked as she said the journalist replied by saying, “I know. Isn’t it special, right? Isn’t tonight so special?”

After sharing her response on social media, she still faced additional backlash, with many criticizing both her ensemble and her overall message.

“But why are you dressed like you’re about to rob a liquor store?” one person asked, while another questioned, “Why are you dressed like a sniper?”

“The performative BS and the horrible acting job are hysterical. Alsy, why are you channeling Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation video?” a third said, while a fourth wrote, “Who are you. Sarah Conor?”

“Combat Barbue needs a charisma upgrade; this isn’t working,” a fifth added.

Others urged her to take a step back from her public platform, saying she wasn’t helping her case.

“Nobody believes you,” they wrote. “Please drop this microphone, inherited without merit, and intellectually disappear from public discourse.”