Candace Owens has raised questions about Eirka Kirk’s claim that she was raised by a single mother. In a new multi-part docuseries, Bride of Charlie, Owens claimed to expose Charlie Kirk’s widow’s upbringing and background.
“I will tell you my personal opinion and experience with her. What alarms me about Erika isn’t so much the fact that she lies, which we will prove to you over and over again, but it’s also the fact that I don’t know that she’s aware that she’s lying,” Owens alleged in a February 25 episode titled ‘A Wrinkle In Time’.
Owens accused Erika of falsely claiming that she was raised by a single mother, thus misrepresenting herself to the public.
Owens claimed that while Erika prides herself on being raised by a “strong, independent, entrepreneurial single mother [Lori Frantzve] who taught her how to be a good Christian,” her father, Kent Frantzve, was actually in the picture, and was even a stay-at-home dad at one point.
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Owens went on to reference Erika’s September 2025 profile in The New York Times, in which she said that being a single mother to her and Charlie’s two children was “actually the least traumatizing” aspect of her new life, as she herself was raised by a singer mother after her parents divorced. She described her mother as her “blueprint.”
Owens then said that Erika’s image is cultivated by “seeding the public with the idea that you can raise kids, and be a single mom, and also be a CEO and boss babe it.”
“The only problem is that it’s just not true. Erika was not raised by a single mother, like, at all,” Owens alleged, adding that Kent was “always” in Erika’s life.
“So much so that for entire years of her childhood, Kent was actually a stay-at-home dad. So almost the exact opposite thing was true at one point,” Owens added.
Owens played a video of Erika defending stay-at-home dads during a conversation with Charlie on an episode of The Charlie Kirk Show podcast, noting that her dad was a stay-at-home father for a few years.
“And I gotta say it was really sweet. And really special. I was 4,” Erika said in the clip.
Owens noted that Erika was 10 years old when her parents divorced in 1998, “so her father was very much a part of her early childhood and he did not stop being involved in her teenaged years either.” Owens cited conversations she had with classmates and past boyfriends of Erika.
Owens went on to mention that Erika had a stepfather, Larry Ginta, who was a “fixture” in her life “since before her parents’ divorce was ever finalized.”
Was Erika Kirk raised by a single mother?
Erika, who was born in Ohio, has maintained that she was raised by her single mother, Lori Frantzve, in Arizona. After welcoming Erika in November 1988, Lori divorced Erika’s father, Kent, and raised her as a single mother in Scottsdale, according to People.
Erika praised Lori in an April 2022 post celebrating her mother’s birthday month, thanking her for “being a breathing example” for her.
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“One of the greatest gifts of my life is to be your daughter, now and forever through every high, and every low,” she added. “No matter where life takes us. As long as I’m living your baby I’ll be.”
After Erika was crowned Miss Arizona USA in 2012, she told Arizona Foothills that she was drawn to pageantry as a way to serve other people, which was a value her mother had instilled in her.
“My mom used to take us to soup kitchens and constantly said we needed to share our blessings with others,” she told the publication. “When I learned that by competing I could touch more people, further my causes, I knew it was a chance to make a greater impact.”
AZCentral.com reported that Erika was raised Catholic and graduated from a private Catholic high school in 2007. Erika posted an Instagram photo of her and her mother worshiping in August 2021, thanking her for teaching her the importance of faith.
“Since day one you’ve taught me the importance of worship and living a life sold out for Christ – embodied by the way you live your life, with a servant’s heart,” Erika captioned the image. “Precious moments like this, fully experienced, but almost never captured, I cherish forever. I love you Mama Lo.”
Erika became a widow after Charlie, 31, was allegedly shot dead by Tyler Robinson on September 10 during an appearance at a campus event in Utah. The shooting happened around 12:20 pm local time during a student Q&A at UVU in Orem, per a statement from Utah Valley University (UVU).