Conservative podcaster Candace Owens sought to draw a link between Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk and late convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a post on X, the former TPUSA member said “More people have come forward regarding what specifically Erika Kirk was doing at Next Model Management— in Epstein’s orbit in New York.” Owens added “I now hold the position that it is utterly immoral to defend Erika Kirk. These are questions that demand answers.”
Her claims led to a buzz about Erika Kirk’s name possibly being in the Epstein files. One person asked “what was Erika Kirk doing in the next model management in Epstein’s orbit in new York and was her name appearing in Epstein files, can we clear her as innocent regardless of her participation?”
Erika Kirk in Epstein files?
The claims about Erika Kirk being in the Epstein files was echoed by several other social media profiles. “We MUST INVESTIGATE AND FIND OUT WHOS RUNNING THE EPSTEIN OPERATIONS NOW. Is it Erika Kirk?, or Lou Taylor? Maybe Kris Jenner, or maybe all 3. We need to investigate every cabinet member that voted against releasing the names on the sexual misconduct files. We need to expose them,” one person wrote on X.
Another added “ERIKA KIRK IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILES!!! They forgot to redact her name on one of the documents.”
However, these claims are not true. HT.com can verify that Erika Kirk or Erika Frantzve, which is her maiden name, do not appear in the Epstein files. A search of the database as hosted by the Justice Department does not show any results for either of the names.
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Grok fact-checked the claims too, saying “Recent claims say Erika Kirk attended business meetings at Next Model Management in NYC (2015-2017), an agency tied to Epstein via co-founder Faith Kates. No verified evidence shows she met Epstein personally.”
The AI chatbot added “Her name does not appear in any released Epstein files or documents. No accusations or proof of criminal involvement exist. Business meetings alone don’t imply guilt—presumption of innocence holds without evidence.”
Owens has targeted Erika Kirk numerous times, as the podcaster has spread several conspiracies in the wake of Erika’s husband, Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September 2025, when he was attending a TPUSA event at the Utah Valley University. Most recently Owens had also questioned Erika Kirk’s qualifications after US President Donald Trump appointed her to the US Air Force Academy board.