Viral Photo Claims to Show Erika Kirk Posing With Alleged Charlie Kirk Shooter — Here’s the Truth

An image circulating online that appears to show Erika Kirk, the wife of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, posing with the man accused of killing him has sparked massive outrage on social media. However, the image has been proved to be AI generated.

Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old man, was charged with shooting and killing Charlie Kirk in September 2025. Robinson faces several felony charges, including aggravated murder, according to Utah prosecutors.

Authorities said, Robinson fatally shot Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 while Kirk was speaking at an outdoor event.

A widely-shared thread post, which has since been archived, dated February 25 showed an image appearing to depict Erica Kirk standing beside Robinson. Although the image was AI-generated, the user who posted it claimed it was authentic. The caption on the post read “Well, look here, who is this guy? I think we had some Kirk on Kirk crime! No AI or Photoshop.”

However, the image showed clear signs of being AI-generated. Searches on platforms including Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, found no news outlets or independent political blogs reporting that such a photo existed. Many outlets would have reported it, if the image would have been real.

The image appeared to combine an AI-generated likeness resembling Erica Kirk’s appearance from a CBS News program, Town Hall, which was aired in December 2025. CBS reported the image also appeared to show a likeness of Roinson wearing a shirt and tie similar to what he wore during his court appearance on January 16. The AI-generated scene depicted the pair together in a moment that did not actually occur during the Town Hall or Robinson's court appearances.

It remains unclear who originally shared the image online. The first known source of the image has not been identified.

A TikTok user reached out to Snopes, the fact-checking organization, and said, “I found the picture on Facebook, can't remember who posted it. I do remember seeing the poster saying it came from Erika Kirk’s Instagram account.”

After the claim, researchers searched Erika Kirk’s Instagram account, but found no evidence that the image had ever been posted there.

The AI-generated image also showed Erica Kirk wearing the same outfit, hairstyle, and cross necklace and lapel microphone that she wore during the filming of the CBS News program Town hall with Erika Kirk which was hosted by the chief editor of CBS News, Bari Weiss.

Further analysis of the circulating image revealed additional inconsistencies. In the AI-generated picture, Kirk appears to be turned to her left with the left hand placed on her head. However, during the extended broadcast of the CBS News Town Halll program, she is never seen turning left and placing her hand in that position. These discrepancies, along with several other visual inconsistencies, indicate the image circulating online is AI-generated.