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By Marni Rose McFall
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Turning Point USA has responded angrily after Jennifer Welch, host of the liberal I’ve Had It podcast, labeled Erika Kirk, the widow of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a "grifter."
In an email shared with Newsweek, Andrew Kolvet, Turning Point USA spokesperson, said, "For Jennifer Welch to call Charlie's widow a 'grifter' is so beneath contempt that it doesn't merit a serious reply."
Newsweek has contacted Welch for comment outside of regular working hours.
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Why It Matters
Charlie Kirk was assassinated during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, at the age of 31. He was the co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth movement, and was a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and a voice of MAGA for younger generations.
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Erika Kirk, 36, was chosen to lead Turning Point USA following the death of her husband, and is now the company’s CEO. She has taken on a more public role since her husband's death and promised to honor her husband by continuing his work.
She is the mother of Charlie Kirk’s two children, and previously had a career as a model, competing in beauty pageants and setting up the nonprofit Everyday Heroes Like You when she was 17.
What To Know
Welch spoke about Erika Kirk in a recent episode of her podcast, where she said Kirk is "an opportunistic grifter who weaponizes your gender to demean women, and you are a walking, talking, breathing example as to why nobody, number one, wants to be a Christian, and number two, wants to be a female hypocrite such as yourself." She added that she thinks Erika Kirk should be "Kicked to the curb."
"She is an absolute grifter—just like Donald Trump and her unrepentant, racist, homophobic husband was," Welch said.
In response to this, Kolvet told Newsweek that Welch is an "unfortunate soul" who "races to the bottom of depravity and cynicism on nearly every conceivable issue."
Welch’s remarks come after Erika Kirk was interviewed by The New York Times. In that interview, she spoke about New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and said, "I think there’s a tendency, especially when you live in a city like Manhattan, where, again, you are so career-driven, and you almost look to the government as a form of replacement for certain things, relationship-wise, even."
Kirk said in that interview that she didn't want women in New York City to rely on the government, and put off marriage and having a family. She said that she found it "ironic" and "interesting" that a large percentage of voters for Mamdani were women.
These remarks prompted criticism, as people have argued that Erika Kirk’s position on women and family is hypocritical, as she herself earned a degree and founded a nonprofit before getting married and having children in her 30s.
What People Are Saying
Andrew Kolvet, Turning Point USA spokesperson, in a statement to Newsweek about Welch: "I would say shame on her, but that would be assuming she has some. I sincerely hope she seeks the help she needs for whatever it is that has made her so profoundly unpleasant."
What Happens Next?
As the profile of both Erika Kirk and Welch continues to grow, public interest in both women is likely to remain significant, with their remarks and appearances generating traction online.
Latest update
As of November 9, 2026, at least 10 brands have ended advertising relationships, ruled out future placements or distanced themselves from I've Had It after hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan laughed at a joke about Charlie Kirk.
The companies include Cash App, Boll & Branch, Zenni Optical, Chewy, iRestore, Casper, Nobl Travel, Honeylove, HexClad and Monarch Money.
The hosts later apologized, calling the joke "insensitive" and saying they "should not have laughed."
Welch and Sullivan have since pushed back against criticism, releasing a new episode on Monday titled "Not Today, TPUSA" with the description: "Turning Point wants to cancel us."
Jennifer Welch told Newsweek: "We laughed at an insensitive joke. We regret it, and we apologized. We removed the segment from the episode because we oppose gun violence in all of its forms and made a donation to Everytown for Gun Safety to put our money where our mouth is."
Welch alleged that Turning Point USA was "leading the cancellation against us." She said the group "mocks violence and never apologizes."
She added: "We still have plenty of advertisers and we aren't going anywhere. Each and every day we will relentlessly fight for equality and justice for every American and we enthusiastically welcome the nearly 30,000 new followers that have come to our channel in the last few days."
That figure has not been independently verified.
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