Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

“Was She Born A Male?!”: Bombshell As Candace Owens Allegedly Uncovered Erika Kirk’s Secret Early Years
Black and white photo of Erika Kirk as a child, related to alleged secret early years uncovered by Candace Owens.

“Was She Born A Male?!”: Bombshell As Candace Owens Allegedly Uncovered Erika Kirk’s Secret Early Years

21

ADVERTISEMENT

Conspiracy theorists have been flooding social media with ludicrous, far-fetched claims about Charlie Kirk and his widow, Erika, ever since he was assassinated last September.

The leading figure in this conspiracy niche appears to be Candace Owens, a conservative media personality who used to be close to Charlie and now frequently makes damaging accusations against Erika.

Candace has accused Erika of lying about her motivations following the loss of her husband, saying she is not “simply a grieving widow.” Now, the 36-year-old has released a docuseries titled Bride of Charlie, in which she claims Erika lied about her upbringing and background.

RELATED:
    Highlights
    • Candace Owens has fueled new conspiracy theories about Erika Kirk, the widow of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.
    • The podcaster released the first episode of ‘Bride of Charlie,’ a docuseries that investigates Erika’s life, beginning with her childhood and family.
    • One of her followers shared childhood photos of Erika and suggested that she was secretly born male.

    Candace Owens speaking into a microphone during a podcast discussing Erika Kirk's secret early years and rumored past.

    Image credits: Candace Owens

    The right-wing podcaster worked for Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA, the youth conservative organization he founded, serving as its communications director until 2019.

    In the first episode of her YouTube series, titled A Wrinkle in Time, Candace claims that Erika lied about being raised by a single mother.

    She showed childhood photos of the former beauty queen, some of which sparked another wild, unproven conspiracy theory about her life.

    Erika Kirk speaking into microphone during an event, highlighting controversy about her secret early years.

    Image credits: Gage Skidmore/Flickr

    “Candace Owens Just UNCOVERED Erika Kirk’s SECRET Early Years,” wrote @ProjectConstitu on X in a post that has amassed 4 million views and over 15,000 likes.

    “And It’s WILDER Than Anyone Expected… Was Erika BORN A MALE?!” the user continued.

    “Candace found Erika’s actual yearbook photos from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade at this school, and in one of them, Erika is dressed as a boy. Full boy’s outfit. Short hair. Posing like one of the guys.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Black and white childhood photos of Erika Kirk, linked to bombshell claims about early years and gender identity.

    Image credits: Candace Owens

    Screenshot of a social media post questioning Erika Kirk's early years in a discussion involving Candace Owens.

    Image credits: KayBayFitz

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Tweet discussing a comment on Erika Kirk's early years and Candace Owens related to a serviceman at the SOTU event.

    Image credits: millsphoto17

    ADVERTISEMENT

    While Candace has not made the same claim about Erika, she previously alleged that Brigitte Macron, the First Lady of France, was secretly born male—a comment that prompted a defamation lawsuit by the Macrons, who said it was not only false but part of a “campaign of global humiliation.”

    “Where tf did you get the ‘born a male’ part from? Cuz it wasn’t from Candace,” one user asked @ProjectConstitu in response to their claims about Erika.

    @ProjectConstitu claimed that the proof that Erika was born male lies in the fact that “Erika herself claims she was a ‘Tomboy.’”

    Close-up of a young child with blonde hair and a smiling woman, relating to Erika Kirk's secret early years.

    Image credits: Miss USA

    “Dude. I looked and dressed like that in 2nd grade too and I’m not a male,” responded one user.

    “To be fair a lot of girls had that haircut in the 80s/90s,” added another.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    In A Wrinkle in Time, published on Wednesday (February 25), Candace claimed Erika “lies over and over” and pointed out alleged inconsistencies about her upbringing.

    Young child smiling and hugging, related to Candace Owens uncovering Erika Kirk's secret early years story.

    Image credits: Miss USA

    ADVERTISEMENT

    The podcaster said Erika prides herself in being raised by a “strong, independent, entrepreneurial single mother [Lori Frantzve] who taught her how to be a good Christian,” but said her father, Kent Frantzve, was actually very involved in her life and at one point was a stay-at-home dad.

    Candace mentioned Erika’s September 2025 profile in The New York Times, in which she said she was raised by a single mother after her parents divorced in 1998.

    “The only problem is that it’s just not true,” the right-wing pundit alleged. “Erika was not raised by a single mother, like, at all. 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.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Screenshot of a tweet discussing Erika Kirk’s early years and Candace Owens uncovering a related secret.

    Image credits: AEK717190901

    Tweet from Holly Troxel discussing tomboy appearance and gender assumptions related to Erika Kirk's early years controversy.

    Image credits: HollyTroxel

    She then played a clip of Erika talking about stay-at-home dads during an episode of The Charlie Kirk Show podcast, sharing that her father was a stay-at-home dad for a few years, which was “really special” to her.

    Candace also claimed she had spoken with Erika’s former classmates and ex-boyfriends, who are “bewildered” about how she’s “representing that she does not have a relationship with Kent.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Young girl smiling at the camera wearing a yellow Scottsdale PV YMCA t-shirt, linked to Erika Kirk early years secret revealed.

    Image credits: Miss USA

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Additionally, the 36-year-old shared an image of Erika’s family tree and said her aunt, Karla, may actually be her biological mother.

    Erika’s behavior has been scrutinized since her husband, a right-wing political activist, was assassinated on September 10 while giving a talk to students at Utah Valley University. She later assumed the positions of CEO and chairwoman of Turning Point USA.

    The mother of two decided to meet with Candace in December 2025 in an effort to put their differences aside. Both women described the meeting as “productive” on social media.

    Couple posing by the ocean with smiles, capturing candid moment behind Erika Kirk's secret early years revelation.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: mrserikakirk/Instagram

    However, the next month, Candace leaked alleged audio of Erika describing her late husband’s memorial service as “an event of a century” and saying that the organization was “at, like, over 200,000 for merch sale.”

    “That’s moving pretty quickly to the acceptance phase now,” the podcaster told her 5.8 million subscribers. “We know everybody grieves differently. In my imagination, I just thought she would be more upset.”

    Social media users reacted to the conspiracy theories surrounding Erika Kirk’s life

    Tweet questioning how Erika Kirk had children with Charlie amid Candace Owens uncovering Erika Kirk's secret early years.

    Image credits: TopG563

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Tweet from Critical Thinker questioning Erika Kirk’s behavior amid Candace Owens’ revelation about Erika Kirk’s secret early years.

    Image credits: Truth_Seeker_14

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Tweet discussing Erika Kirk's early years and Candace Owens allegedly uncovering a secret about gender identity.

    Image credits: MR_ISF

    Screenshot of a Twitter reply discussing Candace Owens and Erika Kirk's alleged early years with a controversial comment.

    Image credits: Rissajohns

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Tweet discussing Candace Owens uncovering Erika Kirk's alleged secret early years and gender doubts.

    Image credits: John_M_Q

    Screenshot of a tweet discussing Candace Owens uncovering Erika Kirk’s secret early years with surprising claims.

    Image credits: State48Xer

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Tweet discussing Candace Owens in a controversial exchange about Erika Kirk’s secret early years and gender claims.

    Image credits: Alwaysseekthet1

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Tweet defending haircut similarities, discussing Erika Kirk's early years amid Candace Owens' allegations.

    Image credits: milove131

    Tweet discussing controversy over Erika Kirk's past and Candace Owens uncovering alleged secrets early years.

    Image credits: TheTruth4Every1

    Tweet by FretSlayer discussing Candace Owens uncovering Erika Kirk's secret early years, mentioning conspiracies and craziness.

    Image credits: fretboardslayer

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Screenshot of a tweet discussing boy haircuts and addressing claims about Erika Kirk’s secret early years.

    Image credits: PeleueSalu

    Tweet from Weather Girl discussing short haircuts and age in response to Candace Owens about Erika Kirk's secret early years.

    Image credits: MISTYFALLS1991

    Screenshot of a social media reply discussing Candace Owens and Erika Kirk's alleged secret early years controversy.

    Image credits: JNova_21

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Tweet discussing claims about Erika Kirk’s secret early years and questioning if she was born male as alleged by Candace Owens.

    Image credits: S0uprman

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Tweet disputing claims about Erika Kirk's early years, mentioning school pictures and hairstyle, related to Candace Owens.

    Image credits: 02091942Jay

    Tweet discussing Candace Owens and Erika Kirk's secret early years, questioning if Erika Kirk was born a male.

    Image credits: debrajay5

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Tweet discussing Erika Kirk's early years and Candace Owens allegedly uncovering a bombshell secret about her past.

    Image credits: akeith941

    Tweet discussing Candace Owens and Erika Kirk in relation to a controversial claim about Erika Kirk's early years.

    Image credits: conservewild777

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Tweet discussing Erika Kirk's appearance and denying the claim about being born male in Candace Owens' uncovered secret.

    Image credits: realVickiPero

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Tweet discussing Erika Kirk's early years and Candace Owens uncovering possible male birth secret.

    Image credits: bethe_church

    Poll Question

    Total votes ·

    Thanks! Check out the results:

    Total votes ·
    Share on Facebook
    Marina Urman

    Marina Urman

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

    Read more »

    With a degree in social science and a love for culture, I approach entertainment journalism at Bored Panda with a research-driven mindset. I write about celebrity news, Hollywood highlights, and viral stories that spark curiosity worldwide. My work has reached millions of readers and is recognized for balancing accuracy with an engaging voice. I believe that pop culture isn’t just entertainment, it reflects the social conversations shaping our time.

    Read less »
    Marina Urman

    Marina Urman

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

    With a degree in social science and a love for culture, I approach entertainment journalism at Bored Panda with a research-driven mindset. I write about celebrity news, Hollywood highlights, and viral stories that spark curiosity worldwide. My work has reached millions of readers and is recognized for balancing accuracy with an engaging voice. I believe that pop culture isn’t just entertainment, it reflects the social conversations shaping our time.

    What do you think ?
    Binky Melnik
    Community Member
    1 hour ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    “Erika herself claims she was a ‘Tomboy.’” 🙄Ah, nuts; my eyes rolled so hard that one of ‘em is now under the sofa and I can’t reach it. Nearly all of us went through a “tomboy” phase, even if it lasted only an afternoon, and no one’s ever said “So you were obviously born a boy!” likely because people know what a “tomboy” is. 🙄 But let’s pretend that tomboys are literally boys with XY chromosomes. So what, exactly? What does this prove? The stupidity of the American public is ramping up sooo fast these days that I fully expect people to soon be screaming at someone named Heather Boyd that her name is proof she’s a boy. The stupidity is waaay out of hand. We need to shut the net down for a few years to allow everyone’s brains a chance to heal before they become SO stupid that they’re unable to breathe, clothe, and feed themselves. I don’t like this chick any more than anyone else, but I’m NOT willing to go so far as to make up outlandish claims with meaningless “proof.” 🙄

    Jack McHue
    Community Member
    1 minute ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    People need to be slapped with lead bricks for such stupidity.

    DaisyGirl
    Community Member
    37 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Candacw Owen is an unpleasant person who is spotlight hungry

    Load More Comments
    Binky Melnik
    Community Member
    1 hour ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    “Erika herself claims she was a ‘Tomboy.’” 🙄Ah, nuts; my eyes rolled so hard that one of ‘em is now under the sofa and I can’t reach it. Nearly all of us went through a “tomboy” phase, even if it lasted only an afternoon, and no one’s ever said “So you were obviously born a boy!” likely because people know what a “tomboy” is. 🙄 But let’s pretend that tomboys are literally boys with XY chromosomes. So what, exactly? What does this prove? The stupidity of the American public is ramping up sooo fast these days that I fully expect people to soon be screaming at someone named Heather Boyd that her name is proof she’s a boy. The stupidity is waaay out of hand. We need to shut the net down for a few years to allow everyone’s brains a chance to heal before they become SO stupid that they’re unable to breathe, clothe, and feed themselves. I don’t like this chick any more than anyone else, but I’m NOT willing to go so far as to make up outlandish claims with meaningless “proof.” 🙄

    Jack McHue
    Community Member
    1 minute ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    People need to be slapped with lead bricks for such stupidity.

    DaisyGirl
    Community Member
    37 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Candacw Owen is an unpleasant person who is spotlight hungry

    Load More Comments
    Related on Bored Panda
    Popular on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda
    ADVERTISEMENT