The statement was made by Erika at her husband’s memorial service in September of last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Newsweek\u00a0reached out to\u00a0Banall\u00a0and Turning Point USA for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why It Matters\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlie, a 31-year-old conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA,\u00a0was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. Erika became CEO and board chair of the organization after his death.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Erika has received both support and criticism in the months following her husband\u2019s death,<\/p>\n
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What To Know\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the viral TikTok video, Banall wears a blonde wig with blue contacts, a red blazer, a sequined red shirt, and black pants. She captioned the post, \u201cWe are Charlie\u00a0Kirk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In another\u00a0TikTok<\/a>\u00a0on Banall\u2019s page that has over 5 million views, Banall\u00a0lip-syncs\u00a0to\u00a0Erika Kirk\u00a0saying, \u201cStop.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0it,\u201d during a\u00a0CBS News interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n Banall\u00a0responded to the virality of the routine in a new video posted on\u00a0Tuesday, where she said, \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0me, Erika\u00a0Qwerk, a.k.a. queen of it\u00a0all\u00a0Lauren\u00a0Banall.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0a drag queen here in Los Angeles\u00a0if\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0new to my page or my content. Thank you so much for\u00a0all of\u00a0this incredible response to my Erika Kirk number,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0truly overwhelming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Banall\u00a0said she was thinking about \u201csomething good\u201d she could do following the viral videos.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat would Turning Point USA do? Monetize.\u00a0So\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0reignited a GoFundMe for the ACLU for a fundraiser,\u201d\u00a0Banall\u00a0said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0GoFundMe<\/a>\u00a0description\u00a0states, \u201cWe’ve re-ignited our Fund Rager page\u00a0benefitting\u00a0the ACLU so we can block the BS this next administration is doing in the courts! No kings, no grifters, no ICE! Any amount helps!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The fundraiser has raised over $3,600 so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n What People Are Saying<\/p>\n Banall’s routine has drawn mixed reactions, with commenters on TikTok writing, “Scared the heck out of me but I am here for Erika Kirk drag,” and “this is my favorite piece of political art i\u2019ve ever seen,” while a user on X<\/a> wrote, “This ‘Erika Qwerk’ freak is literally mocking a widow whose husband was just assassinated? Pure evil degeneracy. These twisted clowns think pain is punchline material. Sickening beyond words get this garbage off the streets.”<\/p>\n Do you have a story that\u00a0Newsweek\u00a0should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.<\/p>\n