📉 The Ratings Disaster: Advertisers Flee the Erica Kirk Town Hall

Erica Kirk’s attempt to cement herself as the new moral voice of the conservative movement hit a massive stumbling block this weekend. Reports from Variety and other industry insiders confirm that major “blue-chip” advertisers largely steered clear of her CBS News Town Hall with Bari Weiss.

Instead of the usual lineup of high-end brands, the broadcast was populated by direct-response marketers and non-profits like Operation Smile—a classic industry signal that mainstream corporate America is wary of the content.

The lack of commercial support serves as a grim backdrop to a performance that many viewers found jarring, rehearsed, and ultimately evasive. What was meant to be a coronation of a new leader turned into a case study in how not to handle a media spotlight.

🧘‍♀️ The “Pilates Class” Defense: Blaming Parents, Absolving Leaders

The night’s most viral and controversial moment came courtesy of Hunter Kak, the Utah Valley University student who was the last person to speak to Charlie Kirk before his assassination. Kak, bearing the trauma of that day, asked Erica a direct and rigorously fair question: Would she condemn the violent rhetoric of Donald Trump, specifically his calls for the execution of political opponents, just as she asks the left to condemn violence?

Erica’s response was a non-sequitur for the ages. She refused to say Trump’s name or address his rhetoric. Instead, she pivoted to a lecture on parenting, technology, and—bizarrely—exercise.

“Are you taking responsibility or are you giving them a device and saying, ‘Go down that rabbit hole. I’m trying to go to Pilates class,’” she scolded.

By shifting the blame for political radicalization from the most powerful man on earth to mothers trying to get a workout, Erica engaged in a dangerous deflection. She framed extremism as a “bottom-up” failure of the family unit, conveniently ignoring the “top-down” permission structure created by leaders who normalize violence. It was a “let them eat cake” moment that alienated viewers and highlighted a refusal to police her own political side.

🔨 The Hypocrisy Check: Paul Pelosi and “Bailing Out” Violence

Erica’s lecture on “seeds of evil” and “looking in the mirror” rang hollow for those who remember Charlie Kirk’s own contribution to the culture of violence. Internet sleuths quickly resurfaced a clip where Charlie Kirk mocked the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, suggesting that a “patriot” should pay the attacker’s bail.

“Someone should go and bail this guy out… and then go ask him some questions,” Charlie had said.

For Erica to now stand on stage and preach about the sanctity of non-violence, while refusing to acknowledge the toxicity her husband helped spread, struck many as the height of hypocrisy. The internet response was swift and brutal, with users labeling the performance “weird,” “unlikable,” and a transparent “grift.”

🤝 The Shock Truce: Meeting Candace Owens

Just as the digital backlash was peaking, Erica Kirk dropped a surprise announcement that shifted the entire narrative. In a move that surprised both her critics and supporters, she revealed:

“Candace Owens and I are meeting for a private, in-person discussion on Monday… public discussions, live streams, and tweets are on hold until after this meeting.”

After weeks of feuding, accusations of “weaponized sympathy,” and “Egyptian plane” conspiracies, the two women are calling a temporary ceasefire. Is this a genuine attempt at reconciliation, or a strategic pivot to stop the bleeding from a disastrous media cycle? Erica’s public image is currently in freefall; making peace with Candace Owens—or at least appearing to—might be her only play left to regain control of the conversation.

As the meeting approaches, the conservative world holds its breath. But for now, the image of Erica Kirk blaming Pilates moms for political assassinations remains the defining memory of her Town Hall debut.