Fact Check: Did Erika Kirk sue Whoopi Goldberg over the JD Vance hug row?
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Viral social media posts claim that Erika Kirk is suing Whoopi Goldberg. These posts allege a multimillion-dollar lawsuit sparked by a hug controversy involving JD Vance.
Erika, the widow of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, has taken on a leading role in the organization following his death.
But how much of this story is actually true? Let’s find out.
Claim: Erika Kirk sues Whoopi Goldberg over viral hug
According to posts circulating on social media, Erika is alleged to have filed a lawsuit against Whoopi, the co-host of the talk show 'The View'. The lawsuit is for a figure ranging from $90 million to $110 million.
One version of the claim says that Erika has filed a $90 million lawsuit against Whoopi who 'Turned an Innocent Hug Into an Adultery Scandal That Didn’t Exist’.
The post further stated that legal scholars are already calling the move “emotionally ambitious,” and that Erika accused Whoopi of “turning an innocent hug into an adultery scandal that didn’t even exist, not even in an alternate timeline.”
Another post under a different version claimed: “Erika Kirk has taken the legal drama to the next level, officially filing a lawsuit against The View host Whoopi Goldberg for a whopping $110 million."
The post further says that Erika accused Whoopi of “twisting an innocent compliment” about her on air outfit into a veiled admission of intellectual property infringement.
She said, “‘That’s a beautiful dress, but manipulated the public into believing that was code for me stealing the design from a European fashion house. There was no copyright lawsuit, no such design existed outside of her imagination! This was intentional defamation.”
The posts further referenced a row that erupted over a hug between Erika and Vance at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi, with many deeming her action improper.
In addition to the lawsuit claim, the other posts asserted that Goldberg had called Kirk a “Barbie” and a “T.R.U.M.P puppet.”
Fact-Check: Erika Kirk did not sue Whoopi Goldberg
On review, there is no official confirmation from Erika or Turning Point USA that any lawsuit has been filed against Whoopi. Thus, the widely-circulated claims appear to be false.
The claim is coming from unverified social-media profiles, and no credible legal documents or announcements support the lawsuit narrative.
Searches on Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google, and Yahoo revealed no credible news reports about Goldberg making offensive comments about the Kirk family.
Such a story would have been widely covered by major media outlets if it were true.
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online
