Claim:
Time magazine named Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk in its “Top 100 Most Influential People of 2025” issue and featured her picture on the cover.
Rating:
Context
While Time magazine did not feature Erika Kirk on its list of The 100 Most Influential People of 2025 in April and the magazine covers shared in Facebook posts with that claim were fake, Time did include her name on its list of the world’s “most influential rising stars” that September.
A rumor that circulated online in October 2025 claimed Time magazine named Turning Point USA’s CEO Erika Kirk — the wife of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk — on its “TIME100” list of the Top 100 Most Influential People of 2025 and featured her picture on the cover. According to the rumor, a room full of people gave her a standing ovation after a person announced her name for the annually released list.
In one prominent Facebook post (archived), on Oct. 24, a user managing the Down Home Country page shared an alleged Time cover showing Erika Kirk wearing a crown, dress and sash appearing to read, “Miss Arizona USA.” The cover displayed the date April 28, 2025, and the text, “The Most Influential Person. ListCEO and Chair of the Board, Erika Kirk.”
(Down Home Country/Facebook)
The post’s multi-paragraph text caption, featuring a link to an advertisement-filled WordPress blog article, began as follows:
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY: Erika Kirk Has Been Named One of TIME Magazine’s “Top 100 Most Influential People of 2025.” The moment her name was announced, the entire room rose in a standing ovation. From the quiet wife of Charlie Kirk to a symbol of faith and resilience, Erika has written a journey that defied every expectation.
Other Facebook pages hosted the same claim. Snopes received website searches asking whether the magazine truly named her to its “most influential people” list.
In short, no, Time did not include Erika Kirk in its “TIME100” roster of The 100 Most Influential People of 2025. That list was released in April 2025, months before Charlie Kirk’s shooting death on Sept. 10.
According to the Facebook “page transparency” tab appearing on numerous pages, users residing in Vietnam promoted this false rumor, including with fake Time covers displaying pictures of Erika Kirk. Those posts featured fabricated stories generated with artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, as well as links leading to advertisement-filled WordPress blog articles, also containing AI-written text.
The AI-powered, Vietnam-created rumor — designed to collect advertising revenue from the WordPress blog articles — possibly originated, at least in part, due to Erika Kirk’s name appearing on a different “TIME100” list announced around three weeks after her husband’s death.
On Sept. 30, days after Turning Point USA announced Erika Kirk would take over as CEO and board chair, Time named her on its list of The World’s Most Influential Rising Stars.
Time didn’t feature Erika Kirk on any of its three released covers for “TIME100 Next.” The fake Time covers featuring Erika Kirk used the same backdrop as actor Demi Moore’s “Most Influential People of 2025” cover image.
Snopes contacted a manager of the Down Home Country page to ask about the fictional stories displayed on its feed, and will update this story if we receive more information.
How AI fueled the Erika Kirk rumor
The wording of the Down Home Country post on Facebook was similar to the way AI tools have constructed other fabricated stories, building to forward-thinking, dramatized and inspirational conclusions. For example, the post ended as follows:
Standing on that stage, Erika spoke with grace and humility, dedicating her honor to “everyone who chooses hope over heartbreak.” Her words echoed through the room — a reminder that influence isn’t about fame or power, but about standing firm when life tries to silence you.
From grief to global recognition, Erika’s story is more than inspiring — it’s proof that light can still rise from the darkest places, and faith can turn tragedy into purpose.
The WordPress blog article also displayed a dramatized ending, a clue to its AI-generated roots:
As she left the stage, applause rose once more — not just for her achievements, but for the quiet dignity with which she has faced unimaginable loss and turned it into light.
Erika Kirk, now officially one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025, has become more than a name in a headline. She is a reminder that even in a fractured world, grace still has power, truth still has a voice, and love — even after loss — can still move nations.
ZeroGPT.com, a website that claims to be able to detect AI-written text, determined the majority of the article was generated with an AI tool. The Copyleaks.com website reached a similar concusion.
Other false, AI-powered rumors featured on the Down Home Country Facebook page have included the claim that ABC replaced “The View” with “The Charlie Kirk Show,” as well as another rumor alleging Erika Kirk turned down a $6 million offer from Netflix to license the same show bearing her late husband’s name.
For further reading, Snopes previously reported on an unsubstantiated claim alleging Erika Kirk was involved in child trafficking through a charitable project in Romania.
Sources
“AI Detector – Free AI Checker for ChatGPT, GPT-5, Gemini & More.” Copyleaks, https://copyleaks.com/ai-content-detector.
“AI Detector – Trusted AI Checker for ChatGPT, GPT5 & Gemini.” ZeroGPT.com, https://www.zerogpt.com/.
Colvin, Jill, and Jonathan J. Cooper. “Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point Taps His Widow as Its next Leader. Questions about Its Future Remain.” The Associated Press, 18 Sep. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/turning-point-charlie-kirk-erika-kirk-trump-ff9141ca3fd5b8f1a103e7eb03f7535b.
“Meet the 2025 TIME100 Next.” TIME, 30 Sep. 2025, https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2025/.
Popli, Nik. “Erika Kirk Is on the 2025 TIME100 Next.” TIME, 30 Sep. 2025, https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2025/7318829/erika-kirk/.
“The 100 Most Influential People of 2025.” TIME, 16 Apr. 2025, https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/.
“TIME Reveals the 2025 TIME100 List of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.” TIME, 16 Apr. 2025, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/time-reveals-the-2025-time100-list-of-the-100-most-influential-people-in-the-world-302430061.html.
“TIME Reveals the 2025 TIME100 Next List of the Leaders Shaping the Future.” TIME, 30 Sep. 2025, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/time-reveals-the-2025-time100-next-list-of-the-leaders-shaping-the-future-302570225.html.
