She’s better known as the widow of Charlie Kirk and the CEO of his conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, but did you know Erika Kirk also has a country music connection?
That’s right: Back in 2012, Erika Kirk co-starred in a music video for Emerson Drive‘s song “She’s My Kind of Crazy.”
Read More: Charlie Kirk’s Death: Country Stars Pay Tribute
That video has resurfaced in light of Erika’s rise to national prominence following her husband’s death last September, and some fans have pointed out a couple moments from the video that are — well, peculiar in hindsight. (We’ll get to that in a minute.)
Watch the Country Music Video That Co-Stars Erika Kirk
Erika plays the role of a Vegas-bound bride with her on-screen love interest, Tyler.
The action starts on a dirt road, when Tyler pulls up in a vintage Ford to pick up Erika, who’s in a bridal veil.
After a quick close-up on a tattoo on Erika’s lower back — to match the song’s lyrics, and presumably a fake one applied for the video — the pair take off to Vegas, where they stroll the strip and take in all the sights.
A couple drinks later, Erika’s character talks Tyler’s into ziplining. They wave at the band, who are performing on the open upper level of a tourism bus, before heading to a wedding chapel and making things official.
A behind-the-scenes video from the shoot reveals that in real life, Erika wasn’t exactly as care-free as her on-screen character. She admitted that she was “deathly afraid of heights,” and was pretty nervous about the ziplining scene.
“I’ll survive, I promise you. I just don’t know what facial expressions I’ll have,” she says before suiting up for the zipline.
The location for the shoot was Las Vegas’ Fremont Street, a pedestrian-only tourist attraction that features a 1,500-foot-long overhead screen displaying free nightly shows.
That screen is prominently featured in the “She’s My Kind of Crazy” video, as Erika and Tyler zip under it during their Vegas experience.
What Are Fans Saying Today About Erika Kirk’s Appearance in a Music Video?
That ziplining scene is the most replayed moment of Emerson Drive’s music video, and it’s not because of the facial expressions Erika’s making as she confronts her fear of heights.
Many fans have pointed out that the camera points prominently toward the screen at the moment where “9:10” is written on the screen behind Erika.
It’s not clear what “9:10” refers to on the Fremont Street display, but viewers were quick to point out that it matches the date Charlie Kirk died, Sept. 10.
Emerson Drive, YouTube
They also noticed that Erika’s co-star, Tyler, has the same first name as Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man who was arrested and charged with aggravated murder after Kirk’s death.
Fans went various levels down what many referred to as “the rabbit hole,” and the speculation is indicative of the larger scrutiny and controversy that has surrounded Erika Kirk in the months since her husband died.
Dimitrios Kambouris, Getty Images
In that time, she’s become a public, political figure in assuming his role as the CEO of Turning Point, an organization that — notably, especially for country fans — is mounting its own show in protest of Bad Bunny’s upcoming half time performance at the Super Bowl. That lineup features Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett.
Read More: Turning Point USA’s Halftime Show is Here!
Much of the speculation surrounding Erika Kirk stems from conservative podcaster Candace Owens, who has frequently promoted theories involving Charlie being “betrayed” by those closest to him and suggested that his assassination could have been a military operation or included involvement from foreign governments.
CNN reports that Owens’ campaign spawned varying reactions among the world of public-facing MAGA figures, with some (like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly) defending her comments to some degree, and others (like Ben Shapiro and Nick Fuentes) condemning them.
Owens and Erika had a private meeting in mid-December and both agreed afterward it was “productive,” but Owens has not backed down on the bulk of her viewpoints.
Who Are Emerson Drive, the Band Who Hired Erika Kirk For a Music Video?
Emerson Drive was a Canadian country band headed by lead vocalist Brad Mates. They formed in the mid-1990s and released several albums, but their only No. 1 country hit was “Moments,” released in 2006.
The group’s popularity declined in the 2010s, and they were past their mainstream radio prime when they released “She’s My Kind of Crazy” in 2013. However, the song did place at No. 8 on the Canadian country chart.
Emerson Drive officially disbanded in 2024. None of the band mates have commented publicly on the renewed interest in their “She’s My Kind of Crazy” video.
See the Most Played Country Song from the Year You Were Born
Who had the most played country song during the year you were born? This list is a fascinating time capsule of prevalent trends from every decade in American history. Scroll through to find your birth year and then click to listen. Some of these songs have been lost through the years, many of them for good reason!
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
