Fact-check: Erika Kirk suing Whoopi Goldberg? Truth behind viral claim about JD Vance hug row

Viral claims that Erika Kirk is suing Whoopi Goldberg have been circulating online. Notably, these claims, from unverified profiles, have been widely shared on Facebook. According to these claims, Kirk, the widow of Turning Point USA founder, Charlie Kirk, is suing Goldberg, a co-host of the daytime talk show The View.

Erika Kirk is now the CEO of Turning Point USA, after her husband, Charlie, was fatally shot when attending an event at the Utah Valley University on September 10. According to the claims, Kirk is apparently suing Goldberg for a litany of reasons. Here's a look at what claims are being made.

Several profiles on Facebook amplified the claim that Erika Kirk was suing Whoopi Goldberg to the tune of $90 million.

“Erika Kirk Files a $90 Million Lawsuit Against Whoopi Goldberg: ‘She Turned an Innocent Hug Into an Adultery Scandal That Didn’t Exist’. In a move that legal scholars are already calling “emotionally ambitious,” Erika Kirk has reportedly filed a $90 million defamation lawsuit against The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg, accusing her of ‘turning an innocent hug into an adultery scandal that didn’t even exist — not even in an alternate timeline’,” one profile alleged.

Notably, a huge row had erupted over a hug between Kirk and Vice President JD Vance at the University of Mississippi Turning Point USA event, with many deeming her action improper.

Meanwhile, another claim said that the lawsuit was for $110 million. “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. Kirk accuses Whoopi of 'twisting an innocent compliment' about her on-air outfit into a veiled admission of intellectual property infringement," the allegation in the post read.

The post alleging the lawsuit continued, "Kirk emphasizes in the filing: '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.”

"Is the $110 million not just a lawsuit figure, but the key to unlocking the real SECRET behind that seemingly harmless compliment?", it added.

Notably, despite the claims, there is no official confirmation from Erika Kirk or Turning Point USA about any lawsuit against Whoopi Goldberg. Thus the claims amplified on Facebook appear to be false.

Another claim was widely shared that Goldberg had called Kirk a “Barbie” and a “T.R.U.M.P puppet." However, platforms like Snopes had already fact-checked this in the past. The false claim was first made sometime in September, after Kirk's assassination. It has resurfaced now, but remains untrue.

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