Image of Erika Kirk standing on coffin, embracing JD Vance isn't what it seems

In November 2025, people on social media began sharing an image that showed Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance holding each other in an embrace on stage while Erika Kirk stood on a coffin.

The image was widely shared on X (archived), Threads (archived), Reddit (archived) and (archived) Facebook (archived).

This was not a real image of Erika Kirk and Vance embracing on stage. It was generated by artificial intelligence.

Various versions of the image posted to social media had watermarks featuring one of two social media handles: @PaulleyTicks and Tom.Adelsbach. These handles matched two profiles that appeared to belong to the same individual on different social media platforms: the X account PaulleyTicks and the Facebook account Tom Adelsbach. Both profiles linked to the same page on Buy Me a Coffee, a platform that allows people to financially support creators online.

The Tom Adelsbach Facebook account posted the oldest version of the image (archived) Snopes could find. Adelsbach's version of the image included a disclaimer in the caption that read, "Digitally altered photo #parody." Adelsbach's profile had a satire/parody label and a bio reading, "Changing the world by any 'memes' necessary."

Adelsbach posted multiple other edits of the same image, as well as other images depicting Erika Kirk standing on a coffin while with Vance.

The images of Erika Kirk on stage with Vance were spoofs based on a real hug between the two during a Turning Point USA event on Oct. 29, 2025. The hug can be seen at about 29:10 in this video of the two speaking during that event. There was no coffin on stage.

In addition to the lack of a coffin in the original video of the hug, there were other signs that the image with the coffin was AI-generated. The background of the coffin image appeared at first glance to match the background seen in the video of the hug, but several errors become apparent on closer look. For example, the word "Vice" appeared to be missing from the text introducing Vance in the coffin image, and "president" included an extra "E" at the end of the word. Additionally, the Turning Point USA logo in the coffin image was incorrect, as it lacked the arrow present at the top of the red portion of the real logo's circle.

The Fox News logo on the image was another piece of evidence that someone generated the image using AI. Enlarging the image makes it clear that the word "channel" at the bottom of the logo is garbled, a common error with text in AI-generated images.

In the months following Charlie Kirk's Sept. 10, 2025, assassination, people on social media began sharing a rumor without credible evidence that Erika Kirk and Vance were engaged in a romantic affair, a rumor that intensified following the hug at the Oct. 29 event. Snopes has previously fact-checked that rumor as well as other claims about Erika Kirk and Vance.