“Erika had been married before Charlie?”: JT Massey is Erika Kirk's “former fiance” claim goes viral ahead of Candace Owens meeting

Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, is trending on social media as netizens have been discussing her relationship history before she began dating Kirk in 2019. In particular, netizens have been sharing images of Erika and her former boyfriend, JT Massey, who some are claiming she was engaged to.

The claim that Erika had a fiancé before she finally married Charlie in 2021 have been going viral in the wake of her impending meeting with conservative podcaster Candace Owens. Owens has been making uncorroborated claims against Turning Point USA, the organization founded by Charlie and currently run by Erika, accusing it of financial misconduct and conspiracies tied to Charlie’s death.

The claim that Erika had a fiancé before marrying Charlie spread when images from an alleged engagement photoshoot went viral. The images involved Erika posing with a man, later identified as JT Massey.

The viral claim was addressed by many netizens, who began discussing Erika’s past relationship history. Many netizens were surprised by the claim that Erika was either married or engaged before her marriage to Charlie. However, many people on social media also jumped to the TPUSA CEO’s defense, arguing that it was unfair to discuss Erika’s dating and relationship history prior to her marriage to Charlie.

One netizen expressed interest in Erika’s past relationships, and wrote on X,

“Erika had been married before Charlie?”

Erika had been married before Charlie? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/zMK7jKvqQ0

— Ginny Robinson (@ImGinnyRobinson) December 14, 2025

Another netizen responded to the story about Erika and her alleged former fiancé, and remarked,

“She was married before? wtf”

Many netizens, however, took to X to share that even if Erika was previously engaged, her past relationships are not relevant anymore. One internet user wrote on X,

“Please STOP! This women is grieving, we don't give care about her past fiancé. Why does it matter? Leave her in peace, good lord isn't she going through enough?”

Another netizen expressed that Erika being engaged previously did not merit an investigation, and added,

“So, she dated dudes before getting married. She may have even been engaged!!! Did she ever say she never dated a dude before CK?”

A well-wisher of Erika reflected on the negative attention she has been receiving in the wake of her husband’s death, and wrote,

“This is legit nuts. The poor woman lost her husband & now has to raise 2 children alone. Going after her because she had relationships before Charlie is insane”

Meanwhile, another netizen added a sardonic spin to the viral claim, and wrote in defense of Erika,

“GUYS BREAKING NEWS ALERT. Woman had ex boyfriend 6 years before she got married…I genuinely don’t understand why this of all things is being brought up. The Candace crusaders are really something else.”

GUYS BREAKING NEWS ALERT 🚨

Woman had ex boyfriend 6 years before she got married…

I genuinely don’t understand why this of all things is being brought up. The Candace crusaders are really something else. https://t.co/7kNrUqCHIC

— Lucky Basseri (@politicallucky) December 14, 2025

Was Erika Kirk engaged to JT Massey before her marriage to Charlie Kirk?

The claim that Erika Kirk was once engaged to a man named JT Massey springs from a health journalist’s post. The journalist posted screenshots from a photography studio named Lunabear studios, which shared photographs of former couple, Erika Kirk (then Frantzve) and JT Massey in 2015. Before long, Grok, X’s AI chatbot, began referring to Massey as Erika’s fiancé.

However, claims that Massey was engaged to Erika have not been confirmed. An older article written by Erika makes a mention of Massey, however, he is only referred to as her boyfriend. At the time, Erika refers to Massey as her “favorite human and best friend,” and “conveniently enough my incredible boyfriend,” in Arizona Foothills Magazine.

Meanwhile, the studio which had posted images of Erika and Massey, has removed its accounts on social media.

Interest in Erika Kirk’s previous relationships has peaked since she has taken over TPUSA after Charlie Kirk’s death. Previously, false claims alleged that she was married to an individual named Derek Chelsvig before Charlie.