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Why Druski’s Erika Kirk Video Matters

The comedian’s mega-viral sendup of conservative women is more important than you might think.

A screenshot from Druksi’s “How Conservative Women In America Act” video.

On March 25, Drew Desbordes, a comedian better known as Druski, released a video called “How Conservative Women in America Act.” Normally, a new Druski video wouldn’t be too big a deal; even though he is one of the most popular Internet content creators in the United States, his videos don’t usually drive the political news cycle. But this time was different.

You won’t get the full extent of this sketch without watching it, but it contains a series of vignettes featuring Druski, a Black man, made up through heavy prosthetics and costuming to look like a blonde white woman. Scenes include Druski’s alter ego:

Cheerfully entering a stage erupt with pyrotechnics and getting “ sturdy” to Tee Grizzley’s “ First Day Out” in front of several American flags;

Making vague “thoughts and prayers”–style comments about Iranian children killed by US bombs while the camera zooms into her hands displaying the “ sign of the horns”;

Recording a podcast while rambling, “I serve a righteous God…and that is why we say our prayers…and we are all his children…but when I say children, I mean like the Holy, Blessed Trinity…which is why I hold the Bible…,” punctuating her pauses with a sinister stare piercing the camera through bright blue contacts;

Declaring that we must protect American men, “especially all white men in America” because “those are the boys that we care about in this country…they are the ones who matter most,” to the comic dismay of the Black security guard standing behind her.

The video went ultra-viral, amassing over 400 million views across the major social-media platforms. More importantly, it led to weeks of outrage in conservative circles, primarily because of Druski’s undeniable resemblance in the video to Erika Kirk, the widow of the late Charlie Kirk and the current CEO of Turning Point USA (TPUSA).

It’s important to note at the outset that Erika Kirk is fair game for parody. While she is indeed a widow, she’s also a white Christian nationalist who ventures to put white men and boys first in society (as Druski depicts). TPUSA backs policies that physically, politically, and viscerally damage trans communities, women, non-Judeo-Christian religions, foreigners of all kinds, the flora and fauna of our Earth, and the future of all knowledge and government systems that, though questionable at times, we ought to defend.

While he never outright names Erika, the resemblance is beyond doubt.

The look, as well as the clear references to Erika Kirk’s ostentatious presentation in the wake of her late husband’s killing—best exemplified by her grand entrance at Charlie’s memorial service, with theatrics comparable to that of a WWE wrestler—was enough for people to make the link. Even Grok mistook the 31-year-old, six-foot-two Black man for the unfortunate widow. Several times.

But while Erika Kirk herself has stayed silent, other conservatives have hollered on her behalf. Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz called the video “Beneath contempt,” while commentator Meghan McCain fumed, “Some of you were literally birthed in hell.” Based on likeness alone, President Donald Trump—either unaware of, or, more likely, ignorant to—First Amendment protections of parody, advised Erika to take legal action: “Sue their ass off.”

All of this may seem trivial. But the saga exposes meaningful revelations about the state of internet culture, the fragility of the MAGA movement, and the enduring potency of some of the oldest fault lines in America. In short, this Druski video is more important than you might think.

Druski is a comedian, actor, and influencer who came up posting short-form comedy skits on Instagram, amassing almost 20 million followers across social-media platforms. He currently ranks number nine on the Forbes “Top Creators” list.

Druski produces ultra-viral, instant classics through his entertainment company “4lifers” and fake record label, “Coulda Been Records.” Auditions for the record label, held in major cities globally, sometimes draw more people than local elections, and videos of his American Idol–esque auditions maintain a steady viewership of roughly 8 million people. Featuring artists like Timothee Chalamet, Sexxy Red, and Snoop Dogg, Druski and his “Coulda Fest” tour sold out Chicago’s United Center, New York’s Barclays Center, and other arenas globally.

Apart from other instances of “whiteface,” Druski has portrayed people of other races, sexualities, and more—what naysayers neglect to call Latino-face, Muslim-face, African-face and whatever-the-hell-else-he’s-portraying-face. He has previously satirized Black Hebrew Israelites (“Those Spiritual Dudes on the street be AGGRESSIVE”), the beloved children’s educator Ms. Rachel (“Those Kid shows Behind the Scenes”), and—one of my favorites—evangelicalist mega-churches........

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