Erika Kirk's eyes inspire drag queen's routine
Plus: Deported man gets away with jewelry heist...
Greetings!
Here are the latest trending internet culture stories today:
A drag queen in Los Angeles is paying homage to Erika Kirk and her icy stare in a new performance.
Even Joe Rogan, of all people, is starting to question the Trump Administration’s motivations behind ICE.
This story about the government deporting a man accused of being a part of a $100 million-dollar heist is one for the books.
Til the next one,
— W.J.
⚡️ Today in Internet Culture
“The eyes…”: Drag queen’s “Erika Qwerk” parody of Erika Kirk draws cheers, outrage, and discourse
Erika Kirk, who took over Turning Point USA after her husband Charlie was killed on Sep. 10, 2025, has become fodder for drag queen comedy. Critics have posited that she seems far too comfortable in the spotlight, to the point that her flashy TPA appearances became the subject of a massive meme trend across X last year.
Now, LA-based drag queen Lauren Banall is taking the parody a step further, donning Kirk’s signature bright colors to perform as “Erika Qwerk” in performances racking up millions of views across TikTok.
Joe Rogan suggests Trump is using ICE to distract from the Epstein Files: “They said they released them, but what did they release?”
Joe Rogan, the most popular podcaster in the world, has made some surprising claims about Donald Trump—for him.
In the latest episode of his podcast, where he was joined by comedian Eshan Ahmad, he suggested that the current ICE raids and fraud investigation are being used by the administration to detract attention from the fact that they haven’t released all of the Epstein Files.
“Lowkey my hero”: ICE deports suspect in $100 million jewelry heist weeks before trial
The largest jewelry theft in U.S. history took an unexpected turn after immigration officials deported one of the accused conspirators before his criminal case could move forward.
The move reportedly surprised prosecutors and raised questions about coordination inside the federal government, with many questioning how a suspect tied to a $100 million heist could be sent out of the country mid-case.
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🕸️ Crawling the Web
🍀 The Dropkick Murphys shouted out Michael Fanone for wearing their shirt while confronting a Jan. 6 supporter
📝 James Gunn dropped the Superman script out of nowhere, and the fandom is locking in on missed details
🤳 “Zero views?”: Celebrities like Meg Stalter, Finneas say TikTok is censoring their anti-ICE videos
📱 Also, people are deleting TikTok because of its new privacy policy and ownership
✊ We finally got our first look at the He-Man: Masters of the Universe movie
🏠 Buy now, pay later for rent is being tested. Folks are alarmed
💇 Guy Fieri posts “new look” for his 58th birthday
🔥 Hot on the Dot
This was the most-read story on the Daily Dot yesterday:
➤ 25 of the best “foshur” memes seen around the web after Macron’s Davos speech