Arizona’s far-right media prince Charlie Kirk posted the same photo to X and Instagram — with one minor difference. Can you spot it?
GO DUCKS 🦆 pic.twitter.com/ZgxOPjDpvC
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 13, 2024
Immediately, users of the social media began roasting Kirk for wearing earplugs in the picture, taking Kirk’s propensity to refer to men who aren’t masculine enough for his taste as “beta males” and throwing it right back at him.
“Watch on your couch if you’re gona wear ear plugs,” Boston Sports Bros replied. Another called Kirk’s earplugs “Charmin soft.” An account called Davey Draft Picks wrote, apparently tongue-in-cheek: “I don’t wear ear plugs because I just don’t trust the science.”
Plenty of others said slightly more hurtful things.
In an apparent attempt to tamp down his beta-ness, Kirk shared the same selfie on Instagram two days later. This time, though, his earplugs had been edited out.
Social media users dragged him even more.
“HAHAHAHAHA bro photoshopped out his ear plugs cause it’s not ‘masculine,’” wrote one account. Another noted that “editing the ear plugs out of the original photo because people made fun of you for being beta is extra beta.”
Phoenix New Times reached out to Kirk via email and through a contact portal on the Turning Point USA website, asking questions about why Kirk edited out the earplugs and if he felt pressured into doing so by the social media backlash. He has not responded.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wearing ear protection at a loud sporting event. But if your brand is judging the masculinity of others — saying things like “This whole idea of the beta male is one of the most disastrous and disgusting things I’ve seen in my life” — you should probably be able to handle being teased about it.
