Erica Kious is the owner of eSalon in San Francisco was the victim of a death hoax in 2020.
In early September 2020, Kious, 45, appeared multiple times on Fox News after it emerged that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi used Kious’ salon in violation of San Francisco’s rules during the coronavirus quarantine.
On September 21, a Facebook post appeared alleging that Kious was found dead. The post said that Kious was “found dead behind a pizza shop.” At the time of writing, the post remains online.
On October 14, a satirical news article was posted also alleging that Kious was found dead. In the article, Kious’ name was misspelled as “Kiosk.” The headline read, “Hair Salon Owner Found Dead, Pelosi Has Ties to Henchman.” The description of the news site calls it “Satire for flat earthers, Trumpsters, and Y’all Qaeda.”
Kious Has Been Active on Her Various Social Media Pages Throughout October 2020
Instagram/Erica KiousErica Kious pictured on her Instagram page on October 14.
There is no evidence suggesting that Kious has died. Given the media attention Kious attracted in September 2020 following Pelosi’s visit to her salon, her death would have been covered by both local and national news outlets.
Kious was active on her Instagram page 11 hours before the publication of this article. Kious posted a meme to her Instagram story calling for the recall of California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. While six hours before that, Kious posted the above photo to her Instagram page advertising a pro-Donald Trump necklace she purchased. Kious has also been active on her Twitter page throughout September and October 2020.
In the Fallout of the Pelosi Scandal, Kious Says that She Received Death Threats
Facebook/Erica Kious
On September 27, Kious posted a photo on Facebook of two pieces of hate mail that were allegedly sent to her salon. One began with the words, “B**** that you are – so glad you had to close your salon!” The other called Kious “pathetic and a traitor.”
In a September 2 interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Kious said that she had received death threats since the Pelosi incident. During that interview, Carlson asked Kious if she would remain in San Francisco, the salon owner responded by saying, “I think I’m pretty much down now.”
Kious appeared on Carlson’s show again on September 10 and said, “I am actually done in San Francisco and closing my doors, unfortunately. I’m actually afraid to go back. It’s a little scary and sad. I do have a lot of positive calls and text messages from clients. But other than that, nothing but negativity.”
A GoFundMe Page That Was Set Up to Help Kious to Begin a New Business Has Raised Close to $350,000
The Sacramento Bee reported on September 16 that a “top official” in Placer County in northeast California named Bonnie Gore invited Kious to open a new salon in her county. Gore said in part, “While you may already know your next destination, I would like to invite you to consider setting up your next salon here. Our arms are open to hard-working small business owners.”
A GoFundMe page that was set up to aid Kious in the wake of the Pelosi scandal raised a total of $336,346. The description of the page says that all of the money raised will go directly to help Kious to begin a new business.
The Washington Post reported on October 13 that a fake Twitter account purporting to be Kious was removed by the social media giant’s administrators.
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