Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk shared that she was "praying to God" she was pregnant when her husband, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was assassinated in September. "We wanted to have four," Kirk told "The Megyn Kelly Show" in an interview that is set to air Monday. "And I was praying to God that I was pregnant when he got murdered."
"I was like, 'Oh, goodness, that was going to be the ultimate blessing out of this catastrophe,'" she added. Erika Kirk, who shares a young daughter and son with Charlie, said they had been looking forward to growing their family before he was shot and killed on Sept. 10.
Shattered Dreams
"So, now when I see young couples, I tell them, 'Please, don't put it off.' Especially if you're a young woman. Don't put it off, you can always have a career, you can always, you know, go back to work. You can never just go back to having children. And they grow so fast and so quickly," she said.
"I just, I was praying. Both of us were."
Charlie was fatally shot in the throat on September 10 while speaking to students in Utah. Erika Kirk, a former Miss Arizona USA, married Charlie Kirk in May 2021. After his death, she was chosen to step in as the new head of Turning Point USA.
Erika also cleared the air about JD Vance during the interview. Erika finally shared what JD Vance whispered to her during the close, emotional hug they exchanged onstage last month — a moment that quickly fueled speculation online.
The vice president had appeared at a Turning Point event honoring Charlie Kirk at the University of Mississippi on October 29.
Erika, Charlie's widow, introduced Vance at the event, saying that he reminded her of her husband in both compassion and leadership, explaining that Vance "has a little of Charlie in him."
At the same gathering, Vance also drew attention for talking about his Catholic faith and noting that his wife Usha is Hindu. He said he hopes she might one day convert — comments that critics argued suggested her faith was somehow lesser.
Clearing the Air
When Vance walked onto the stage, he and Erika shared a long, emotional hug that immediately set off a firestorm on social media. Erika placed one hand gently on the back of his head, while he held her by the waist.
The embrace quickly became the focus of online criticism, with some saying the moment looked too personal. Others pointed out that it was clearly a raw expression of grief between two people who both cared deeply about Charlie.
Erika finally spoke about the hug publicly for the first time during an interview with Kelly at a live event in Arizona on Friday.
"So for those of you who know me, I'm very-," Erika said as Kelly finished her statement: "You're an intense hugger!"
"My love language is touch, if you will ... So I will give you a play by play. They just played the emotional video. I'm walking over, he's walking over. I'm starting to cry. He says, 'I'm so proud of you.' And I say, 'God bless you,' and I touch the back of his head.
"Anyone whom I have hugged that I have touched the back of your head when I hug you, I always say, God bless you."
Less than 24 hours after Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University in September, Vance and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, flew to Utah to help bring his body home to Arizona aboard Air Force 2.
Video from the scene shows the vice president accompanying Kirk's casket onto the aircraft, while Usha stood beside Erika, offering support as she grieved.
Later that month, Charlie's memorial service in Arizona drew major national figures, including President Donald Trump and top members of his administration.
"Charlie was so proud of Erika and the two kids. He was so happy to be a father," Vance told a crowd of 60,000 supporters at Kirk's memorial. "And he felt such gratitude for having found a woman of God with whom he could build a family."
