Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, has shared an emotional recollection of the day her husband was shot.
In her first interview since his assassination, the 36-year-old recounted the unbearable shock she felt when she received the life-altering call from Michael McCoy, the chief of staff for Turning Point USA (TPUSA), the organization her late husband founded in 2012.
Speaking to Fox News host Jesse Watters, she said: “I’ll never forget...I’m just being like, ‘Charlie’s been shot. He’s been shot. Get the kids. Get security. Get the kids. Get the kids. He’s been shot.’”
Eriks, who was at her mother’s doctor’s appointment in Arizona on September 10, collapsed in the parking lot upon hearing the news.
“I sprinted out of her treatment center, just collapsed in the middle of the parking lot, called our security,” she recalled, describing the moment as “an unbelievable nightmare.”
Erika Kirk spoke at her husband's memorial. Credit: Win McNamee / Getty
McCoy also opened up about the gravity of the moment, telling Watters that “it was the first time" he had ever called Erika during a campus event.
“I didn’t know what to say. Those are the words that will change someone’s life forever, and you have to be the one to say it," he added.
A Final Morning with Charlie
Erika also reflected on the night before the 31-year-old's shooting, noting that one regret she has is that she didn’t get to kiss him before he left for Utah after he slept in their daughter's bedroom the night before.
“I said, ‘I want you to have a good night’s sleep. Go ahead and sleep in her room, and I’ll turn the air down so it’s nice and cozy in there… I just want you to get a good night’s sleep so you can be amazing tomorrow,’” she said.
However, when Kirk woke up, he came into their bedroom to grab his wedding ring and necklace before leaving for the day.
“I didn’t get to give him a kiss,” she said, her voice heavy with emotion. That kiss, she explained, would only come later that evening - while Kirk lay mortally wounded in a hospital bed.
“I said, ‘With all due respect, sir, I want to see what they did to my husband, and I want to give him a kiss, because I didn’t get to give him a kiss this morning,’” she recalled, describing her refusal to wait for Kirk's body to be taken to the mortuary before she saw him.
Charlie Kirk was shot on September 10. Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Getty
Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, an event that focused on a question about transgender gun violence.
The mom-of-two does not believe the shooting was a "coincidence," and hinted at the possibility that the violence was premeditated.
She also addressed the question of justice for Kirk's accused killer, Tyler Robinson, who has been charged with first-degree murder.
“I do not want this man’s blood on my ledger when I stand before the Lord,” Erika said when asked about Robinson facing the death penalty. “I want the government to decide. That’s biblical, too. Justice will ultimately be served.”
As for the disturbing video footage of her husband's assassination that circulated widely on social media, Erika made it clear she has no intention of watching it.
“I never saw the video. I never will see it. I never want to see it,” she said. “There’s certain things you see in your life that you can never unsee. There’s certain things you see in your life that mark your soul forever. I don’t want my husband’s public assassination to be something I ever see."
Erika Kirk and JD Vance were seen embracing on stage. Credit: Pool / Getty
Navigating Grief While Leading TPUSA
Amid her personal tragedy, Erika has stepped into the role of president of Turning Point USA and was joined on stage by Vice President JD Vance to deliver her first speech at a campus event on October 29.
This event, which took place at the University of Mississippi, sparked significant public attention when Erika and Vance shared a lengthy, emotional hug.
The hug, which many observed as emotionally charged and intimate, was widely discussed and criticized on social media.
Some commentators speculated on the nature of their embrace, with accusations of inappropriate behavior surfacing. However, a lip reader later clarified the context of the moment, noting that the VP comforted Erika by saying: "I'm proud of you," to which she replied: "It’s not gonna bring him back."
In response to the public scrutiny of their interaction, Erika expressed her frustration over the media's invasive focus on her personal life.
“There have been cameras all over my husband when he was murdered. There have been cameras all over my friends and family mourning. There have been cameras all over me, analyzing my every move,” she said in an interview with Fox News.
Despite the intense attention, she has continued to press forward, balancing her grief with her new leadership role at TPUSA.