Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, widow of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, says her children have faced kidnapping and death threats following their father’s killing. She made the remarks during an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters, which aired Wednesday. Watters noted during the interview that the couple had long kept their children out of the public eye, avoiding posting their faces on social media or bringing them into public appearances as Charlie Kirk’s influence grew.
Explaining her reasoning, Erika said she refuses to share photos of her children online.
“Why would I want AI images of my children out there? And yeah, we get kidnapping threats, we always have. We get death threats, we always have. You’re just smart about it, protect what you love,” she said.
Erika Kirk on Sharing Photos Of Children Online
She criticized influencers who broadcast their children online for attention or sponsored perks.
“We live in a day and age where the internet feels so entitled to everything,” she said. “‘Why are you doing this? Why are you doing that? Explain this, explain that.’ And we live in a world where children don’t even have a childhood anymore.”
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She continued, “Why are you posting a photo of your kids so you can get $50 off a stroller? That does not make sense to me. If you can’t afford a stroller, buy one you can afford. But to use your child or a photo of you, standing in the bathroom embracing them specifically, and you have 500 copies of that same pose so you can get it right for social media is bizarre to me, and it was to Charlie too.”
Erika Kirk Remembers Charlie Kirk and Their Marriage
Erika shared personal memories from early in their relationship, saying Charlie “knew immediately” he loved her. She said she prayed for clarity:
She asked “that if he was to be my future husband— that the Lord would make it so clear that I would have such a peace about it.”
The conversation turned emotional when she recalled seeing Charlie after his fatal shooting.
“He was still warm. He had this smirk on his face which said 3 things to me, first he died doing what he loved, second was he was at peace. And I gave him a kiss, and then, before I left the room, I looked at him, and I thought, that smirk to me is that look of ‘you thought you could stop what I’ve built and this vision and this revival by murdering me. You got my body not my soul.’”
Charlie Kirk Assassination
Charlie Kirk, a high-profile supporter of President Donald Trump, was assassinated on September 10 during a stop on his “The American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
After his death, Erika assumed leadership of Turning Point USA, the organization he founded to promote conservative politics on high school and college campuses.
However, she has faced backlash online, with critics targeting the tone and presentation of Charlie’s funeral, which featured large-scale production elements, Trump, and Vice President JD Vance in attendance.
Erika has recently addressed her grief publicly, describing emotional fluctuations as she raises her children and continues her husband’s work. In a recent Instagram post, she reflected on the non-linear nature of mourning.
“…there is no linear blueprint for grief. One day, you’re collapsed on the floor, crying out the name Jesus in between labored breaths. The next you’re playing with your children in the living room, surrounded by family photos, and feeling a rush of something you can only attempt to define as divinely planted and bittersweet joy, as a smile breaks through your face.”
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
