Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a rally in Utah two months ago. Now his wife has revealed her inner thoughts and hopes during the assassination
14:31, 24 Nov 2025
The widow of assassinated conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk has told how she was “praying to God” she was pregnant at the moment her husband was shot dead.
Erika Kirk, 37, spoke openly during a live on-stage interview, telling the audience of her longing for a larger family. Appearing with US podcast host Megyn Kelly, she said: “I was praying to God that I was pregnant when he got murdered.” Kelly told the crowd that former beauty queen Kirk had first shared the detail with her privately. “You told me this in private. How many kids did you want to have?” she asked.
“We wanted to have four,” Kirk replied. Kelly responded: “Oh, wow. I thought of that once. Whether it was meant to be or whether we’d get news like that.” Kirk said the possibility of pregnancy had felt like a glimmer of hope in the aftermath of the trauma she suffered following her husband's death. “I was like, oh, goodness, that was going to be the ultimate blessing out of this catastrophe,” she said.
Charlie, founder of Turning Point USA and one of the most recognisable conservative activists in America, was gunned down in September while speaking to students at Utah Valley University in Orem. His assassination sparked shock across America’s political right, triggering an outpouring of grief from Republican heavyweights and grassroots supporters.
During the interview, Kirk also used the moment to appeal directly to young women not to delay having children. “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,” she said.
“You can never just go back to having children. And they grow so fast and so quickly.” She said she and Charlie had long dreamed of expanding their family. “I was praying. Both of us were. We were just excited to just expand our family,” Kirk said.
Kelly responded: “Thank God you have the two. Thank God.” Kirk agreed, saying their son and daughter would one day understand the significance of their father's legacy. "A boy and girl. I know,” she said. Kelly added: “One day they’ll find out they’re Charlie Kirk’s children and they’ll know what that means,” prompting applause.
The interview marked one of Kirk’s most candid public appearances since her husband was killed. Police arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who authorities say turned himself in shortly after the shooting.
Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, held at State Farm Stadium in Arizona, drew Donald Trump, Vice-President JD Vance, top Republicans and dozens of conservative influencers. There, his widow delivered a widely praised tribute in which she even forgave her husband’s alleged killer.
“Charlie wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life… I forgive him,” she said, as the audience clapped. “I forgive him because it’s what Christ did. The answer to hate is not hate.”
Charlie founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and built it into the biggest conservative youth organisation in the country. Trump credited him as one of the “key reasons” he won re-election.
His influence, however, came with fierce criticism. He attacked gay and transgender rights, plunged into high-profile cultural clashes, and repeated Trump’s false claim that former vice-president Kamala Harris encouraged illegal migration.
He also drew wide condemnation for branding George Floyd a “scumbag,” comments that critics said worsened racial tensions at a volatile moment in US history.