Erika Kirk Reveals She and Husband Charlie Always Got 'Death' and 'Kidnapping Threats' Before His Death

Erika Kirk bravely shared her first televised interview since the tragic death of her husband, Charlie Kirk, earlier this year.

“I can’t help [but] smile to hear his name or say it,” Erika, 36, said during the November 5 episode of Jesse Watters Primetime. “He was the love of my life. [He] still is.”

Charlie and Erika married in May 2021 and welcomed two children: a daughter in 2022 and a son in 2024. Tragically, Charlie was shot and killed on September 10 while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was only 31 years old.

Turning Point USA, which Charlie co-founded, released a statement confirming his passing, stating, “It’s with a heavy heart that we, the Turning Point USA leadership team, write to notify you that early this afternoon, Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in heaven."

Two days after Charlie's death, accused shooter Tyler Robinson turned himself in to the police. He faces multiple charges, including aggravated murder and felony discharge of a firearm.

Following the incident, Erika took to X for a heartfelt livestream, promising, “Charlie, I promise I will never let your legacy die, baby. I won’t. Oh, Charlie, I love you. I love you, baby. Rest in the arms of our Lord as he blankets you with the words I know your heart always strives to hear. Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Erika delivered an emotional eulogy at Charlie's memorial service, where she spoke about forgiveness.

"I forgive him because it is what Christ did,” she said. “The answer to hate is not hate.”

In a New York Times interview, Erika expressed her complex feelings about the shooter.

“I told our lawyer, I want the government to decide this. I do not want that man’s blood on my ledger,” she shared. “Because when I get to heaven… And that keeps me from being in heaven, from being with Charlie?”

As the investigation into Charlie's murder remains ongoing, Erika reflected on her public expressions of grief.

In an X post, she wrote, “There is no linear blueprint for grief. One day you’re collapsed on the floor crying out the name Jesus… the next you’re playing with your children.”

“They say time heals. But love doesn’t ask to be healed. Love asks to be remembered,” Erika added. “It’s humbling to realize that this magnitude of suffering didn’t steal my love for my husband; it amplified it.”

In her emotional sitdown with Jesse Watters, Erika shared that she and Charlie didn't have it easy.

“We get kidnapping threats we always have. We get death threats we always have,” she revealed, noting that she suggested he wear a safety vest before his college tour stop. “He wasn’t afraid. It wouldn’t have mattered.”

Detrimentally, Erika explains her absence during the tragic event. She had to stay in Arizona tending to her mother’s health issue when Charlie was killed.

“That night, he was so excited,” she recalled, lamenting that Charlie left in the morning without a goodbye kiss.

Upon learning about the shooting from a phone call while at her mother's doctor's appointment, Erika shared, “I sprinted out of her treatment center, just collapsed in the middle of the parking lot.”

Erika’s determination to see her husband one last time led her to the hospital, despite warnings from law enforcement.

“With all due respect, sir, I want to see what they did to my husband, and I want to give him a kiss,” she insisted. Her request was granted. “He was still warm and his eyes were slightly open. He had this smirk on his face,” she recalled.

While videos of the shooting spread on social media, Erika focused on her family's well-being and stated, “There’s certain things you see in your life that you can never unsee. I never want my kids to see. And for people who actually enjoy watching that she’s quite literally sick.”

Even after Jimmy Kimmel's comments about Charlie’s alleged killer nearly derailed his late-night show, Erika remained resolute.

“If you want to say I’m sorry to someone who’s grieving, go right ahead. But if that’s not in your heart, don’t do it,” she advised through Turning Point.

For her children, Erika continues to provide comfort, explaining to her daughter, “Daddy’s thinking about you and loves you.”

She affirmed that they would all reunite one day, emphasizing, “It makes me speechless.”