6 Major Takeaways From Erika Kirk's Interview With Bari Weiss — Including Her 1-Word Response to Candace Owens' Charlie Conspiracy Theories

Erika Kirk did not mince words when she delivered an eye-opening interview.

Speaking at a town hall hosted by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, the widow of the slain political activist Charlie Kirk pulled no punches as she highlighted several key issues, including how her husband and family have been targets of political violence.

"I will never agree with political violence," she said, sharing the impact political violence has had on her family. "My husband is a victim of it. I'm a victim of it. But what I'm trying to say here is that we can blame everyone else. We have to look in the mirror. When you become a father, when you become a mother, how are you raising your kids?"

Further confronting the issue of political violence, Erika told parents to "step up" and asked them whether they are taking responsibility for their children's use of electronic devices.

"You can just sit in the corner and look at your iPad or look at your phone and go down that rabbit hole and see what you can learn from that, instead of being a parent," she firmly highlighted.

The new CEO of Turning Point USA added, "Do you want your kid to be a thought leader or an assassin? That's where we're at."

Erika sparked backlash after The New York Times' 2025 DealBook Summer event, where she claimed young, career-driven women are putting off having a family or getting married and then "rely on the government" to support them.

Addressing the comments, she told Bari, "I didn't ask for this. It's, obviously, a blessing. I view it as a blessing [and] a duty to my husband, but I was very happy being a stay-at-home mom. There's nothing wrong with being a mother."

Erika offered a one-word response when asked what she would want to say to Candace Owens, who has fueled conspiracy theories about Charlie's assassination.

"'Stop.' That's it. That's all I have to say. 'Stop,'" she said.

"I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do," Erika said, prompting Bari to ask how she can forgive the person that murdered her husband.

"I'm not forgetting what he did. I'm not condoning what he did. What he did is sick and evil. So sick and evil," she added. "What I am doing is releasing myself from the enemy's hands where he could have a foothold in me. And he could be able to just, like I said earlier, you have a choice. Am I going to take that moment? And I will never say anything I don't mean. I really prayed on that moment. That was a game time decision. I'll never say what I don’t mean."

When asked what she would say to people celebrating Charlie's assassination, Erika said, "You're sick."

"You want to watch in high res(olution) the video of my husband being murdered, and laugh and say he deserves it," she said, becoming emotional. "There's something very sick in your soul, and I pray that God saves you."