In a solemn address delivered Friday evening, Erika Kirk publicly spoke for the first time since the killing of her husband, conservative commentator and activist Charlie Kirk. The emotional remarks were made from the studio where he regularly recorded his podcast.
She described the painful moment she was forced to explain her husband’s absence to their three-year-old daughter, whose birthday had been celebrated shortly before the tragedy. The child, noticing her father had not come home, asked simply, “Where’s daddy?”
“What do you tell a three-year-old?” Kirk asked those watching. “I said, ‘Baby, daddy loves you so much. Don’t you worry. He’s on a work trip with Jesus, so he can afford your blueberry budget.’”
Focusing on her husband’s legacy, Kirk emphasized his deep faith and his dedication to his family. She stated he viewed his work—engaging with young people to influence the future world his children would inherit—as an act of protection for those he loved.
“Charlie always said that when he was gone, he wanted to be remembered for his courage and for his faith,” she recalled. “My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children.”
The couple, who met in 2018 and married in May 2021, are survived by their two young children: a daughter born in August 2022 and a son born in May 2024.
In her closing statements, delivered with composure, Kirk expressed a conviction that those responsible for the attack would be held accountable for the damage inflicted on her family and her husband’s work. “All the evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done,” she said.
Authorities have arrested a suspect in the case. Tyler Robinson, 22, is being held without bail on suspicion of aggravated murder and related charges stemming from the September 10th shooting at a Utah university event. Formal charges are anticipated next week.
