Erika Kirk

May 12 2026

Erika Kirk at Hillsdale College Commencement: ‘Aim at Worthy Things’

Erika Kirk addressed graduates at Hillsdale College’s 174th Commencement Ceremony last Saturday, May 9, urging them to “aim at worthy things.”

Erika is the CEO and chair of Turning Point USA and the widow of its founder, Charlie Kirk, a Christian, conservative broadcaster who was assassinated by a sniper eight months ago at Utah Valley University.

It was a poignant graduation ceremony, as Hillsdale, a small, Christian, classical liberal arts college in southern Michigan, conferred honorary doctorates of public service on both Charlie and Erika.

In the earlier announcement of Erika as commencement speaker, Hillsdale President Dr. Larry Arnn stated:

Charlie Kirk became a national and international sensation, and he built something amazing. At his memorial service were the great, the near-great, and tens of millions watching. But that isn’t why we loved him. We loved him because he was, at heart, a student who worked hard to get it right.

Erika Kirk, brave and widowed, intends to carry on. And we will help her.

Dr. Arnn alluded to Charlie’s untimely death in his introduction of Erika to the graduates and their families, describing the world as a place of suffering and “sudden and violent change.” He added:

We will remember that our suffering has meaning. We will remember that our suffering gives joy, produces joy, knowledge, and good actions that come from it and relieve our suffering and deepen our friendship.

Dr. Arnn talked about meeting Charlie in 2013 when Kirk was only 19 years old, just one year after he had founded Turning Point. Dr. Arnn said, “I asked him some questions and he couldn’t answer them.”

Charlie asked, “What do I do?” and Dr. Arnn replied, “You have to learn,” adding that learning takes suffering.

“Well,” Dr. Arnn said, “I fell in love with the boy for the same reason I fell in love with these[students]. He did learn.”

Charlie didn’t go on to earn a college degree, but he was a lifelong student, taking classes at King’s College in New York City, reading good books and completing 31 Hillsdale College online courses.

Dr. Arnn said that when he met Erika Kirk, he turned to his wife and said, “Yeah, I think she’s going to be good. I think she’s tough.”

“You need that. You need grace. You need beauty. You need tough. You need smarts. Now these qualities are called forth from Erika,” he told the students, adding that even in her grief, Erika was maligned by others.

Erika began her address by mentioning that the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary was the previous day, May 8. She described how, even on their honeymoon, Charlie was taking a Hillsdale online course – learning from Dr. Arnn.

She told the students:

He really understood that this institution wasn’t normal. It was something that elevated his thinking to be a thought leader and really become a serious person – not just a political talking head, but someone who truly sought out the beautiful things in life, the good, the true.

And he really took that seriously because he loved learning. And that’s what set him apart, just as all of you. You guys love learning.

She praised her husband, saying that through his self-directed education:

Charlie was better able to recognize his duty to pursue truth and to defend liberty. And this responsibility he felt to God. He felt it to our family, to our country, and that was born from what he learned.

Charlie’s aim, she said, was “to turn a doubting, godless and defiant nation back to God. To remind a confused nation that our freedoms are not guaranteed and we must sustain them and point a lost generation back to truth, virtue, and right living.”

Our life on earth is short, she reminded the students, especially when contrasted with “God’s infinity,” so “our choices, even the smallest ones, matter.” Erika encouraged the students to take what they had learned and “be a part of the solution for this nation and this world.”

Erika called students to pursue not just pleasure or comfort, but “worthy things … the good and the true and the beautiful.” She said:

If you are going to live as a purposeful being, then aim high at worthy things. Because purpose is not something that just drifts into your life. It is formed through what you attend to, what you think about, what you return to.

She exhorted the graduates, saying:

You are not made for a life that asks nothing of you. You are made for something higher, something that calls you upward rather than settles you downward. At the center of that life, it must be Jesus Christ, always to love Him and to serve Him because He is the axis upon which all other priorities turn.

Finally, she challenged them to marry and “have more kids than you can afford,” build and maintain friendships, read great books, and love and defend our country.

May God bless Erika’s courage and resolve as she grieves her loss, works to raise her children and fights to continue Charlie’s legacy.

Related articles and resources:

The 3 Questions Found on Charlie Kirk’s Desk After He Was Killed

Charlie Kirk: Man of Faith, Family and Fidelity

Charlie Kirk’s Generosity Sowed Seeds for Future Generations

Erika Kirk: ‘Charlie Loved God’s Design for Marriage and Family’

Erika Kirk: “The opinions of this world mean nothing to me.”

Erika Kirk: They Got Charlie’s Body, But Not His Soul

‘I Forgive Him’: Three of the Most Impactful Moments from Charlie Kirk’s Memorial

Nearly 100,000 People Woke Up at Dawn for Charlie Kirk’s Memorial. Here’s Why.

Please Keep Praying for Erika Kirk

Apr 30 2026

Please Keep Praying for Erika Kirk

It’s been almost 8 months since Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder and beloved Christian conservative broadcaster Charlie Kirk was gunned down in cold blood on the campus of Utah Valley University.

Whenever tragedy strikes, Christians offer condolences and prayers for the families and friends of the loved ones left behind. We do this because we believe God hears our prayers (Psalm 55:16-17) and is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18).

Many of us have been praying for Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, who was left not only as a grieving spouse, but also as a mother of young children. But she’s also been forced to bear the wicked, evil, and outlandish claims of clearly unstable and unhinged grifters accusing her of nearly everything under the sun – including playing a part in her husband’s murder.

On Wednesday, Erika Kirk released a video in partial response to some of these outrageous accusations. The now CEO of TPUSA was a guest at the White House Correspondents Dinner and explained why she chose to attend.

“It was because many of the journalists in that room have attempted to dehumanize me,” she shared. “And I wanted to meet some of them face to face, quite frankly.”

Mrs. Kirk noted the curious dynamic of camaraderie in the ballroom prior to the evacuation after the shooting in the lobby of the Washington Hilton. She remarked to a reporter with the Daily Mail, “For one night, you are able to put aside all of your differences for the sake of freedom of speech. And then by Monday morning, things will go back to being an absolute bloodbath between all of you.”

In the video released Wednesday, Erika Kirk noted the sad irony of how it was a schoolteacher who was trying to kill President Trump.

“You have these people who are supposed to be teaching our children the future of this country,” she observed. “And he’s so unhinged that he’s able to teach children by day and then attempt to murder the president of the United States by night.”

Mrs. Kirk went on to make a profound and chilling observation:

“While we may have big problems with illegal immigration in this country, I have to tell you, we have an even bigger problem when it comes to the systemic indoctrination and radicalization of our own citizens. This is what got my husband killed. This is what has led to three legitimate attempts on President Trump’s life. And I can speak firsthand to that unbearable toll that this must take on our First Lady.”

This is one more reason why Christians should continue to pray for Erika Kirk. The death of her husband was shocking and unsettling. But life eventually goes on for the observer, even someone deeply moved and upset by the evil everyone saw on September 10, 2025. And life has gone on for Erika – but in a very different and difficult way.

“Every morning, I wake up to a new headline lying about me,” Erika Kirk stated. “I have comedians dressing up in whiteface. I have people saying I’m not fit to be CEO. And I have Candace Owens claiming I murdered my husband. And the list goes on and on and on.”

Why is this happening?

“There is a serious epidemic of dehumanization plaguing this country,” she continued. “The most unthinkable tragedies have now become commonplace in our daily headlines. And yet the media finds a way to conveniently explain away violence.”

This grotesque and gutless treatment of a grieving widow is heartbreaking and maddening. But it can also ignite and steel the resolve of Christians to pushback and double down on their commitment to face the evil head-on.

That’s precisely how Erika Kirk is responding to the ongoing barrage of bullying.

“The evil forces working to divide us, to distract us, and to pull us apart have never been stronger,” she acknowledged. “This is a moment for Americans to come together and decide what kind of country we’re going to be before we lose our country altogether. In Romans 12, verse 21, it says, ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’”

May the Lord bless Erika Kirk’s resolve and may He do likewise regarding our steadfastness, too.

Jan 22 2026

Erika Kirk: “The opinions of this world mean nothing to me.”

It’s been 134 days since an assassin’s bullet killed her husband, Charlie Kirk, but Erika Kirk has soldiered on, including speaking last night at Harvest Church in Los Angeles to kick off Turning Point USA’s “Make Heaven Crowded” tour.

Billed as “A gospel centered gathering calling people to repentance, faith, and bold obedience to Jesus,” the event is planned for 29 other cities this year throughout the United States. They’ll be at Awaken Church in San Diego on Thursday night.

In addition to TPUSA president Erika Kirk, Wednesday’s service featured Pastor Greg Laurie.

At the time of the slain TPUSA founder’s death, Pastor Laurie had stated, “The greatest tribute we can pay to Charlie is calling people to Christ and speaking unashamedly on cultural issues.”

That’s precisely what many within the TPUSA orbit have done, especially Erika Kirk. For doing so, she’s been vilified by some radical activists and even accused by unhinged conspiratorialists for being implicit in her husband’s murder. Others have judged her for jumping back into the work, even questioning how she’s been grieving.

Rather than engage the criticism or defend her actions, Mrs. Kirk has kept her focus on the work at hand. She told Fox News’ Shannon Bream, “If myself or Charlie spent every single second responding to every accusation, responding to every insult, every judgment, we’d get nothing done. We just wouldn’t. I’m not gonna ask God to remove those people from life. It just makes me stronger.”

Speaking on Wednesday night at Harvest Church, Erika picked up on that philosophy, sharing a perspective that is both refreshing and instructive for those of us who understand that the Lord commands us to be engaged in culture. She told those gathered:

I operate very clearly. Whatever decision is in front of me, it will go through a very strict lens. Is this going to bring me closer to Heaven or is it going to bring me further away from Heaven? If it is going to bring me further away from heaven, step aside Satan, I do not want to touch you with a 10-foot pole.

I do not want to be around anything that is going to take me further away from my home in Heaven. I don’t. That’s where my heart is.

She then delivered a statement that every Christian can personalize and take to heart:

And so as long as I remain obedient to God and abide in His Word, and I’m in the jet stream of His Will, the opinions of this world mean nothing to me. Nothing.

With the advent of social media and the explosion of citizen and activist journalists, there are more opinions than ever being pushed out — and often to decry or to diminish the socially conservative point of view. The drumbeat is persistent and consistent. It’s easy to be swept up in it, especially given the worldly trappings that often surround the popularly held opinions of the day.

But millions of followers don’t make a foolish opinion right. The acclaim or acceptance of others won’t soften or forgive sin. As King Solomon advised, “Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge” (Proverbs 14:7).

As the late Dr. Adrian Rogers observed, “It doesn’t matter if you please the whole world and don’t please Jesus. But if you please Jesus, it doesn’t matter whom you displease.”

Please continue praying for Erika Kirk and her family.

Dec 04 2025

Erika Kirk to Women: Don’t use the government to put off marriage.

Young women shouldn’t rely on the government to put off getting married, Erika Kirk cautioned at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit this week.

DealBook’s Andrew Ross Sorkin interviewed Kirk in lieu of her late husband, Charlie, who had been scheduled to appear. A gunman assassinated the conservative leader in September.

Sorkin asked Kirk her opinion on New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who won 75% of New York voters between 18 and 29 years old last month. Charlie, Sorkin noted, built significant popularity with the same demographic.

Kirk, a former Manhattanite, reflected on struggling to survive alone in the big city.

“I think there’s a tendency, especially when you live in a city like Manhattan, where you are so career driven, [to] look to the government as a form of replacement for certain relationships,” she mused.

“What I don’t want to have happen is young women in the city looking to the government as a solution to put off having a family or marriage because they’re relying on the government to support [them] instead of being united with a husband.”

Kirk’s comments compliment decades of research showing marriage benefits people more than almost any other social institution — including the government.

Married people experience better physical and mental health outcomes than their unmarried counterparts, due, in part, to the way marriage compounds wealth. Married couples tend to live in nicer housing, eat healthier food and have access to better healthcare — the same essentials Mamdani’s campaign promised to make less expensive.

But marriage confers more than mere economic benefit. Between 1975 and 2018, roughly one-third of married people reported feeling happy on the U.S. General Social Survey, compared to just 13% of cohabiting people and 2% of unmarried people.

The social support married people enjoy over single people could help explain the disparity in happiness between the two groups. A recent study of nearly 5,000 single adults in the U.S. and Japan concluded, “Married Americans reported the most family support, which helped boost their well-being.”

In contrast, the study found single Americans “often feel isolated and unsupported, particularly when it comes to emotional guidance and support.”

Kirk experienced the happiness differential herself. She had been all-in on pursuing a career when she met Charlie.

“Charlie essentially plucked me out of the New York City orbit and was like, ‘No, I have a healthier way of viewing things and looking at life,’” she told Sorkin. “And he was right.”

She continued:

I remember thinking, if I would have stayed on that path I was on, I would have lost out on some of the most beautiful moments of my life — children, having a husband and being able to create and build something so incredible.

Too few single women, particularly on the left, hear experiences like Kirk’s. Professor Brad Wilcox, a sociological expert on marriage and family, believes young liberal men and women do not benefit from the same pro-family messaging young conservatives do.

“Progressive messaging that devalues, denies and deconstructs the value of family life and celebrates solo living in recent years is leaving its mark on the hearts, minds and lives of young liberals,” Wilcox and research fellow Grant Bailey write in the Institute for Family Studies, citing troubling articles like “Married heterosexual motherhood in America … is a game no one wins” (The New York Times) and “Divorce led me to my happily ever after” (The Washington Post).

Popular and liberal media further portray family as uniquely burdensome for women.

“Being free of family encumbrances … is often held up as an important pathway to living a meaningful and happy life for women,” Wilcox and Bailey explain.

Lies like these steer single women — and men — away from one of their best statistical chances at happiness and fulfillment. The testimonies of women like Erika Kirk help correct the record and encourage family formation over dependence on the government.

All Christians should follow her example.

Additional Articles and Resources

Marriage and Parenting Are Now Partisan Issues, With Liberals Falling Behind

Research Shows Marriage Boosts Well Being

Are Men or Women More Likely to Be Married?

New Research Shows Married Families Matter More Than Ever

Why You Should Care About the Growing Positive Power of Marriage

Important New Research on How Married Parents Improve Child Well-Being

New Research: Marriage Still Provides Major Happiness Premium

Cohabitation Still Harmful – Even as Stigma Disappears

Don’t Believe the Modern Myth. Marriage Remains Good for Women

Don’t Believe the Modern Myth. Marriage Remains Good for Men.