How Did Erika Kirk Meet Charlie? Inside Their Early Romance

Conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, and it sent the public into a state of shock. Following his death, his widow, Erika Kirk, shared her grief in a livestream shared on Instagram. "Charlie loved life," she said. "He loved his life, he loved America, he loved nature which always helped him be closer to God." Charlie and Erika had been married since 2021, and shared two children together. 

Erika has lived an eventful life. Before becoming the CEO of Turning Point, she interviewed with Charlie for a position at the organization, which he co-founded and ran until his death. However, Charlie decided mid-interview not to give her the job. "He goes, 'You know, I'm not going to hire you,'" Erika said in a video posted on YouTube. She continued, "He goes, 'I'm going to date you.' ... I was like, 'How about we just be friends and see first, like see where it goes?'" Charlie shot down her offer of friendship. In the clip, he said, "I told her I had enough friends and that I didn't want to be friends with her. So that was kind of a non-starter. But if she wanted to date, that would be great. I had enough friends."

Despite the five-year age gap between them, Erika decided to date the younger man, and the romance blossomed. On September 5, 2023, Erika posted a photo to Instagram of her and Charlie in an embrace alongside a caption describing their first meeting. "5 years ago today, we sat inside Bills Burgers in NYC deep in conversation and banter over theology, philosophy, and politics and at the end, you paused, looked at me and said, 'I'm going to date you,'" Erika wrote. 

Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk opened up further about her love story with her late husband, Charlie Kirk, when she made a post on Instagram on September 15, 2025, featuring a video of Charlie telling their daughter about the first time her parents met. "It started as a job interview ... and then I realized Mama was beautiful and smart and elegant and Christlike, and so I said, 'Forget this job interview. I want to date you,'" Charlie tells his daughter. 

After about two years of dating, Charlie and Erika became engaged. The two officially tied the knot in Arizona on May 8, 2021, in what Erika described on Instagram as an "intimate" ceremony with no bridal party. They then had a reception at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess hotel that was funded by Turning Point USA. Just one year later, in August 2022, their daughter was born. Then, in May 2024, the couple welcomed a son.

Erica and her family were left devastated by her husband's shocking and violent death. In a video on Instagram shortly after his death, Erica gushed about the famous commentator, saying, "Charlie loved his children and he loved me with all of his heart and I knew that every day."