Charlie Kirk’s mother rejected rumors that there is a rift between her and Erika Kirk in a rare interview following the assassination of her son last year.
Kathryn Kirk told Vanity Fair that she has only grown closer to Erika in the aftermath of her son’s killing. The outlet reported on Tuesday that the grieving mother started crying when discussing how upset her son would be seeing people on social media attack Erika.
“We were 100% behind her,” Kathryn said of Erika.
“Erika and I have, through the trauma, grown closer,” she added. “We knew Charlie in a way that no one else did. We can look at each other’s eyes, and we know the depth of our despair.”
Some people have alleged that Charlie’s parents blamed Erika for his death and disagreed with her over the future of Turning Point USA, but Kathryn told the outlet that wasn’t true.
Kathryn’s comments to Vanity Fair marked her first media interview since September 10, 2025, when her son was gunned down while speaking at Utah Valley University. Immediately after the shooting, she said that a TMZ reporter “called me even before I talked to my daughter. Before I was running the car.”
In the same article, Erika recounted seeing her husband’s dead body at the hospital.
“I’ll never be able to put it into words,” she said. “But Charlie had a smirk. It wasn’t sad.”
She added that she thought Charlie was trying to tell her, “I just saw Jesus. I fought the good fight. I’m okay.”
Kirk’s parents and Erika together attended the preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Charlie. Earlier this month, a judge ruled that Robinson will stand trial for Kirk’s murder and could face the death penalty if convicted.
“Every step in this process carries the weight of all that Charlie’s murder has taken from his family, especially his children who will grow up without their father. We are grateful to all who have continued to pray for us, support us, and stand with us through a year of unimaginable grief,” the family said in a joint statement.
“As the next phase of the judicial process begins, our family remains united in our love for Charlie, our commitment to the pursuit of justice, and our prayer for a transparent and timely process,” they added.
