Since her husband was fatally shot at a speaking event last month, Erika Kirk has faced public judgment over how she’s processed her grief in the spotlight. Now, one month later, she’s speaking out about that experience in a new social media post.
Erika shared her thoughts on grief exactly 30 days after her husband—right-wing activist Charlie Kirk—was assassinated. Posting to Instagram on Saturday, the widow (and now former commentator’s spouse) offered a raw look at what she’s been going through, addressing the criticism that’s swirled around her choices since the fatal shooting.
In the weeks since Charlie’s death, Erika has stepped into big roles: she’s taken over as CEO of Turning Point USA, the organization her late husband co-founded. Just two days after he died, she delivered an emotional speech to his followers inside his podcast studio, and later gave a powerful address at his well-attended public memorial.
“…grief doesn’t follow a step-by-step blueprint,” Erika wrote in her Instagram post, which included footage of Charlie’s memorials across the country. “One day, you’re crumpled on the floor, gasping out Jesus’ name between shaky breaths. The next, you’re playing with your kids in the living room—surrounded by family photos—and suddenly feel a rush of something you can only call a God-given, bittersweet joy. A smile creeps onto your face, and you don’t know quite how to name it.”
“People say time heals all wounds. But love doesn’t want to be ‘healed,’” she continued. “Love wants to be remembered. It’s humbling to realize this kind of pain didn’t take away my love for my husband—it amplified it. It made it sharper, more real.”
She wrapped up the post with a tender note: “I carry Charlie with me in every breath, every ache, and every small, ordinary moment of daily life. I’m still trying to figure out what this new rhythm will look like. But what these 30 days have taught me is this: the deeper the suffering, the purer the love. And I’ve never loved him more than I do right now.”
The comments section was flooded with support. Savannah Chrisley weighed in, writing: “Forever loving and praying for you and with you.” Other messages included: “Still praying for you every day,” “Women of God stand with you—you don’t owe any of us an explanation,” and “This was so beautiful. Gosh, we miss him.” Even so, a handful of critics still called her behavior “weird” or “too happy.”
Charlie Kirk—an outspoken, divisive political commentator and loyal supporter of former President Donald Trump—was killed on September 10. He’d been hosting a student Q&A at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when a sniper from a nearby building shot him. He was 31.
Two days after the shooting, authorities identified 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson as the suspected gunman. Robinson was taken into custody at 10 p.m. local time that Thursday. He faces state felony charges: aggravated murder, felony discharge of a weapon resulting in serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice. The aggravated murder charge could lead to the death penalty if he’s convicted.