Erika Kirk

Some Lesser-Known Facts About Erika Kirk

• Her father’s family comes from Sweden.

• Her mother’s family roots are Syrian, Lebanese, and Italian.

• She grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a Catholic family.

  

• Erika Kirk was raised by her mother after her parents divorced.

• As a child, her mother used to take Erika to soup kitchens to help.

• When Erika Kirk was a teenager, she decided to contribute to her community and participated in various beauty pageants.

• During her school days, she participated in various basketball and volleyball championships. She earned the Matt Arnold Sportsmanship and Teammate awards.

• Later, during her college days, Erika Kirk represented Regis University’s women’s basketball team for two years.

• In 2012, she won the Miss Arizona USA beauty pageant on her 23rd birthday.

• That same year, Erika Kirk participated in the Miss USA beauty pageant and represented Arizona, but failed to achieve any place in the competition.

  

• In 2006, she started a non-profit organisation titled Everyday Heroes Like You.

• Once, during a media conversation, Erika Kirk described the organisation that honoured people who gave their time or money to help others. It worked with national programs to support local communities. She said,
  

  Promote and highlight the everyday heroes in our communities who have a philanthropic desire to truly make a difference in the lives of others.”

• In 2019, she started her podcast Midweek Rise Up.

  

• After that, Erika Kirk was appointed as the CEO of a clothing brand named Proclaim Streetwear.

• She then started working for a ministry project titled Bible in 365.

• In 2025, Erika Kirk joined the Corcoran Group as a real estate agent in New York City.

• In 2019, she began dating Charlie Kirk, a political activist, in New York City. In December 2020, the couple got engaged.

• After that, Charlie and Erika Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA, a group that promotes conservative politics in America.

• They got married on 8 May 2021, and their group, Turning Point USA, paid for the wedding reception.

• The event took place at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess hotel in the United States, on the group’s ninth anniversary.

  

• After getting married, she began attending Charlie’s events regularly.

  

• On 10 September 2025, Erika Kirk’s husband, Charlie Kirk, was killed when he was delivering a speech at Utah Valley University during his American Comeback tour.

• After his death, she gave a speech at Turning Point USA headquarters and promised that she would continue his work.

• On 18 September 2025, Erika Kirk was appointed as the new CEO of Turning Point USA.

  

• On 21 September 2025, a religious prayer was conducted for Charlie at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.

• American President Donald Trump and Vice President J. D. Vance were present at the event.

  

• While speaking at the service, Erika Kirk publicly said that she forgave the killer of her husband.

• On stage, while hugging Donald Trump, she made a ‘YO’ hand sign, which confused many people on social media.

  

• She said that she wears the pendant of St. Michael, stained with blood, that her husband, Charlie, was wearing when he was shot.

• She remembered that the night before the 10 September shooting, Erika and Charlie had dinner with a friend (faith leader) in Phoenix. The couple visited him to pray for Charlie’s upcoming tour at 20 college campuses.

• Erika said that she and her friend were worried about Kirk’s safety, as many divided and hostile people often attend his college events.

• She shared that Kirk had received many death threats in the past year and had been travelling with security for several months.

• At dinner, Erika requested her husband to wear a bulletproof vest for his future events. However, Charlie Kirk refused.

• The friend advised him to stand behind bulletproof glass while delivering speeches, but Charlie said he trusted his security team and that extra security would be installed at the Utah Valley University event.

• She shared that she still could not wash the towels her husband used during his last shower.

• Donald Trump has known Erika since 2012, when she won the Miss Arizona beauty pageant.