In a rare interview, Charlie Kirk’s mother pushed back on claims of a family rift with Erika Kirk, saying the loss of her son had brought the two women closer and that Charlie would be upset by the treatment of his wife online.
“We were 100% behind her,” Kathryn Kirk told Vanity Fair in a profile of Erika, rejecting claims that Charlie’s parents blame his widow for his death or are fighting with her over his will and Turning Point USA’s future.
“Erika and I have, through the trauma, grown closer,” she said. “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.”
Kathryn, who Vanity Fair reported had avoided speaking to journalists until now, said she wants to remain a private citizen. But her silence has become fuel for conspiracy theories about the family’s relationship with Erika.
She rejected those claims, according to the outlet, which described her crying as she discussed how upset her son would be over the way his wife has been treated on social media.
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Kathryn also recalled receiving media inquiries almost immediately after the shooting.
A TMZ reporter “called me even before I talked to my daughter. Before I was running the car,” she told Vanity Fair.
The profile also detailed preparations Charlie and Erika were making for their family’s future amid what the magazine described as mounting death threats.
Doug DeGroote, a Turning Point board member who manages the couple’s personal finances, told Vanity Fair they had been working on their will and planned to visit his office to sign the paperwork the Monday after Charlie was killed.
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The night before his death, Charlie had discussed security recommendations with Erika and their pastor, including bulletproof glass shields and vests, according to the outlet.
Turning Point board members, Erika and several close allies also told Vanity Fair that Charlie had made clear he wanted his wife to succeed him if anything happened to him.
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Kathryn said her son had shielded his parents from those conversations “because it would just go right into our fears.”
“She knew him more than anyone,” a former Turning Point employee told the outlet about Erika’s selection to lead the organization.
Erika, meanwhile, described the anguish of watching surveillance video of the shooting during a September preliminary hearing.
“Don’t do it. Don’t you dare do it. It’s not too late,” she recalled pleading silently as she watched the man on the screen, according to Vanity Fair’s account. She gripped Kathryn’s arm and cried out as the video showed Robinson taking position for the shot.
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Erika also recalled insisting on seeing her husband’s body at the Utah hospital after a doctor advised against it.
“I looked back at him and said, ‘With all due respect, I want to see what they did to my husband. I didn’t get a kiss goodbye this morning. I just want to kiss my husband,’” she told Vanity Fair.
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Hospital staff removed tubes from Charlie’s mouth, wrapped his neck and cleared away blood before she saw him, the outlet reported.
“I’ll never be able to put it into words,” Erika said. “But Charlie had a smirk. It wasn’t sad.”
Turning Point USA told Fox News Digital that Erika viewed her selection for Vanity Fair’s New Establishment list as an opportunity to tell her own story and reach an audience less familiar with her, Charlie and the organization.
“Erika believes in being open and engaging with people, including those who come from a very different perspective,” a TPUSA representative said. “As Charlie often said, when people stop talking, that’s when bad things happen.”
The representative also praised Kathryn’s defense of her daughter-in-law.
“Kathryn Kirk’s words were incredibly powerful. This is a loving, close-knit family that is deeply protective of one another, which is exactly how Charlie was.”
