Erika Kirk revealed she found out that her late husband, Charlie Kirk, had been shot through a frantic phone call from his assistant, Michael McCoy.
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‎Speaking to the New York Times for her first interview since the death of her husband, Erika said McCoy called her and screamed, “He’s been shot!”
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‎She detailed jumping on a plane immediately to rush to her husband’s side. However, while she was still in the air, she was told he had died.
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‎“I’m looking at the clouds and the mountains,” she recalled. “It was such a gorgeous day, and I was thinking: This is exactly what he last saw.”
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‎Erika chose to look at her husband’s body when she arrived at the hospital, despite a sheriff advising her not to because the bullet had “ravaged” his neck.
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‎“With all due respect, I want to see what they did to my husband,” she told the sheriff.

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‎The mother of two shared that Charlie’s eyes were still semi-open.
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‎“And he had this knowing, Mona Lisa-like half-smile,” Erika told the outlet. “Like he died happy. Like Jesus rescued him. The bullet came, he blinked, and he was in heaven.”

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‎The former Miss Arizona said she was supposed to be with Charlie at the Utah Valley University stop during his American Comeback Tour where he was fatally shot in the neck, but stayed behind to help her mother, who was undergoing treatment at a Phoenix hospital.
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‎Erika noted that she still can’t bring herself to go into her and Charlie’s bedroom and has been “rotating” where she sleeps.

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‎More than 200,000 mourners gathered for Charlie’s funeral in Arizona Sunday, including President Trump, Vice President Vance and Elon Musk.
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‎The conservative commentator died on Sept. 10 after he was shot while on stage at Utah Valley University. He was 31.

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‎Erika, who was named Turning Point USA’s CEO following her husband’s death, rallied his supporters in a YouTube livestream on Sept. 12.

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‎“The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done,” she said.

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‎“They should all know this: if you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you have just unleashed on this country,” Erika continued, adding that “the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.”

Charlie Kirk’s Wife Shares the Heartbreaking Moment She Found Out About His Death

The widow of Charlie Kirk gave her first interview.

Erika Kirk speaks during the memorial service for her husband, political activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10th while speaking at an event during his “American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University.Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Erika Kirk is opening up about the devastating moment she learned her husband, Charlie Kirk, had been shot and killed.

In her first interview since the conservative commentator’s death, Erika told the New York Times on Thursday, September 18, that she received a frantic call from Charlie’s assistant, Michael McCoy. “He’s been shot!” McCoy shouted down the line. She immediately boarded a plane, desperate to reach her husband, but while still in the air she was told he had died.

“I’m looking at the clouds and the mountains,” she recalled of the flight. “It was such a gorgeous day, and I was thinking: This is exactly what he last saw.”

When she landed, Erika insisted on seeing Charlie’s body even though law enforcement advised against it. A sheriff warned her the bullet had “ravaged” his neck, but she responded firmly that she wanted to “see what they did to [her] husband.”

She described the scene as searing but also strangely peaceful. Charlie’s eyes were half-open, and, she said, “And he had this knowing, Mona Lisa-like half-smile. Like he died happy. Like Jesus rescued him. The bullet came, he blinked, and he was in heaven.”

More than 200,000 mourners attended Kirk’s memorial in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday, September 21, including President Donald Trump, who shared an embrace with the widow before he gave eulogy — calling the late political activist an “American hero.”

Also at the memorial, Erika gave an emotional speech that left mourners in tears. “He wanted to save young men. Just like the one who took his life,” she said from the stage, referring to her husband’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson. Choosing forgiveness over anger, she added, “I forgive him because it was what Christ did. And what Charlie would do.” She also rejected calls for the death penalty Robinson, explaining, “I do not want that man’s blood on my ledger. Because when I get to heaven, and Jesus is like: ‘Uh, eye for an eye? Is that how we do it?’ And that keeps me from being in heaven, from being with Charlie?”

Charlie was fatally shot on September 10 while giving a speech at the Utah univeristy. He was transported to a local hospital where later died.