JUST IN: “Whoever Is Hating on a Hug Needs a Hug Themselves”: Erika Kirk Emotionally Addresses Controversy Involving Vice President JD Vance — Reveals Father of Her Unborn Baby in Interview With Megyn Kelly
Erika Kirk broke her silence in a deeply emotional interview with Megyn Kelly, addressing the mounting controversy surrounding a widely circulated photo of her sharing a warm embrace with Vice President JD Vance.
The image, which sparked intense speculation online, prompted days of rumors and political commentary.
Kirk dismissed the allegations as “wild, unfair narratives,” urging the public to resist the urge to sensationalize harmless moments.
“Whoever is hating on a hug needs a hug themselves,” she said, emphasizing that the embrace captured during a public faith-based event was nothing more than a friendly gesture misinterpreted by online critics.
During the interview, Kirk also ended the swirl of speculation about her personal life by revealing the father of her unborn child.
Without naming him publicly, she clarified that the father is her longtime partner, someone completely unrelated to the political drama. She stressed that the ongoing rumors had caused unnecessary stress for her family and sought to put the issue to rest.
“This has been an incredibly emotional time,” Kirk said. “But the truth is simple, and I’m standing in it. My focus now is on protecting my peace, my baby, and my family.”
Kirk’s candid interview appears aimed at defusing the controversy as she called for more compassion and less online hostility.
.
.
Erika Kirk Addresses Recent Criticism After TPUSA Event
Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika addressed “words, accusations, assumptions, and slander” in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“I’ve kept everything in the home still the same after these several months, your socks still on the floor, your shoes by the door, your vitamins everywhere on the counter,” Erika Kirk wrote.
“That’s how it’ll stay. I don’t say that because I need one more thing for this world to judge me on, quite frankly they’re already at capacity and none of it shakes me. Their words, accusations, assumptions, and slander don’t land, they don’t burn. Never will. I owe the world nothing.”
Why It Matters
After the assassination of her 31-year-old conservative activist husband, who co-founded Turning Point USA, Erika Kirk became CEO and board chair of the organization. Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10.
Social media users have criticized Erika, questioning her decisions to make public appearances versus spending time in private with her family, USA TODAY reported. Erika recently appeared at AmericaFest, a conference founded by Turning Point USA.
Erika Kirk arrives on stage during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Phoenix. | AP Photo/Jon Cherry
Some social media users criticized the use of pyrotechnics at the event and a sparkly suit worn by Erika. Past years of AmericaFest also utilized pyrotechnics, and Erika has previously worn a sparkly outfit at a Turning Point USA event.
Newsweek reached out to Erika and Turning Point USA for comment.
What To Know
Erika’s Instagram post featured photos and videos of her children, with the caption beginning, “…life is a little different. it’s this rhythm of maintaining our traditions mixed in with creating new ones to harmonize into a normalcy for the babies. It’s new, but strange. Familiar, but not.”
Erika said, “when the world acts like the world, I’m not surprised.”
“When your heart is set on letting your love story be one of deep devotion and self-sacrifice instead of self-serving, the Lord will use your marriage in ways completely hard to explain. I know that because I felt that, I still feel that. And I pray you always do too,” Erika wrote.
What People Are Saying
Erika Kirk, on Instagram: “This Christmas we tucked away. And while the world, again, kept being the world, I loved settling into a space of continued healing where silence is golden and is a statement in itself. The outpouring from our loved ones, has been a sacred and holy balm to our hearts.”
One X user wrote: “Erika Kirk has been on stage with pyrotechnics and shiny suits since Charlie Kirk died… Is she grieving or celebrating?!”
Another X user wrote: “Here was Erika Kirk taking the stage last night with pyro… you’re basically watching a WWE script…What is she thinking right now?”
