‘The grief makes Charlie feel impossibly close’: Erika Kirk opens up about grief journey almost 1 year after Charlie’s assassination

Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, speaks at the public memorial service for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on September 21, 2025.

Turning Point USA (TPUSA) CEO and Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk opened up about her grief journey as the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death approaches.

 

In a Monday guest essay featured in the New York Times, Erika shared the often inconsistent nature of grief, noting that within the immense sadness, moments of joy still exist.

It has been almost one year since Charlie Kirk, the founder of TPUSA, was assassinated during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 10, 2025.

As his alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, is set to go to trial, Erika offered her perspective on grief in a 1,000-word essay.

 

“Grief is strange. Time continues even when every part of you wants it to pause or, better yet, rewind,” Erika said in her article.

She shared the hardship of going through special occasions without Charlie, including their two children’s birthdays.

“To the world, he was Charlie Kirk. But to me, he was the love of my life. To our children, he was the center of their world,” she wrote.

 

Despite the loss and the hard times for her family, Erika explained that good can come out of any circumstance, and that true faith is accepting that an answer will not always be provided.

“I have seen extraordinary good born out of something unimaginably evil. I have watched people return to faith in droves, reconcile with their families and forgive old wounds because of Charlie,” she said. “I know my husband is in heaven, but I ache for him to be here. Still, I can stand and say without a shadow of a doubt that God is good.”

 

As the one-year anniversary of Charlie’s death looms closer, Erika noted that grief has taken on a different form for her.

 

“A year ago, when I felt it coming over me, I wondered whether it would swallow me completely. Now, I recognize it; sometimes I even welcome it, because for a moment the grief makes Charlie feel impossibly close,” she explained.

Though grief is poignant, she described its dual nature, noting that even in the midst of sadness, there are moments of beauty.

“I am learning that grieving Charlie and living life at the same time are part of the rhythm of grief. I can miss him with every part of me and still laugh with our children. I can have a broken heart and still experience joy,” she said.

 

“The grief is there, always, but so is the beautiful gift of life,” she concluded.