{"id":444603,"date":"2025-09-23T01:44:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T01:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/444603\/"},"modified":"2025-09-23T01:44:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T01:44:10","slug":"who-is-erika-kirk-charlie-kirks-wife-to-speak-at-arizona-memorial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/444603\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Erika Kirk? Charlie Kirk’s wife to speak at Arizona memorial"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Erika Kirk forgives Charlie Kirk alleged shooter at husband’s memorial<\/p>\n

Thousands of people attended Charlie Kirk\u2019s memorial service including President Donald Trump and conservative leaders.<\/p>\n

A public memorial service<\/a> for Charlie Kirk<\/a> is slated for Sunday, Sept. 21 in Glendale, Arizona, more than a week after he was fatally shot in Utah<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Charlie Kirk<\/a>, one of the nation\u2019s most influential\u00a0conservative activists<\/a>, was killed Sept. 10 by a single gunshot while speaking to\u00a0a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University<\/a>\u00a0in Orem, Utah, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n

His assassination<\/a> has ignited a firestorm across the country. The suspect in the attack,\u00a0Tyler Robinson, was arraigned<\/a>\u00a0on Sept. 16 on seven felony charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Local prosecutors have said\u00a0they will seek the death penalty<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 31-year-old activist and founder of Turning Point USA was a controversial figure<\/a>, inspiring millions of people and infuriating millions of others with his hard-line conservative views and often incendiary language on everything from abortion, race and gender to gay marriage and gun rights.<\/p>\n

The Arizona memorial service is likely to attract thousands of mourners. Erika Kirk<\/a>, Charlie Kirk’s wife, will deliver keynote remarks, days after Turning Point USA elected her to lead the organization as its new CEO, stepping into her late-husband’s role<\/a>.<\/p>\n

She will appear in Arizona alongside many prominent conservative and Republican figures and lawmakers. President Donald Trump<\/a> and Vice President JD Vance<\/a> are also set to speak at the memorial, according to a Sept. 17 social media post<\/a> from Turning Point USA. Charlie Kirk’s body was transported by Air Force Two from Salt Lake City, Utah, to the Phoenix mortuary on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025.<\/p>\n

Charlie Kirk’s memorial service: <\/strong>See the full speaker list<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s what to know about Erika Kirk, the new head of Turning Point USA ahead of the Sept. 21 memorial service.<\/p>\n

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Charlie Kirk’s wife Erika delivers tearful address<\/p>\n

Erika Kirk delivered a tearful address where she vowed that her husband’s message would only be amplified by people who tried to silence him.<\/p>\n

Who is Erika Kirk?<\/p>\n

Erika Lane Kirk, 36, grew up in metro Phoenix<\/a> and regularly appeared by her husband’s side as he helmed Turning Point USA. The pair been married since 2021 and lived in Arizona with their two young children at the time of his death.<\/p>\n

The former Erika Frantzve earned her undergraduate degree in political science and international relations at Arizona State University, according to the bio page on\u00a0her website<\/a>. She received her\u00a0Juris Master’s from Liberty University School of Law<\/a> in 2019 and says on her website she is pursuing a doctorate in biblical studies.<\/p>\n

She was no stranger to the public eye before she married Charlie Kirk \u2212 she was crowned\u00a0Miss Arizona USA\u00a0in 2012<\/a> and made a brief cameo in an episode of Bravo’s reality show, “Summer House,” that aired in 2019.<\/p>\n

She is the CEO and founder of a nonprofit, Everyday Heroes Like You<\/a>, a faith-based clothing brand, and a ministry project called BIBLEin365<\/a> that her bio says “seeks to help individuals engage with the scriptures daily.”<\/p>\n

She’s also the host of the “Midweek Rise Up” podcast, which she describes as a “devotional series focused on Biblical leadership and empowering others to lead with integrity and purpose.” In her podcast and as a regular feature beside her husband, Erika Kirk has publicly championed the same political and biblical views as her husband, focusing specifically on young women.<\/p>\n

She encouraged women to marry young and have children, according to reporting by USA TODAY Network’s The Arizona Republic<\/a>, including delaying career aspirations. With her husband, they pushed traditional gender roles, tasking men with spiritually leading the family, financially providing and physically safeguarding the wife and children.<\/p>\n

How did Erika and Charlie Kirk meet?<\/p>\n

Erika and Charlie Kirk met in 2018, according to Fox News, and the two had a “very long dinner,” the conservative activist says in a video shared on\u00a0Turning Point’s YouTube page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the same video, Charlie Kirk says he knew his wife was the one “immediately.” They wed on May 8 during a ceremony in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to an\u00a0Instagram post she shared on May 25, 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In an\u00a0Instagram post on Sept. 12<\/a>, Erika Kirk wrote, “They have no idea what they just ignited within this wife. If they thought my husband\u2019s mission was big now..you have no idea. You. All of you. Will never. Ever. Forget my husband\u00a0@charliekirk1776<\/a>\u00a0I\u2019ll make sure of it.”<\/p>\n

Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse, Michael Collins, Trevor Hughes, Michael Loria and Lauren Villagran of USA TODAY; Arizona Republic’s Taylor Seely.<\/p>\n

Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com<\/a> and on X @KathrynPlmr<\/a>.<\/p>\n