Erika Kirk Can't Avoid Rumors About Her Love Life

Erika Kirk, widow to the late Charlie Kirk, has become something of a global sensation; and with that have come several deep dives into her past, including her relationships. Erika shared a video on Instagram in September 2025 of Charlie explaining to their daughter how her parents met. Charlie said that their first meeting was at Bill's Burgers in New York City in 2018, the same location where they happened to be filming the video with their children years later. Charlie said that they began by discussing a job. "And then I realized that Mama was beautiful and smart and elegant and Christlike and so I said, 'Forget this job interview! I want to date you.'" They married in May 2021 and welcomed two children, one in 2022 and their second in 2024.

While there's a tremendous mark of tragedy to their happy story, as Charlie was killed in September 2025, people on the internet have found some mysteries in Erika's past. Even more current behavior — the infamous JD Vance hug, in particular — has sparked curiosity and censure towards Erika. So while her primary relationship was obviously her marriage to Charlie, there's no shortage of gossip online about her love life before and after her husband's death.

What in the world was going on between Erika Kirk and JD Vance back in October 2025? After Charlie Kirk's tragic death, Erika took over as CEO of Turning Point USA. The organization held an event at the Pavilion at Ole Miss on the University of Mississippi campus on October 29, 2025, and Vice President JD Vance was there to speak to the crowd. As Erika introduced him, she noted commonalities between the two men. "No one will ever replace my husband," Erika said to the audience (via People). "But I do see some similarities of my husband ... in Vice President JD Vance. I do. And that's why I am so blessed to be able to introduce him tonight." As Vance came on stage, he and Erika hugged and she ran her hand through his hair. The very intimate greeting, unsurprisingly, made the internet go wild.

What ensued was absolutely consuming speculation about the relationship status between Vance and Erika, and also marked one instance where people were certain that JD and Usha Vance were headed for divorce. Erika later addressed the uproar about their hug on The Megyn Kelly Show. "Whoever is hating on a hug needs a hug themselves — I will give you a free hug any time you want a hug. My love language is touch, if you will," Erika said. While Erika laughed it off, people weren't totally convinced.

Another strange red flag emerged about Erika Kirk's love life. During an interview with CBS News in December 2025, after Charlie Kirk had died, Erika claimed that she hadn't dated during her five-year stay in New York City before meeting Charlie. "I saw vicariously through my roommate how terrible it was," Erika said. "Somehow, getting drinks was a replacement [for] having coffee and breakfast. I personally would rather have coffee or brunch with someone than [go for drinks.] I don't drink — I find it unproductive. Not because I'm holier than [anyone else;] I just don't operate that way." Erika went on, "I always thought it was very strange how she would go [for] drinks with one guy and then go to dinner with another."

Unfortunately for Erika, the internet got busy finding proof that she had, indeed, dated while living in New York prior to her relationship with Charlie. Content creators on TikTok claimed that Erika had dated two different men over that period, and one was Cabot Philipps. TikTok user @stephwithdadeets shared a video about this, saying that Erika dated Philipps in 2017 and another man in 2015. She and Charlie started dating in 2018, so her five-year timeline is off, leaving many wondering why Erika lied about her dating history.

As the internet continues its deep dive search into Erika Kirk's past, some sleuths discovered a strange conversation between Erika and Charlie Kirk. In an old clip from their podcast, "The Charlie Kirk Show," Charlie read a fan question asking the couple how long they had been married for (via TikTok). Erika started answering the question then seemed to stumble over the year. "We've been married since..." she started, and Charlie had to jump in and remind her that they married in 2021. Charlie's body language shifted in the video, and he looked disappointed.

Clearly embarrassed at the sight of Charlie's dismay at her forgetfulness, Erika tried to explain herself. "We laugh about this because our dates are so messed up because of babies, meaning there's so many dates to remember," she quickly scrambled, counting anniversaries and birthdays on her fingers. However, with only two kids, it's really not that many dates to remember. Fans were very critical of Erika in the resurfaced video on TikTok, noting that one wedding anniversary and two children did not make for an overwhelming calendar. They felt sorry for Charlie, who seemed eager to speak fondly of their wedding anniversary and who was so clearly saddened by Erika's apparent callousness.

There was another strange moment in Erika Kirk's dating history that created a slurry of rumors about her love life. In an Instagram post on May 13, 2019, Erika wrote a long list of the sacrifices she had made to pursue a degree in American Legal Studies from Liberty University. Included in that list of things she gave up was the opportunity to be on Bravo's "Summer House," a spinoff of "Vanderpump Rules."

Low and behold, however, it turned out that Erika was indeed on Bravo's "Summer House," making an appearance on the show's third season. She went on a date with Jordan Verroi, who seemed to really like Erika. "I can tell that she's got not only outward beauty but inward beauty," Verroi said of Erika, also praising her blonde hair (via People). This is unsurprising, since Erika's hair has long been a topic of conversation, and on rare occasions, Erika has given glimpses of her natural hair. Clearly, everyone's dazzled by Erika's locks, as well as her full transformation through the years. People on TikTok shared clips of Erika's appearance on "Summer House," absolutely bewildered about the fact that she lied about this when there are receipts so readily available. The clip also busted her for lying about drinking, because the group was filmed sipping on cocktails together.