Charlie Kirk Said His Children "Mattered Way More " Than How Many Social Media Followers He Had
"This is not about shaming, this is not about ridiculing, this is not about moralizing. It is about lifting up what is beautiful."
Published Sept. 10 2025, 6:11 p.m. ET
While speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley College, right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10, 2025. Horrific footage of the attack quickly circulated online. It was met with mixed reactions from social media users on the right and left. There are a few posts celebrating the death of a man who once said a few gun-related deaths were worth it to keep our 2nd Amendment rights. Most people condemned the gun violence that resulted in another senseless murder.
As with any tragedy like this, it's important to remember that the victim had a family. Kirk was married with two children, and often spoke about parenting in interviews and on his own podcast. Kirk wasn't shy about how seriously he took being a father. Here's what we know.
Charlie Kirk leaves behind two children.
In May 2025, Kirk shared a post to Instagram about his son's first birthday. "He has brought an infinite amount of joy and laughter into our lives," he wrote in the caption beneath a photo of his wife with their two kids. "Being a parent is an incredible gift, made far better because I get to do it alongside Erika," he added while tagging his wife.
Kirk married his wife, a former Miss Arizona USA winner, in May 2021. In August 2022, he announced the birth of their daughter on Instagram, writing, "Welcome to the world, baby girl. We love you so much." Their son followed a little less than two years later.
Two days before he was killed, Kirk appeared on Fox News's Ingraham Angle where he talked about being a parent, reports USA Today. He ruffled more than a few feathers by suggesting having children is more important than having a career. "My kids matter way more than how many social media followers that I have," said Kirk.
Kirk went on to say that women can always go back to a career after they've had children, pointing out that they have a small window of time to do that. "This is not about shaming, this is not about ridiculing, this is not about moralizing. It is about lifting up what is beautiful," he said.