Erika Kirk Tells Megyn Kelly What JD Vance Said During Viral Memorial Hug Moment [WATCH]

Erika Kirk publicly explained the moment she shared an onstage hug with Vice President J.D. Vance last month, describing what he whispered to her as the two embraced during a Turning Point event honoring her late husband, Charlie Kirk, at the University of Mississippi on October 29, as reported by The Daily Mail.

The moment drew widespread attention online, with critics and supporters debating the nature of the interaction.

Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10 while speaking to students in Utah.

He was shot in the throat during the event. Erika introduced Vice President Vance at the October ceremony and said the vice president had “a little of Charlie in him,” pointing to qualities she said they shared in compassion and leadership.

During the same event, Vance drew additional scrutiny after stating that he is a devout Catholic while his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, is Hindu, and expressing hope that she would eventually convert.

Critics claimed the comment suggested her beliefs were inadequate.

As Vance walked onto the stage, he and Erika shared a long embrace. Erika placed her hand on the back of his head while he placed his hands on her waist.

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The moment circulated widely on social media and sparked criticism from some who argued the hug appeared too intimate. Others said it was clearly a moment of shared grief between two people who were close to Charlie Kirk.

Erika addressed the hug publicly for the first time during an on-stage interview with Megyn Kelly in Arizona on Friday. “So for those of you who know me, I’m very—” she began, before Kelly interjected, “You’re an intense hugger!”

“My love language is touch, if you will … So I will give you a play-by-play. They just played the emotional video. I’m walking over, he’s walking over. I’m starting to cry. He says, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ And I say, ‘God bless you,’ and I touch the back of his head,” Erika said.

“Anyone whom I have hugged that I have touched the back of your head when I hug you, I always say, God bless you.”

JD Vance actually did not place his hands on Erika Kirk’s hips.

So please use this clip to debunk that lie if you see it.https://t.co/2pC2iCKcuV pic.twitter.com/CGY7XJQE7K

— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) October 31, 2025

Kelly then joked, “They were acting like you touched the back of his ass!” Erika laughed and replied, “I feel like I wouldn’t get as much hate if I did that!”

‼️ : Erika Kirk explains that she’s just a “deeply affectionate person” and that intense physical hugs are her love language in regards to hugging JD.

She even joked that if she’d grabbed JD Vance’s a$$ instead, people wouldn’t be that mad about it. pic.twitter.com/GcPvQPasP1

— Diligent Denizen (@DiligentDenizen) November 24, 2025

Following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Erika became CEO of Turning Point USA, the nation’s largest conservative college campus organization.

Less than 24 hours after the killing at Utah Valley University, Vance and his wife flew to the state to escort Kirk’s body back to Arizona on Air Force Two. Footage from the trip shows Vance loading the casket onto the plane while Usha comforted Erika.

Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona later that month was attended by President Donald Trump and senior members of his administration.

“Charlie was so proud of Erika and the two kids. He was so happy to be a father,” Vance told a crowd of 60,000 supporters. “And he felt such gratitude for having found a woman of God with whom he could build a family.”

More recently, Usha Vance was seen without her wedding ring during an official White House visit to Camp Lejeune military base in Richlands, North Carolina. Photos captured her stepping off a plane with her left hand visible but without her band.

The appearance came weeks after the vice president discussed the religious difference in their marriage.

A spokesperson told the Daily Mail that Usha “is a mother of three young children who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes.”

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