Erika Kirk did not make an appearance during Turning Point USA’s controversial All-American Halftime Show during the 2026 Super Bowl on Sunday, February 8, but the event paid tribute to her late husband, late TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk.
After Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett all performed at the event organized by the right-wing conservative group, TPUSA aired a tribute to Charlie, who was shot and killed in September 2025 at age 31.
As a slideshow of photos showing Charlie, Erika, 37, and their family cycled on the screen, a voiceover of the conservative pundit played.
“I want to honor God in all that I do,” Charlie said. “I want to be a great husband, a great father, I want to serve this country. I want to try to continue to lead this movement.”
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The tribute ended with Charlie’s voice saying, “The more often that you choose the deep, the difficult, but the right path over the easy path is one that will reward you, your family and this beautiful nation.”
A title card then appeared on the screen that read, “In loving memory of our founder and CEO, Charlie Kirk,” with a quote from the Bible directly below it.
The TPUSA halftime show began on time, before the NBC Super Bowl broadcast even went to commercial, despite a last-minute change that took the performance off of one of the most prominent social media apps.
“UPDATE: Due to licensing restrictions, we are unable to stream The All-American Halftime Show on X,” the organization announced via X just hours before the performance. “Head on over to our YouTube channel tonight around 8PM ET to watch the full show.”
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TPUSA announced its alternative halftime show in October 2025, after the NFL announced that Bad Bunny would headline the Super Bowl 60 Halftime Show. The organization promised, at the time, a show based in “faith, family and freedom.”
Erika added in an interview with Fox News published earlier this month that it would serve as a reminder of her husband’s memory.
“It’s powerful because what Charlie always loved and knew is that he wanted to be in the forefront of the culture war,” she said. “He would be fist-pumping at this. He would be so stoked. And what better way to honor him than to just get in the middle of this and be able to offer an alternative to families.”
She continued, “It’s of every age, and so for us to be able to provide an alternative that is pro-America, that is just pro-everything, that’s not the opposite of what they’re putting out there. I don’t want to go into details and bash that because there is apparently an audience that wants that, but there’s a larger audience that wants ours.”
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Kid Rock weighed in as well, expressing in a February 2 statement that he was eager to go up against the “pro football machine.”
“We plan to play great songs for folks who love America,” he said. “We’re approaching this show like David and Goliath. Competing with the pro football machine and a global pop superstar is almost impossible … or is it?”
He added, “[Bad Bunny] said he’s having a dance party, wearing a dress and singing in Spanish? Cool. We plan to play great songs for folks who love America.”
