Erika Kirk cancelled an appearance at a Turning Point USA event alongside Vice President JD Vance amid alleged security threats.
Erika, 37, was scheduled to headline the political organization’s University of Georgia event alongside Vance, 41, on Tuesday, April 14, but confirmed her withdrawal via X that very evening.
“I was so looking forward to tonight’s event … but after all our family has been through, I take my security team’s recommendations extremely seriously,” she wrote via the social media platform. “Thank you to our amazing Georgia chapter for your support. God bless you all!”
Erika, who serves as chairwoman and CEO of Turning Point USA following the September 2025 assasination of her husband and co-founder Charlie Kirk, was replaced by Andrew Kolvet.
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“I’m on stage here instead of our friend Erika Kirk because unfortunately she has received some very serious threats in her direction, which is terrible,” Kolvet said at the event. “It’s a terrible reflection on the state of reality and the state of the country.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Erika’s team for comment.
Kolvet, a representative for Turning Point USA, further discussed Erika’s withdrawal with the vice president, who echoed Kolvet’s sentiment.
“Well, first of all, I love Erika. And I know that she did get some threats. And, you know, about two hours ago, Andrew, I was a little worried that we were going to have to cancel the event because Erika was not going to come, and she was very worried about it,” Vance said, per reporting by Fox 5 Atlanta, who stated that the Vice President consulted with the Secret Service ahead of the event.
Vance continued, “I said, ‘You know what? Let’s let Erika do what she needs to do for herself and her family.’ The people telling you that Erica wasn’t grieving her husband are full of s***, and we need to be honest. But if your instinct is to go after a young mother because she’s grieving in a way that you find wrong, well, why don’t you stay in your lane and mind your own business?”
Erika — who shared a daughter, born in 2022, and a son, born in 2024, with the late Charlie — has been vocal about her vow to continue honoring her husband after his death. (Charlie was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 10, 2025. He was 31 years old.)
“He [Charlie] knew that evil wins when good people stay silent,” the widow said at the November 2025 Fox Nation’s Patriot Awards. “For the rest of my life, I will make sure that I don’t stay silent. I’ll keep speaking the truth no matter the cost. I pray that all of you do too, for Charlie.”
Charlie’s accused assassin is currently in police custody as the case against the 22-year-old white man continues in court. If he is convicted of aggravated murder and Charlie’s shooting death, as alleged by Utah prosecutors, he may face the death penalty.
