Erika Kirk Defends Emotional Hug With Vice President J.D. Vance: “Hugging Is My Nature”

Washington — Erika Kirk, the widow of the late Charlie Kirk, has responded to online criticism after a video of her emotional hug with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance went viral, saying that those objecting to the moment “probably just need a hug themselves.”

During an appearance on *The Megyn Kelly Show*, the host asked whether she had seen the comments from social media users who gave the hug an inappropriate interpretation. Laughing, Erika Kirk said those who know her understand that she is naturally an affectionate and “hugging” person. “My love language is touch,” she said. “People criticizing probably just need a hug.”

Explaining the moment, Kirk said she and Vice President Vance grew emotional as they approached one another. “He said, ‘He would be so proud of you,’ and I replied, ‘God bless you.’ I touched the back of his head, as I do with anyone I hug,” she said.

Addressing the social media reactions, she added that if people want to see something negative, “that’s on them.” She joked that the outrage made it seem as if she had touched Vance inappropriately. Megyn Kelly quipped that online users reacted as though Erika had touched “some improper part of his body,” to which Kirk humorously replied, “If that had happened, there might have been *less* criticism.”

In an earlier interview with Fox News, Kirk had emphasized that no one could ever replace her late husband Charlie Kirk, but she does see some of his qualities in J.D. Vance. The emotional hug occurred during an event when she invited Vance on stage, a moment that quickly went viral.

Erika and Charlie Kirk married in 2021. They share two children — a daughter born in 2022 and a son born in 2024.