- Following the September 2025 shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a claim circulated on social media that his wife, Erika Kirk, was pregnant with the couple’s third child.
- However, there was no evidence at the time of this writing that she was pregnant. She had not confirmed a pregnancy on social media or in public remarks following her husband’s death.
- The unfounded rumor stemmed from Facebook posts that were seemingly created to generate advertising revenue for external websites.
- Snopes reached out to Turning Point USA, the youth organization that Charlie Kirk co-founded, for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
More than a month after conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing, social media users claimed that his widow, Erika Kirk, was expecting the couple’s third child.
A Facebook post (archived) shared on Oct. 27, 2025, attributed the following quote to Erika Kirk: “This child was conceived in love but will grow up without knowing the man who dreamed of holding them.”
The claim circulated in other Facebook posts (archived here, here and here), with some including images that appeared to show Erika Kirk holding ultrasound photos or crying over a gravestone with Kirk’s name. Comments on those posts often linked to advertisement-filled stories about her alleged pregnancy.
(The World Today via Facebook)
Multiple Snopes readers also searched our website to verify whether the claim was true.
However, there was no evidence at the time of this writing that Kirk was pregnant with her and Charlie Kirk’s third child. She had not confirmed a pregnancy on social media or in public remarks following her husband’s death.
Instead, the unfounded rumor stemmed from Facebook posts that were seemingly created to generate advertising revenue for the aforementioned external websites.
Snopes reached out to Turning Point USA, the youth organization that Charlie Kirk co-founded, for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
What Erika Kirk has said in public remarks
The unverified rumor about Kirk’s pregnancy first spread on social media less than a week after her husband’s death on Sept. 10, 2025. Snopes reviewed her full speech from her husband’s memorial on Sept. 21, 2025, in Arizona and found no mention of a pregnancy, contrary to social media posts’ claims.
Kirk also addressed the public in a video (archived) shared on Instagram several days after her husband’s death. In the video, she stood behind a lectern bearing a photo of her husband and a message that read: “May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving Savior.”
She did not mention being pregnant with the couple’s third child in the video, either. However, she did reference their family and two young children multiple times during her remarks.
“But most of all, Charlie loved his children. And he loved me with all of his heart. And I knew that. Every day, I knew that,” she said before calling him a “perfect” father and husband.
In a separate Instagram post, she memorialized her spouse and included a photo of the couple with their two children. That post did not include a pregnancy announcement. It read:
The world is evil.
But our Savior. Our Lord. Our God. Не…Не is so good. I will never have the words. Ever.
The sound of this widow weeping echos [sic] throughout this world like a battle cry.
I have no idea what any of this means. But baby I know you do and so does our Lord.
They have no idea what they just ignited within this wife. If they thought my husband’s mission was big now..you have no idea.
You. All of you. Will never. Ever. Forget my husband @charliekirk1776 I’ll make sure of it.
Rest in the arms of our Lord baby as He blankets you with the words I know your heart always strived to hear, “well done My good and faithful servant.”
Unfounded pregnancy rumor stems from Facebook posts
The unfounded rumor about Kirk’s pregnancy stemmed from Facebook posts that were seemingly created to generate advertising revenue for linked external websites.
One of those websites displayed a “USA News” logo, which has previously appeared on other websites that published false stories about MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes.
An analysis of several of the images included in the posts and text in the attached articles indicated they were likely created with the help of artificial-intelligence software.
We pasted text from a social media post and from an attached article into GPTZero, an AI detection tool, which indicated it was “highly confident” that the content was AI-generated. However, it’s important to note that AI-detection software is imperfect and readers should interpret the tools’ results with caution.
We independently identified signs that the text may have been AI-generated, too. For example, it contained emotionally charged language, such as “the news swept through her supporters like a storm” and “with tears and trembling hope.” This type of language is common in AI-generated content that’s designed to elicit reactions and boost engagement.
A close inspection of several images used in the posts also showed telltale signs of AI generation, such as unnaturally smooth skin or an absence of shadows in places they would typically appear. One image that appeared to show Erika Kirk crying over her husband’s gravestone also included distorted lettering. AI image generators often struggle to produce legible text.
(Rana Rizwan on Facebook)
Instagram countdown leads to further pregnancy speculation
Some social media users speculated that Kirk planned to announce her third pregnancy on Sept. 16, 2025.
The speculation stemmed from a countdown post (archived) Erika shared on Sept. 2 that read, “…walk the countdown with us. 9.16.2025.” In an accompanying video, Erika is heard saying, “What if childhood could hold eternity?”
However, there was no evidence at the time of this writing that the countdown was related to a pregnancy and she had not made any such announcement on Instagram.
