Erika Kirk delivered a commencement speech at Hillsdale College Saturday that had a mix of personal memories along with a strong push for graduates to consider getting married young.
Speaking to roughly 5,000 people, Erika told graduates that building strong relationships early in life can shape everything that follows ... using her own experience with her late husband, Charlie Kirk, as an example.
EK revealed her and Charlie often spent their time together discussing history, philosophy, and political figures ... something she encouraged students to continue doing in their own relationships. However, a key theme of her speech centered on marriage and family, as she urged graduates to think seriously about settling down earlier rather than later.
Erika Kirkis taking a walk down memory lane with her late husband, Charlie... posting an emotional tribute to their love story on their fifth wedding anniversary.
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Erika shared a deeply personal video montage Friday on X filled with family photos and intimate moments with Charlie ... pairing it with an audio track about their journey and the family they built together.
Take a look ... the tribute opens with a woman saying, "I want to show you some pictures of Mommy and Daddy and I want to tell you a story" ... before a child’s voice chimes in with a narration about "Mama and Dada" loving each other and wanting to build a family together.
Erika Kirk's tired of all the criticism she gets on a daily basis ... and, it sounds like the comedian Druksi may have pushed her over the edge.
Charlie Kirk's widow blasted all her haters during an episode of "The Charlie Kirk Show" ... starting off by talking comedians using "whiteface" to put her on blast.
ICYMI ... this seems to be an obvious reference to a viral video Druski shared back in March, which featured the Black comedian dressed in tons of makeup which did have him looking very similar to the media personality.
The fallout from Charlie Kirk's shocking murder is still rippling outward months later ... and now TMZ has learned the state of Utah paid for therapy for someone traumatized by the deadly incident -- and may eventually want the accused killer to foot the bill.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the Utah Office for Victims of Crime paid $260 for mental health therapy for a witness on the scene following the September 2025 shooting during a Turning Point USA campus public debate session at Utah Valley University that left Charlie dead.
The paperwork labels a person named Dana Anquoe as a victim tied to the case ... but she's not suing murder suspect Tyler Robinsondirectly.
4:05 PM PT -- The hearing has ended ... the judge will issue a ruling later today or Monday.
Tyler Robinson is making another appearance in court Friday ... this time asking the judge not to allow cameras into his trial because of the media's biased coverage of his case -- and, we're live-streaming it for you.
The alleged murderer will appear alongside his attorneys, while his defense asked a judge to stop live streaming coverage of the trial.
His lawyers say the live streams are being used to commodify the trial instead of serving their intended purpose -- which is to educate the public on the proceedings.
Tyler Robinson's defense team may have sustained the biggest blow yet to their case ... a forensic report's findings purportedly fail to rule Tyler out as Charlie Kirk's killer.
The report, unsealed by a judge on Wednesday, reveals that one bullet jacket fragment recovered from Kirk's autopsy was determined to come from a .30 caliber bullet, according to Daily Mail. That would match the caliber of the Mauser 98 .30-06 rifle reportedly recovered near the scene of the shooting, which prosecutors allege was used by Robinson to kill Kirk.
As we reported ... initial bullet-matching test results were inconclusive, but that did not remove Tyler from suspicion.
Tyler's defense team suggested they may use the initial test as exculpatory evidence ... but prosecutors told us it wouldn't help Tyler's case.
There's a new twist in the case surrounding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk ... new legal documents claim the bullet used to commit the crime does not match the rifle tied to suspect Tyler Robinson, TMZ has learned.
According to the legal docs obtained by TMZ, Robinson's defense team argues there’s a discrepancy between the ballistic evidence and the weapon prosecutors say is connected to Robinson ... who's facing multiple charges -- including aggravated murder and felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury -- in Charlie's slaying.
Robinson's attorney claims the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted a summary report which indicates the ATF was “unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr. Robinson.”
Jeff Webb -- competitive cheerleading pioneer, Varsity Spirit founder, and one of Charlie Kirk's mentors -- has died after a pickleball accident.
According to Cheer Daily, Varsity Spirit president Bill Seely announced Jeff's passing in an email, explaining he was hospitalized two weeks ago after a fall while playing pickleball.
The report says he suffered a severe head injury and his family decided to take him off life support.
President Donald Trump thinks it’s time Erika Kirk steps into her late husband’s role … on a board of the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Trump added Erika to the Board of Visitors … filling the seat Charlie Kirk held before he was shot and killed.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said in a statement that Erika’s the “perfect choice” to “continue his legacy.”
She thinks the widow will be “a fearless advocate for the most elite airpower force in the history of the world whose warriors keep our Nation safe, strong, and free.”
According to the board’s charters and bylaws, the BoV sends advice and recommendations to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth regarding “the morale, discipline, social climate, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods, and other matters” of the USAFA.
The charter also says that any board members appointed by the President -- and he gets to pick 6 of them -- will serve 3-year terms.
But if a member dies, their replacement will only serve “the unexpired portion of the term.”
Charlie joined the board last year and -- while his spot is no longer empty -- there are still two vacant seats on the board … and Trump gets to fill one of them.
Tyler Robinson -- the 22-year-old accused of murdering Charlie Kirk -- and his lawyers want cameras out of the courtroom to ensure a fair trial ... but the prosecution says, if anything, closed-door hearings will just encourage more outlandish publicity.
In court documents, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors ask for cameras to be allowed in the courtroom, saying, "keeping court proceedings as public as possible helps to quell and contradict the tide of misinformation," while secrecy fuels conspiracy theories.
The prosecution cites "a number of conspiracy theories" that have already circulated, including unfounded accusations that Israel was behind the murder.
During the State of the Union on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump paid tribute to the late right-wing political advocate Charlie Kirk, who was publicly killed last year ... saying there should be no political violence of any kind as Charlie's wife, Erika Kirk, is seen getting emotional in the audience.
While Trump was honoring those whose stories have impacted our country recently, he took a moment to honor who he called his "great friend, Charlie Kirk." As the broadcast panned to Erika in the audience, tears filled her eyes as the president described the fatal last moments Charlie lived.
Erika wiped away tears as members of the audience took to their feet and applauded for her late husband. Trump addressed the nation in regards to Charlie's death, saying we must remember we are "one nation, under God" and must "totally reject political violence of any kind."
Erika Kirk wants the cards on the table when the guy charged with killing Charlie Kirk stands trial.
According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Erika says any request to close court proceedings from the public eye should be denied.
In other words, Erika is calling for transparency when Tyler Robinson is put on trial for murder ... and she wants the public to have access to the evidence as it is presented in court.
Charlie Kirk's assassination inspired some sick users to create online missions depicting the tragic shooting in "Grand Theft Auto Online" ... but, the game's parent company says the scenarios are now banned.
Here's the deal ... videos surfaced on social media recently showing a mission titled "We Are Charlie Kirk" where the player grabs a sniper rifle and shoots an NPC standing under a canopy on the University of San Andreas, Los Santos campus.
It's meant to parody Charlie's appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem, UT, back in September ... when he was shot and killed.
Nicki Minaj is a fan of Charlie Kirk, as she made clear at a TPUSA sit-down with Erika Kirk this weekend ... but the slain right-wing activist was not such a fan of hers -- at least according to an old clip making the rounds online.
Watch the video ... Charlie is knee-deep in a debate with a college student when he names Nicki as someone he didn't think was a good role model for "18-year-old black girls."
But, it's hard to tell whether he was even completely sure who Nicki is. He seemed to confuse Nicki for Cardi B, saying, songs "glorifying wet female genitalia" aren't edifying for young black women.
Nicki Minaj probably wanted a mulligan on her comments about J.D. Vance during a Turning Point USA event ... calling the VP an "assassin" -- during a chat with Erika Kirk.
The rapper appeared onstage at TPUSA's AmericaFest Sunday ... sitting down to heap praise on the current administration while Charlie Kirk's widow asked her questions about her foray into politics.
MINAJ: "WE’RE STAYING JOYFUL”@NICKIMINAJ brushed off industry backlash, saying, “I didn’t notice,” adding, “Stay mad… because we’re going to stay joyful.” She said she’s focused on building, thinking independently, and not giving energy to anger.@MrsErikaKirkpic.twitter.com/tZOpX0lIQX
At first, Nicki's getting the crowd energized ... telling young men not to be "new-scum" -- a dig at California Governor Gavin Newsom. Instead, she encourages them to be like the "handsome" and "dashing" President Donald Trump.
The comedian released an unexpected Netflix standup special Friday titled "The Unstoppable" ... and, unsurprisingly, Chappelle waded into some of the world's most controversial topics -- such as the life and legacy of Kirk.
DC addressed the killing of Kirk ... noting Charlie got "murdered in a terrible fashion" just like Dr. King, and adding they both were shot in the neck. However, Chappelle says the two can't be compared ... because Kirk was an internet personality who "fundamentally can't function like" the late civil rights leader.
