Erika Kirk defends her viral JD Vance hug with self-aware joke amid fierce backlash
Erika Kirk addressed the viral photo of her hugging JD Vance, saying she’s just a deeply affectionate person, and intense hugs are part of her love language.
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) November 24, 2025
She even joked with Megyn Kelly that if she’d grabbed JD Vance’s a** instead, people wouldn’t be nearly as mad. pic.twitter.com/Mbchti3BGS
WASHINGTON, DC: Erika Kirk, the wife of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, has responded to abhorrent comments on the internet after an intimate onstage hug with Vice President JD Vance, joking that if she had grabbed his a** she would have gotten 'less hate.'
Erika addressed the viral photo of her hugging Vance, saying she’s just a deeply affectionate person, and intense hugs are part of her love language.
She even joked with Megyn Kelly that if she’d grabbed JD Vance’s a** instead, people wouldn’t be nearly as mad.
On 'The Megyn Kelly Show,' Kirk explained the gesture as her 'love language' and also gave a detailed, step-by-step, emotional, personal, and heartfelt account of the moment to the audience.
Unpacking viral moment when Erika Kirk hugged JD Vance
At a Turning Point USA event on October 29 in Mississippi, after talking about her late husband, Kirk called Vance to the stage.
After the hug, she pressed her palm softly against the back of his head and said, "God bless you," which, according to her, is a normal thing she does when hugging very close friends. 
Erika remembered the moment in a more peaceful manner than the audience with Kelly, saying that she was in tears and very sad when they hugged.
Social media uproar after Erika Kirk and JD Vance's hug was heavy
Kelly recalled the social media storm over Kirk's move and jested that the critics "acted like you touched the back of his a**!"
Kirk reacted with a sarcastic chuckle, "I think I wouldn't get so much hate if I did that."
Once again, she affirmed that her love and touch came from her nature and the fact that she was grieving, and that it was neither love nor an improper thing.
Erika Kirk on meaning of hug with JD Vance
Kirk said that the hug was one of her genuine sorrow and respect, not a political or a flirting kind of moment.
According to her, the reaction to the video on the internet is an indication of the culture more than the intention, as she emphasizes that she hugs people without reserve and is quite frequent with her touching the back of people’s heads, but it is always accompanied by the words “God bless you.”
She continued with, “A person that hates a hug is in need of a hug… I will give you a free hug anytime, anywhere.”
Erika has been out in the public eye after the death of Charlie Kirk, which came as a surprise, and she has been in her grief for a very powerful and difficult time. One of the things she said was that she could not imagine anyone else being more of a life and faith partner than her husband.
