Erika Kirk says that if you’re going to judge her hug, at least let her make the joke first! The conservative activist and widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is addressing the meltdown over her viral hug with U.S. Vice President JD Vance. And she’s handling the scandal with a very unfortunate new visual planted in the modern American brain. Sorry in advance.
So it all began on October 29, 2025, at a Turning Point campus event in Mississippi, which was Erika Kirk’s first stage appearance since the college shooting of her husband on September 10. After speaking about grief and how she is trying to heal from it, she welcomed JD Vance with a hug that social media described as “disgusting” and straight out of a Nicholas Sparks poster.
That description was backed by HuffPost, which quoted body language experts who called the exchange everything from “super-intimate” to “heavy emotional connection.” One even pointed out the “pelvis-to-pelvis” positioning and the moment Erika’s fingers curled into the VP’s hair. The kicker? Experts pointed out that Vance didn’t pull away — his hand landed on her hip.
Imagine the utter hypocrisy of core MAGA 🪞
They’re outraged that people are sharing clips of Erika Kirk hugging JD Vance like a lover, her hands in his hair, him holding her hip, her in tight leather pants.
But you know what they’re not outraged about?
The fact that JD Vance… pic.twitter.com/o9KDXZSD1o
— Mario (@PawlowskiMario) November 1, 2025
Over the weekend, Erika Kirk joined Megyn Kelly on tour and and responded to the hug scandal in real time. “[My] love language is touch,” she insisted. She hugs everyone with a head cradle and a “God bless you.” She said, “Whoever is hating on a hug (…) needs a hug.”
Kelly is known to be mischievous, so she joked that critics reacted like Erika “touched the back of his butt,” and guess what Erika Kirk actually said back? “I feel like I wouldn’t get as much hate if I did that.” Predictably, the joke did not land well. “That’s not the classy answer (…) I was hoping for,” one groaned as they said, “Now I have to imagine [Erika Kirk] grabbing JD’s butt?” And then came “Who jokes about that when it’s SOMEONE ELSE’S HUSBAND???”
Now, we have to mention JD Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, who is always by his side and was recently seen without her wedding ring, which she usually wears. So makes complete sense that everyone speculated to their hearts’ content. Experts noted that people typically give extra space to someone in mourning, but in this case, both leaned all the way in.
Erika hugs everyone the same
Another lib narrative destroyed pic.twitter.com/gqu4wpSaAP
— TONY™ (@TONYxTWO) November 1, 2025
And whether that closeness stemmed from support or the two celebs misread body language under stage lights, the hug is among the biggest gossip stories of 2025. Erika Kirk also admitted critics could “take [it] out of context.” So now she seems to be offering free hugs to anyone who needs one. Though she might want to clarify: hands above the waist, please.
NEXT UP: Erika Kirk Says She Prayed She Was Pregnant When Charlie Kirk Was Shot
