Erika Kirk’s ‘Weird’ Explainer for Her Viral Hug with JD Vance Gets Picked Apart as Fans Say It Only Made Things Worse
Erika Kirk is doing damage control about what really happened during her and Vice President JD Vance’s viral embrace onstage last month. But her explanation for her grabbing the back of his head intimately is falling on deaf ears with some viewers.
The widow of Charlie Kirk was seen tightly hugging Vance, 41, at a TPUSA event in Oxford, Mississippi, where she paid tribute to her late husband before welcoming Vance onto the stage.
At the time, she said, “No one will ever replace my husband. But I do see some similarities of my husband in Vice President JD Vance. I do. And that’s why I am so blessed to be able to introduce him tonight.”
Their close interaction triggered complaints that the newly appointed CEO of TPUSA was too flirty with the married politician just seven weeks after she became a widow.
It didn’t take long before rumors about Kirk and JD’s alleged intimate affair began spreading across social media, leading many to point to Vance’s wife.
Indian American lawyer Usha Vance, who has been spotted without her wedding ring, became an unexpected talking point during a recent “Megyn Kelly Live” event, where Erika made a return appearance at the Diamond Arena in Phoenix for her sit-down with the right-wing media personality. The moment carried added weight, as the same venue had previously hosted her husband’s memorial service on Sept. 21.
“Whoever is like hating on a hug needs a hug themselves. I will give you a free hug anytime you want a hug. My love language is touch, if you will,” Kirk told Kelly.
She then recalled the moment she hugged Vance, adding, “They just played the emotional video. I’m walking over. He’s walking over. I’m starting to cry. He says, ‘He’s so proud of you (referring to Charlie), And I say, ‘God bless you.’ And I touch the back of his head.”
“If you want to take that out of context, go right ahead. Again, that to me shows that you need a hug more than anyone else,” she argued.
Kelly chimed in, “They were acting like you touched the back of his [behind].” Erika responded, “I feel like I wouldn’t get as much hate if I did that.”
Megyn Kelly: They were acting like you touched the back of JD’s ass.
Erika Kirk: “I feel like I wouldn’t get as much hate if I did that.”
pic.twitter.com/e3OhkrWBSt— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) November 25, 2025
Many people on social media were not buying Erika’s “love language” excuse for her close encounter with another man shortly after losing her husband.
“It doesn’t matter whether I believe she is a ‘huggy feely’ person. She needs to step back and respect boundaries,” one person expressed in reaction to a clip of Erika opening up about the now-infamous hug.
A similar tweet read, “Erica needs some boundaries with that love language.” In addition, a third person voiced, “Tell that to his wife. What a weird excuse. Does she have any female friends?”
“Love language? Gross,” another Erika faultfinder declared.
In the wake of the viral hug, the state of his actual relationship with Usha, 39, remains in question following viral images of her without wearing her wedding ring at a military training facility in North Carolina alongside first lady Melania Trump on Nov. 19.
JD Vance’s wife is no longer wearing her wedding ring and appears much happier. pic.twitter.com/LNO9CSuvfR
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) November 21, 2025
JD and Usha tied the knot in June 2014, and they share three children. However, a spokesperson for the second lady told the press that her band-less hand was the result of “a mother of three young children, who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes.”
Erika married the Turning Point USA founder in 2020. She gave birth to their daughter in 2022 and a son in 2024.
