Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk speaks via video during TPUSA’s Make Heaven Crowded Tour at Prestonwood Baptist Church, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Plano.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
Erika Kirk, the widow of the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was scheduled to appear at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano Wednesday night and instead spoke to hundreds via video message, saying she was taking time to be with her family.
“I wanted to at least send you a video to just really let you know how grateful I am for all of you and for your support,” she said.
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On Saturday night, Erika Kirk attended the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, where, authorities say, a man tried to storm the event with guns and knives. He’s been charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, Erika Kirk spoke in a pre-recorded video played before the Prestonwood congregation and others at the megachurch’s worship center. She did not talk about the correspondents’ dinner, but she did so earlier Wednesday.
In a video on social media, she said there’s an “epidemic of dehumanization” happening in the U.S.
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“I can speak firsthand to that unbearable toll that this must take on our first lady,” she said, referring to Melania Trump, who was also at the correspondents’ dinner
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She said the band played the national anthem, and then gunshots rang out, “and total chaos ensued.”
Related: I was at the table when chaos broke out at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Charlie Kirk was the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization. He was assassinated in September while speaking at a college campus in Utah.
Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk speaks via video during TPUSA’s Make Heaven Crowded Tour at Prestonwood Baptist Church, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Plano.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
Erika Kirk’s scheduled appearance was part of Turning Point USA’s Make Heaven Crowded tour. A few sighs of disappointment echoed in the worship center as she apologized for not being able to make it.
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The tour is part worship, part political engagement. Speakers Wednesday eulogized and mourned Charlie Kirk, spoke against abortion and encouraged standing up for conservative values. Christian rock singer Matthew West led a song of worship and Prestonwood senior pastor Jack Graham concluded with prayer.
At Kirk’s memorial in September, attended by the president, Erika Kirk forgave her husband’s accused killer.
Related: Two visions of America at Charlie Kirk’s memorial
In the recorded video on Wednesday night, she gave a sermon-like address, reflecting on her husband’s death and her resilience since then. She compared the Biblical story of Jesus Christ’s burial and the Saturday before Easter Sunday with the difficulty she’s experienced in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.
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“Easter Saturday, the world looked like the end, but God doesn’t write stories that end in the tomb,” she said. The audience applauded her address.
Matthew West, right, and Prestonwood Worship Team perform during Turning Point USA’s Make Heaven Crowded Tour at Prestonwood Baptist Church, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Plano.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
Loan Nguyen, 52, attended in support of Erika Kirk.
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“I feel like she’s my sister,” she said. “My heart goes out to her and her family.”
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Grace Nicklas, a 22-year-old member of Prestonwood, said she attended to stand up for her beliefs with other Christians.
“It’s important as believers that we are involved in the world of politics to stand for truth,” she said.