Erika Kirk fires back at NYT op-ed over marriage and children views

Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow and president of Turning Point USA, responded to a New York Times newsletter published on X on Friday, accusing her of missing the point about marriage and children.

“This @nytimes column completely misses the point about the purpose of marriage and children and completely misrepresents my views on the process. The entire article focuses on looking at family through the lens of money and career, as if those things bring fulfillment and purpose,” Kirk wrote.

“When you are on your deathbed, your money and your career will not whisper in your ear, ‘I love you’ as you take your last breath. The material wealth and wealth of this world means nothing when we go to our eternal resting place.”

New York Times opinion writer Jessica Grose wrote the track“The Gap Between the Families We Have and the Families Conservatives Want,” and specifically cited comments Kirk made at the Hillsdale College graduation ceremony in May.

JD VANCE FALLS BACK ON CONTROVERSIAL ‘CHILDLESS CAT WOMEN’ COMMENT ON ‘OPINION’ BUT DEFENDS HIS FAMILY MESSAGE

According to Grose, Kirk said that if her late husband had been alive, she would have encouraged them to marry young.

He also said that Charlie would say, “Have more children than you can afford.” Grose pointed out that there was a reaction to Kirk’s statement due to increasing gas and grocery prices.

“Kirk pitches her message as countercultural, and in a way it is. At Turning Point’s Women’s Leadership Summit in June, a 21-year-old married speaker said she was going against the culture by declaring her husband the head of the household and feminism as ‘psychopic.’ But young marriage is not what most Americans want,” Grose wrote.

In his post, Kirk said the author “conveniently left out the part of my Hillsdale commencement speech where I said, “Marry young, not in a hurry.”

“Encouraging more Americans to have families does not have to involve a stubborn and unwelcome return to the patriarchal, mid-century Christian idea of ​​marriage,” Grose argued. “By presenting the ideal 21st century relationship in outdated terms, conservatives ignore the glaring truth of how Americans actually want to live and live their lives.”

In his response, Kirk said people should not delay having children.

A photo of political media personality Charlie Kirk, his children, and his wife, Erika, after an all-member memorial service at the U.S. Capitol Statuary Hall on September 15, 2025. (CQ Polling via Tom Williams/Getty Imag)

YOUNG MEN ARE RETURNING TO CHURCH AND THIS COULD RESHAPE AMERICA’S FUTURE

“We serve the God of order, and when you live an orderly life, there are twofold blessings. So first marriage, then children, and everything else. Timing is important because life is shorter than you think and you never know what will happen. The important thing is, don’t put it off. Don’t rush it or force it if it isn’t right, but don’t put it off,” Kirk wrote in his response to Grose’s post.

Kirk married her husband in 2021 when she was 32 (Charlie Kirk was 27 at the time), which she considered neither too old nor too young, but said she wished they had met sooner and started their family sooner.

“There is no such thing as the perfect timing to have children. Financial hardships are a part of life, but the problem is that many Americans are selfless, self-sufficient, and expect to live a very different lifestyle from what they see online. While Charlie was encouraging young people to have more children than they can afford, he wasn’t saying that they would recklessly bring a child into this world and leave them dependent on welfare. He was saying that children are not a luxury item to have once you reach a certain tax bracket. You don’t need a mansion to raise a family,” he said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEWS ON MEDIA AND CULTURE

Throughout the article, Grose cited Stephanie Coontz’s book “For Better and for Worse,” which argues that marriage varies across cultures and eras.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

“I take conservatives at their word that they want more people to get married and for those people to have more children than they currently have. But creating a definition of marriage that excludes the desires and ideals of a significant majority of Americans makes absolutely no sense,” he said.

The New York Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.