About

The Erika Kirk and J.D. Vance Romance Rumors, also known as the Erika Kirk and J.D. Vance Romance Theory, refers to viral rumors and an online conspiracy theory about U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Erika Kirk, the widow of right-wing political influencer Charlie Kirk, being romantically involved or bound to be, following Kirk's death in early September 2025. Similar to the Donald Trump and Erika Kirk Romance Theory, the concept spread in viral posts and memes on Twitter / X and elsewhere online in late October 2025, notably following a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) that they both attended.

At the Ole Miss event, Kirk and Vance were seen hugging each other, with Kirk putting her hand behind Vance's head, which several internet users noted in their posts purporting the theory. Also, Kirk was quoted, saying, "No one will ever replace my husband, no, but I do see some similarities of my husband in J.D.," which also fueled speculation. Further, viral posts and memes referenced Vance's wife, Usha Vance, and the possibility of them divorcing so that Vance could marry Kirk and run with her for a 2028 presidential bid.

Origin

On October 29th, 2025, Vice President J.D. Vance attended and spoke at a Turning Point USA event at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, alongside Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, the widow of the late Charlie Kirk.^[1]

On that same day, the Turning Point USA YouTube^[2] channel posted Erika Kirk's full-length speech from the Ole Miss event, gaining over 163,500 views in two days.

Spread

On October 30th, 2025, X^[3] user @princess_kim_k posted a screencap from the event's stream, showing the moment when Kirk welcomed VP Vance on-stage. They're seen embracing, with Kirk's hand placed behind Vance's head. The user captioned it, "They are sleeping together," gaining over 83,000 likes in a day.

Later on that day, X^[4] user @HustleBitch_ shared a tweet, showing images from the same moment, captioned, "How would you describe these moments between Erika Kirk and JD Vance last night?" gaining over 7,000 likes in a day.

Also on October 30th, X^[5] user @Sahara_Stevens tweeted another screencap of Vance and Kirk's embrace, writing, "The only thing that healed faster than Erika Kirk’s heart was Donald Trump's ear," referring to the assassination attempt on President Trump ahead of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. The tweet received over 22,000 likes in a day.

Later on October 30th, X^[7] user @TelvinGriffin quote-tweeted @princess_kim_k's post, writing, "Boy, when the truth comes out about Erika Kirk, folks are gonna be mind blown. Poor Charlie had no idea who he was really married to. These people are some of the weirdest people out there. I feel for JD's wife 🫣." The post gained over 37,000 likes in a day.

On October 31st, 2025, X^[6] user @RpsAgainstTrump tweeted a clip from Erika Kirk's speech at Ole Miss, in which she said, "No one will ever replace my husband, no, but I do see some similarities of my husband in J.D." The tweet received over 8,300 likes in a few hours.

Later on October 31st, X^[8] user @kylietcheung quote-tweeted the abovementioned video, writing, "Absolutely diabolical," gaining over 34,000 likes in a few hours.

On that same day, Redditor Aggravating_Money992 shared a link to the /r/politics^[9] subreddit of an article from the New Republic,^[10] titled, "Why the Hell Did JD Vance and Erika Kirk Hug Like That?" The Reddit post received over 8,600 upvotes in a few hours.

Also on October 31st, 2025, Redditor Classic-Carpet7609 reposted the "No one will ever replace my husband" clip to the /r/CringeTikToks^[11] subreddit, gaining over 13,000 upvotes in a few hours.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References