Amanda Kloots offers Erika Kirk encouragement five years after Charlie Kirk's Covid death

Amanda Kloots offered words of encouragement to Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, five years after his death from Covid-19, in a preview of Richard Taite’s We're Out of Time podcast. The episode, teased by Us Weekly, centers on coping with loss and finding purpose after tragedy as Kirk's memorial drew thousands to Arizona. Charlie Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder, died on September 10, leaving Erika and two young children to navigate grief in the public eye.

On the forthcoming episode, Kloots recounts the advice she was given by her late mother-in-law when her husband Nick Cordero, an actor, died in 2020 at age 41 after a long battle with Covid. "Your son Elvis will save you, and his smile every day will make you want to get up and live," her mother-in-law told her. Kloots said that Erika might draw strength from the same sentiment, noting that Erika and Charlie shared a three-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son.

During the discussion, Kloots described the grieving process as a difficult but moving journey toward a sense of purpose, saying she told Nick’s family she would be the best mother to their son Elvis and would show him the world. "Elvis will save you, and his smile every day will make you want to get up and live," she added, reflecting on the way small moments of joy can anchor a parent through loss.

She also spoke about the ongoing healing arc that comes with time, acknowledging that grief can feel all-consuming but that responsibility toward one’s children provides a steady reason to move forward. "You go through this time where you’re like, 'What’s my purpose? Why did this happen?'" Kloots recalled, underscoring the parallel she saw between Erika’s own experience and her own journey after Nick’s death. "I told Nick when he died, I was like, 'I will be the best mom to this kid. I will show [him] the world.'"

Erika delivered a heart-wrenching eulogy in front of about 200,000 mourners at State Farm Stadium in Arizona on Sunday, part of her husband’s memorial. In a moment that drew international attention, she publicly forgave the man charged with killing her husband, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, and shared a marital ritual she and Charlie practiced—exchanging love notes. "Someone once asked me how Charlie and I kept our marriage so strong when he was busy traveling," she said. "Our little secret: It was love notes. Every Saturday, Charlie wrote one for me, and he never missed a Saturday."

In a separate tribute, Kloots marked Nick Cordero’s birthday with a social-media post that included a trio of photos—a young Nick as a child, a family portrait with their son Elvis, and a shot of him with a birthday cake. "This little guy would have been 47 years old today!" she wrote in the caption, adding, "Happy heavenly birthday @nickcordero1." She recalled further that Elvis had quipped about heaven-bound cake and music, writing, "Elvis said that today you’ll get to eat cake with God and I added ‘and sing with Prince,’ which I imagine would be his birthday wish in heaven."

The conversations surrounding Erika Kirk’s memorial and Kloots’s reflections on grief continue to echo through public discussions of loss, resilience, and the ways families find meaning after tragedy. The episode preview ties together a personal journey of coping with grief and the broader public narrative around a high-profile figure who died after a Covid-19 illness, as fans and peers alike watch how those left behind navigate as the years pass.