Charlie Kirk’s wife Erika was so disturbed after feminist news website Jezebel ran a satirical story about paying witches to curse him that they called in a priest, Megyn Kelly claimed Tuesday.
In a new episode of her eponymous podcast, the conservative influencer blasted the outlet for publishing a piece two days before Kirk’s assassination titled, “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk.”
The piece was taken down after the 31-year-old MAGA firebrand was shot dead in Utah on Sept. 10. It detailed the writer’s efforts in late August to purchase multiple “curses” aimed at Kirk, using the online marketplace Etsy.
“Erika and Charlie Kirk heard about these curses, and that news genuinely rattled Erika in particular,” Kelly said on her podcast. “She knew Christian teaching on this subject, she loved Charlie absolutely, and she was scared when she heard of the curses Jezebel had called up.”
Kelly said the couple, both devout Christians, contacted a priest “to come over and pray with them over Charlie the night before he was murdered.”
Erika Kirk was raised and educated as a Catholic but had become evangelical, while Charlie Kirk was also evangelical.
The piece was attributed to Claire Guinan when it was first published. After it drew backlash, Jezebel removed the byline and issued an editor’s note that read: “The piece was intended as satire and made it absolutely clear that we wished no physical harm. We stand by every word. But in light of Wednesday’s events, and on the recommendation of our lawyers, we have removed the text.”
The publication called Kirk’s shooting “a tragic event” that underscored the country’s gun problem and political divide.
“We want to make clear that we prioritize an end to violence over anyone wanting to read about Etsy witches,” it said.
In the piece, the author outlines her quest to cast curses upon Kirk, writing: “I want to make it clear, I’m not calling on dark forces to cause him harm. I just want him to wake up every morning with an inexplicable zit.”
But Kelly blasted the gimmick, warning that “you’re playing with fire messing with this stuff.”
“Why torture a family like this? A Christian, believing family? Why do this vile thing to a young couple?” she said.
Kelly urged her listeners to join her in demanding that Jezebel and Etsy issue an apology to Kirk’s widow.
Sought for comment, Jezebel editor-in-chief Lauren Tousignant said the story was “clearly written as a humorous exploration of ‘hexes’ being sold on Etsy.”
“This senseless shooting was a tragedy and an assault on free speech. We express our deepest sympathies to Erika Kirk,” Tousignant told the Daily Beast.
Etsy did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.
Erika, 36, was elevated to the helm of Kirk’s conservative youth organization Turning Point USA after his death. In a teary tribute on Sunday, she forgave her late husband’s killer as she vowed to carry out his mission.
