Teens Revolt Over Erika Kirk’s Visit To Their High School

Erika is turning her attention to high school students after hardly anyone at a state university bothered to show up to her event.

Students at a Phoenix high school are revolting against a planned visit from right-wing personality Erika Kirk.

After a sparsely attended Turning Point USA campus event, Erika is now turning her attention to high schoolers, with a planned event at Pinnacle High School in north Phoenix next week.But she is already not being met with open arms by students and parents.

“I don’t know why she’s coming here, to be honest,” Francisco Sanchez, a senior at Pinnacle High School, told 12 News Phoenix. “I think the topics that she talks about are too extremist for a school. I think there are better representatives we can have.”

Erika pictured at Charlie's funeral, which was held in Arizona at the Arizona Cardinals stadium.Daniel Cole/REUTERS

“It’s a little crazy because I would never have expected someone like her to show up at a high school,” high school senior Kasandra Acosta told the outlet.

“I’m pretty shocked. Honestly, I’m surprised it’s even happening,” she added.

Parents of students enrolled at the school told The Arizona Republic they were concerned about security--especially after earlier this week, Erika, who became CEO of her late husband Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA organization after his September killing, skipped an event at the University of Georgia over safety concerns.

“It’s not just your average citizen coming over to speak to the club. She brings politics with her, she brings division with her, just because everybody in America is divided,” Bobbe Noland, a parent of a Pinnacle student, told the Republic.

Vance, the second in line to the presidency, still attended the event earlier this week, despite security concerns with Erika.Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS

School officials told parents this week that students would see an increased security presence on campus during the event, prompting some parents to also demand that the school move her visit to after-school hours.

Phoenix Police told 12 News that since Erika’s visit was a private event, the responsibility for securing it rests with the event organizers and must be coordinated with the school district.

“We regularly work with community partners to support public safety during gatherings. As with any event, our officers will continue to monitor activity, review available information, and adjust deployment strategies as needed to help ensure a safe environment for students, staff, and the surrounding community,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.

Her speaking appearance has been organized with the school’s Club America chapter, a TPUSA-affiliated organization. The right-wing nonprofit is headquartered in Phoenix, and she and Charlie lived in the nearby affluent suburb of Scottsdale for many years.

The Daily Beast reached out to TPUSA for comment on the controversy.

Students at Pinnacle High School are not too enthused by Erika's visit to campus next week.Daniel Cole/REUTERS

It’s not the first time she and her late husband stirred up controversy in Arizona’s public schools.

In 2021, Erika and Charlie raged against the Scottsdale Unified School District’s mask policy during the COVID-19 pandemic at a school board meeting. At the time, the couple did not have any children yet.

During the meeting, Charlie called the mask policy a “self-righteous measure” enacted to “abuse the children.”

“There is zero evidence to show that children are at a significant risk of catching or dying from the Chinese coronavirus,” he claimed, adding, “You have awoke a sleeping giant. I hope you enjoy your masked, short-term future here while it still lasts.”

The Kirks had welcomed their first child in August 2022, a year after they complained to a school board about its COVID policies.Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Erika, who grew up in Scottsdale but attended private Catholic school, went as far as to demand a moment of silence at the board meeting for “the kids who will end up committing suicide this upcoming school year in 2021 and 2022 because of your reckless and ego-centered leadership and lack thereof.”

“As Christians, we are told to pray for our leaders and that is what I will do every day,” she said. “May God have mercy on your souls for everything you guys are doing in this leadership position.”One Scottsdale parent called them out, pointing out that they didn’t even have children who were enrolled in the city’s public schools.

“While the agitators from outside our district would have you think that masks mandates are only in place at liberal public schools, the list of private and parochial schools also enacting mask mandates is far from short,” the parent said. “I applaud SUSD’s governing board.”

Lisa Kennedy recently married Fred in Hawaii: Who is the Fox News star’s new husband?

Fox News personality Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery has entered a new chapter in her personal life after marrying Fred in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in Hawaii.

Kennedy shared photographs from the celebration at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, giving followers a glimpse of the man she now calls her husband and the friends who joined them for the occasion.

“Married the love of my life at the Four Seasons Lanai in a Heidi Merrick dress drenched in sunshine and aloha,” Kennedy wrote. “I love you forever, Fred!!”

While Kennedy has been open about how much Fred means to her, she has kept many details about her new husband firmly outside the public spotlight.

Kennedy and Fred celebrate their marriage in Hawaii

The couple exchanged vows during an outdoor ceremony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Kennedy wore a sparkling white Heidi Merrick gown with a fitted silhouette, completing her bridal look with a veil and colorful tropical bouquet. Fred wore a light-blue suit with a white shirt, light-colored tie and brown shoes. The newlyweds also wore traditional Hawaiian leis.

Photographs showed Kennedy and Fred walking hand in hand as guests applauded, with the bride raising her bouquet in celebration. Another captured them cutting their multi-tiered wedding cake against a backdrop of palm trees, ocean views and the evening sky.

The wedding announcement became a major moment among Kennedy’s followers, receiving more than 154,000 likes and nearly 2,000 comments.

Several familiar Fox News personalities were also part of the celebration. Emily Compagno, Abby Hornacek and Alexis McAdams were among the recognizable guests photographed in Hawaii.

Emily later wrote that they had the “best time celebrating Kennedy and Fred’s marriage,” adding, “The Fox family showed up for our favorite girl.”

Who is Kennedy’s husband, Fred?

Despite the attention surrounding their wedding, Fred remains largely a private figure.

Based on what Kennedy has publicly shared, his surname, profession and detailed background have not been revealed. Even when announcing her marriage, Kennedy continued referring to her husband simply as Fred.

What she has shared, however, offers some insight into how unexpectedly their relationship entered her life.

Lisa Kennedy and her new husband Fred / Youtube

Kennedy discussed Fred publicly when announcing their engagement on The Five in December 2025. She revealed that he had proposed on December 10 and said the two had met recently and “unexpectedly.”

During the emotional on-air conversation, Kennedy described the impact their meeting had on her life.

“He is the most beautiful, wonderful human being,” she said. “And I had totally given up until those elevator doors opened and I met him out of the blue — he changed my life.”

Kennedy has not provided additional details about exactly where that first meeting occurred or the circumstances surrounding it.

Their relationship began before the public announcement

Although viewers did not learn about the engagement until December 2025, Kennedy revealed another detail suggesting Fred had quietly been part of her life for some time.

She told her The Five colleagues that she had secretly brought him to the Fox Christmas party the previous year.

“I snuck him in. Don’t tell security,” Kennedy joked during the conversation.

That revelation indicated the couple had already been seeing each other by at least December 2024, even though Kennedy had kept the relationship away from public attention.

Dana Perino was among those particularly moved by the engagement news.

Perino recalled learning about it while Kennedy was appearing on America’s Newsroom, telling her colleague that the announcement had made her cry.

“And Fred is such a wonderful guy,” Perino said before telling Kennedy, “I cried because I’m so happy for you.”

From a private romance to a Hawaiian wedding

Kennedy continued keeping Fred’s personal details private even as she became more open about their relationship.

That approach remained evident at their wedding. While she shared numerous photographs of their special day and publicly expressed her love for her new husband, she did not use the occasion to reveal his surname, career or other biographical information.

Instead, Kennedy kept the attention on their marriage and the happiness surrounding it.

The couple received congratulations from numerous familiar names, including Kat Timpf, Janice Dean, Sandra Smith, Griff Jenkins, Abby Hornacek and Meghan McCain.

For followers who had watched Kennedy announce her engagement months earlier, the Hawaiian ceremony provided the next chapter in a relationship that had largely developed outside the public eye.

What is publicly known about Fred remains limited, but Kennedy has made one thing unmistakably clear: she considers him the man who unexpectedly entered her life, changed it and ultimately became her husband.

From secretly attending a Fox Christmas party together to an emotional engagement announcement and finally exchanging vows beside the Pacific Ocean, Kennedy and Fred have now made their commitment official — while continuing to keep much of their story between themselves.