Photos Of Erika Kirk Cozying Up To Another Man Before Charlie Go Viral

By Lea B
Erika Kirk staring Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Erika Kirk was 29 years old when she met her late husband, Charlie Kirk, in what was supposed to be a job interview that turned into a romantic first date in September 2018. Which is to say, she had a whole life before him — one that involved other relationships before Charlie ever entered the picture and eventually became her husband. Photos from her past reveal that Erika has an ex-boyfriend named Joseph Tyler Massey, to whom the former Miss Arizona USA may or may not have once been engaged. The proof? Snaps from their apparent engagement shoot have resurfaced on X, formerly Twitter, suggesting that Charlie wasn't the only man to have been a part of her life.

To be fair, it isn't like she kept it a secret; Erika openly talked about her ex-boyfriend in a feature for Arizona Foothills Magazine describing her ideal day. "5:30 p.m. Happy hour with my favorite human and best friend, JT Massey, also conveniently enough my incredible boyfriend, talking about everything, from his day at the baseball field to the latest with his music group, Saving Southern," she wrote. According to MiLB, Massey was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and played professional baseball for many years before retiring in 2016. Apparently, he's also quite religious. "11 p.m. If I can get my brain to turn off, it's bedtime. JT and I have a nightly prayer tradition where we take turns leading the bedtime prayer. Tonight's my night," Erika said.

It's unclear exactly how their relationship ended, but his Facebook profile shows that Massey has moved on and is now happily married with two children. (Erika also has two kids with Charlie.) Meanwhile, a woman who has identified herself as the aunt of the photographer who shot Erika and Massey confirmed that the exes were indeed engaged to be married. But unless Erika confirms this story, which is highly unlikely, it's all purely speculative.

Fans react to Erika Kirk's romantic past

Erika Kirk looking afar Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Was Erika Kirk really married to someone else before her marriage to Charlie Kirk? According to public records, there's no actual proof that she had tied the knot with anyone else prior to Charlie, yet her rumored engagement to Joseph Tyler Massey sure has stirred the pot. Some were quick to poke fun at her romantic past: "Wait ... is she a black widow? How many men have died after mating with her?" one quipped on X. Another said of Erika, "I'm glad she experienced having an attractive partner at some point." But others don't see why her rumored engagement to Massey should be an issue. After all, it wasn't like there was an overlap. "This isn't a wedding photo or something? Is it breaking news that she has an ex bf??" a third user argued.  

However, there were also those who couldn't help but notice the strange similarities between Erika's ex-boyfriend and Charlie. Reacting to an old photo of the exes, taken in 2014 during Phoenix Fashion Week, an X user pointed out, "I cannot explain it, but that first picture is the face template of Charlie Kirk," to which someone else agreed in the comments: "He looks like a better version of Charlie." 

It's all interesting online gossip, but at the end of the day, none of it matters to Erika, who has repeatedly stated that Charlie was, and will always be, the only man she's ever truly loved. "I can't help but smile when I hear his name or say it," the Turning Point USA CEO told Fox News' Jesse Walters months after her husband was slain. "He was the love of my life," she adds. "[He] still is."

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