As it turns out, Candace Owens might need a few more hours of conversation to fully convince herself out of some of her more outrageous conspiracies concerning the untimely death of Charlie Kirk. It seems her meeting with Kirk’s widow, Erika, simply was not enough, despite initially appearing to be the case.
After Owens appeared to be beaming from her reported 4.5-hour meeting with Erika, it seemed that this latest career pivot might finally be behind the highly watched podcaster. Her first livestream after the meeting even had Owens admitting that Kirk and other employees at Turning Point USA were not involved in some supposed conspiracy involving Israel or France that aimed to kill the late Charlie and, eventually, Owens herself.
CNN reports that during the meeting, Erika brought phone records, other forms of evidence, and even walked Owens through what a lawsuit would look like if they actually went the legal route. But it still wasn’t enough. Owens claimed the public is being “gaslit” and that everything presented by Erika and her team was “fake and gay” — one of her recurring catchphrases.
That catchphrase being deployed in a matter that appears more serious than her usual content offers some insight into why Owens chose this path. In her initial livestream, where she said the meeting with Erika was fruitful, her audience did not seem ready to let the issue go. So, as one might expect, Owens made a business decision: the show must go on.
For what it’s worth, Erika has been trying to dispute the multiple claims in the most direct way possible, even holding a town hall on CBS alongside Bari Weiss. One of Erika’s main points was clarifying that Charlie was an admirer of the state of Israel and had visited the country more than once. She also disputed Owens’ claim that the couple had been followed by Egyptian airplanes for years. But as is often the case with Owens’ large fanbase, the burden of evidence is never placed on Owens — the one making the accusations — but on those she targets.
With the airplane theory, Owens at least claimed that evidence might soon be forthcoming. She told her audience, “I know why these planes have caused such panic, and it is because there is overwhelming evidence that these planes regularly fly in and out of Israel. … Tomorrow I will show you how these planes tie back to Israel, and there’s no disproving this.”
Owens vowed to her fans that she will “never sell out.” What that means is only clear to her growing audience. What is clear is that Owens’ conspiracies are splitting the world of conservative commentators right down the middle. Dave Smith, Megyn Kelly, and Tucker Carlson have silently supported Owens by invoking free speech — arguing that everyone has the right to say whatever they want. While true, it’s notable that none of them challenge her claims by asking for evidence.
For figures like Tim Pool, Ben Shapiro, Nick Fuentes, and, of course, Erika Kirk, Owens is spreading mistruths and actively harming the movement. Shapiro went so far as to describe her as “evil.”
