Charlie Kirk’s pastor rebuked MAGA podcaster Candace Owens for spreading conspiracy theories in the wake of the conservative activist’s killing.
Ever since the 31-year-old conservative activist was fatally shot during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University last week, Owens has been peddling a slew of rumors and conspiracy theories about his death.
Speaking out against Owens’ actions, Rob McCoy, who co-chairs the faith division of Kirk’s Turning Point USA, said that Kirk “was a friend to Candace and never spoke poorly of her though he disagreed with her.”
“He never operated nor entertained gossip or innuendo concerning Candace,” he continued.
He urged Owens on Tuesday to behave like Kirk, who he claims wouldn’t have spread similar theories if “God forbid this tragedy been hers.”
“I only wish at this tragic time of mourning she would be the friend to Charlie that he was to her. He would never have treated Candace or her family in such a way had God forbid this tragedy been hers,” McCoy wrote.
Meanwhile, Owens, who once served as the communications director for TPUSA, spread rumors that Kirk may have been targeted because of his views on the war in Gaza.
“Be very wary and suspicious of the people who are already telling us to stop asking questions about the Charlie Kirk assassination,” Owens wrote on X soon after authorities named 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspected shooter.
On Monday, Owens claimed on her podcast that billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, a vocal supporter of Israel, threatened Kirk during an “intervention” about his views in the Hamptons last month.
“Bill Ackman was very upset and threats were made. That is what I am told, and I will tell you that I am very happy for Bill Ackman to dispute this narrative,” Owens said on her show.
Both Ackman and Andrew Kolvet, the executive producer of The Charlie Kirk Show, have come out in full denial of her accusations.
In a lengthy X post, Ackman described the Hamptons meeting Owens had referenced, writing, “at no time have I ever threatened Charlie Kirk, Turning Point or anyone associated with him.”
“I have never offered Charlie or Turning Point any money in an attempt to influence Charlie’s opinion on anything. In fact, my interactions with Charlie Kirk have been extremely cordial, albeit, limited, regretfully so, as I was very impressed by him and his work and I will sadly never see him again,” Ackman wrote.
Meanwhile, Kolvet wrote in his own post that he had spoken with Turning Point staffers who traveled with Kirk to meet Ackman last month.
“Bill never yelled at Charlie, never pressed him on Bibi, never gave him a list of Charlie's offenses against Israel,” Kolvert wrote.
“Charlie personally told me he had a very cordial relationship with Bill and the event was productive,” he added.
While other conservative voices stopped short of backing Owens’ baseless accusations, several, including Megyn Kelly, agreed that Kirk felt “frustrated” and even “pressured” over his Israel criticism.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday criticized a statement made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Kirk’s murder, accusing him of trying to “hijack Charlie’s memory” when Kirk “was appalled by what was happening in Gaza.”
“I was shocked and sickened by the reaction of – the ghoulish and really repulsive reaction of the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, to Charlie’s death,” the host of the Tucker Carlson Show said.
“Basically made it all about him and all about his country, immediately trying to take the energy, the sadness, the grief that people felt over Charlie’s murder and redirect it towards support for whatever project he’s involved in.”
He continued: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything lower than his attempt to hijack Charlie’s memory and use it for his own political ends, particularly because what he said was completely untrue.”
Carlson then claimed that while Kirk loved the state of Israel, “he did not like Bibi Netanyahu” and felt the Israeli Prime Minister was “a very destructive force.”
“He was appalled by what was happening in Gaza. He was, above all, resentful that he believed Netanyahu was using the United States to prosecute his wars for the benefit of his country and that it was shameful and embarrassing and bad for the United States, and he resented it,” Carlson said.
Owens, who has a history of antisemitic commentary, has gotten herself into even more hot water recently for spreading unfounded rumors. The MAGA podcaster is being sued for defamation after continuing to spread false claims that the French first lady, Brigitte Macron, was born a man and transitioned secretly decades ago.
Meanwhile, Ackman on Tuesday wrote on X that Owens “slandered” him. It was not immediately clear whether he planned to take any legal action against her.
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