Candace Owens built her career on talking trash. Now, those who praised the conservative Black influencer’s acid-tongued attacks on liberals are condemning her bizarre attacks on conservatives, including her former employer, Turning Point USA.
On Feb. 25, Owens launched “Bride of Charlie,” a new podcast series attacking Erika Kirk, who assumed leadership of TPUSA after her husband, founder Charlie Kirk, was murdered last fall.
Owens, who has nearly 6 million YouTube subscribers, more than Tucker Carlson, complained that Erika Kirk, “a young woman with absolutely zero qualifications,” now runs the $85 million organization. View episode one here.
The series follows Owens’ December claim that Charlie Kirk’s death was an inside job involving TPUSA employees who “betrayed” Kirk, perhaps with the help of foreign agents. She told donors to quit supporting TPUSA. Owens worked with TPUSA from 2017 to 2019 but was asked to leave the organization after making positive comments about Adolf Hitler.
Curiously, TPUSA has not commented on Owens’ series, and its website still hosts 60 of her posts, many addressing race (“Candace Owens DESTROYS Michelle Obama’s ‘Oppression’ Claims”).
Owens’ attacks on TPUSA follow “Becoming Brigitte,” her eight-part 2025 series attacking French First Lady Brigitte Macron. Owens claimed without evidence that Macron was born male. Macron sued Owens for defamation. Owens claimed France seeks to kill her.
Owens’ conspiracy theories — which she calls “truth bombs” and “mind yoga” — have brought her millions of new followers. But now Daily Wire, PragerU and other conservative groups that once worked with her have condemned her.
Focus on the Family worked with Owens from 2020 to 2022. The ministry has not commented on her antisemitism or conspiracies but simply erased all references to her from its websites. Other groups have been outspoken in their condemnation of Owens.
“As a person who doesn’t often use the adjective ‘satanic,’ what Candace is doing right now is absolutely satanic to Erika Kirk,” said Daily Wire cofounder Ben Shapiro. Owens joined Daily Wire in 2020 but was dismissed from in 2024 after repeated antisemitic claims.
As reported in 2024, Owens promoted the ancient antisemitic claim that Jews drink Christians’ blood and said “secret Jewish gangs” rule Hollywood and do “horrific” things. She previously said Hitler helped “make Germany great” and railed against the cultural “rot” of “D.C. Jews,” according to the progressive group Media Matters for America.
From 2019 to 2021, Owens worked with PragerU, which creates content for schools that promotes “Judeo-Christian values.”
“I have been under great pressure to condemn you for what many see as your growing antisemitism,” wrote PragerU founder Dennis Prager to Owens in 2024 in a 15-page letter asking about her many false statements about Jews: “You may not consciously intend to engender hatred of Jews and Israel. But that doesn’t really matter. The fact is that you are doing so. Whatever your motives, I cannot think of anyone in public life engendering as much suspicion of Jews, Zionism and Israel as are you. … For some reason, you are preoccupied with Jews, and in a very dark way.”
Owens never responded to Prager’s letter. She is still featured on the PragerU website, which calls her “one of the most recognized and influential voices in political media.”
The Anti-Defamation League called out Owens in 2024: “Candace Owens is a right-wing public figure and political commentator who has come to embrace and promote antisemitic tropes and anti-Israel rhetoric. She also espouses conspiracy theories related to the LGBTQ community and has downplayed the impact of slavery and racism on the Black community.”
Focus on the Family once said it was “honored” and “thrilled” to work with Owens from 2020 to 2022, calling her “a woman of strong Christian faith” and a “renowned conservative commentator.” Focus featured Owens in SeeLife 2022, “the largest pro-life event in Focus on the Family’s history.”
Focus even praised Owens as one of “the many Black giants of the conservative movement” whom Americans should honor during Black History Month. Focus has since removed all references to Owens.
One day after Owens launched her “Bride of Charlie” series about TPUSA, Focus published an article that seemed to criticize her without mentioning her name.
“Of late, some high-profile media personalities, some of whom have been previously or even currently friendly to Christians or Christianity, have been garnering headlines with some sensational and downright disturbing claims,” Focus said.
“Not wanting to fan falsehoods or give unhelpful publicity to the either deceptive or the unhinged, we’ll avoid calling out specific instances and individuals,” Focus said in its article, “Conspiracy Claims and Our Christian Call to Be Discerning.”
“When certain people say certain things, you sometimes can’t help but wonder if mental illness might explain some of it,” Focus said. “Some people may fall for the claims, hook, line and sinker.”
Owens is not alone in promoting conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s death and about the life and person of Erika Kirk. Others engaging in similar comments include Alex Jones, Steve Bannon and Kari Lake.
In a related set of conspiracy theories, other conservatives are claiming Erika Kirk is a transgender person born male.
This article originally appeared on Baptist News Global.
