Conservative media figures are having yet another very public fight with each other following the announcement of a new video series by podcaster Candace Owens targeting Erika Kirk, wife of slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. It is the latest in a series of public spats rocking the conservative world and causing headaches for an ailing Republican Party.
Owens released the trailer for “Bride of Charlie: An Investigative Series” on Monday. In the video Owens criticizes Erika Kirk for her actions following her husband’s death and makes a series of accusations related to Turning Point USA, the conservative group founded by Charlie that’s now run by Erika. These include the involvement of foreign governments, trafficking , and financial impropriety.
Candace Owens, center, was Turning Point USA’s director of communication when she attended the 2018 Young Black Leadership Summit with TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 26, 2018.
It should be noted that Owens, who once worked for Turning Point USA, has a history of making absurd and disproven claims, including the allegation that French President Emanuel Macron ordered her assassination after Owens claimed his wife, Brigitte Macron, is a man. So there is the possibility that everything she is alleging about Erika Kirk is a made-up fantasy. Or maybe not.
Either way, members of the conservative media sphere are extremely mad about Owens’ crusade.
Columnist Meghan McCain said the video was “Pure, unadulterated, fucking evil.” She added, “Who in God's name would put a woman whose husband was brutally assassinated in front of the entire world through this?”
Conservative writer Rod Dreher said Owens is a “monster” and “deranged.” Babylon Bee’s Seth Dillon lamented, “What would Charlie have to say about this?” Bonchie, a contributor to the site RedState, wrote, “Everyday, there’s some new line being crossed by this lunatic that makes me wonder whether certain people will finally speak up.”
The video series is an escalation of Owens’ crusade against Erika Kirk. Following Charlie’s murder, Owens began pushing several conspiracies around the killing. Owens and Erika Kirk reportedly met for several hours in December to discuss the issue, but Owens was clearly undeterred.
But Owens is a monster of the right’s own making.
Related | This far-right influencer is too crazy even for Trump
For years she was financed by conservatives and given a platform via outlets like the Daily Wire, run by conservative media figure Ben Shapiro. Back then, they were perfectly happy to cheer Owens on when she pushed smears and conspiracies about liberals and Democrats including former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Owens, who is Black, was a perfectly acceptable person on the right when she defended right-wing racism.
But now that her venom is aimed at one of their own, suddenly it is a problem and Owens is a “monster.”
It’s a convenient turn of events.
The Owens controversy is the latest phase in the conservative media world’s internal war. As President Donald Trump’s political approval has dwindled, many media figures who profited handsomely from the MAGA movement have begun infighting.
Figures like the antisemitic pundit Nick Fuentes, who fostered relationships with Republican members of Congress while attacking Jewish people, have become a problem. Factions of the right continue to support figures like Fuentes and Owens, while others decry their toxicity.
These battles are likely to continue dogging the Republican Party, which has been unable to distance itself from conservative media. After all, Trump bestowed the Medal of Freedom to deceased bigot Rush Limbaugh and the party has always been joined at the hip with outlets like Fox News.
Erika Kirk recently endorsed Vice President JD Vance as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2028. It’s probably only a matter of time until Owens’ swirl of allegations ensnares him and others in his orbit.
The right built this noxious problem from the ground up, and now they will have to deal with the fallout.
