Candace Owens' Unhinged Spiral: Conspiracy Theories and Cruel Jabs at a Grieving Widow
June 19, 2025
by Jaymie Johns
In the months since Charlie Kirk's tragic assassination on September 10, 2025, during a Turning Point USA event in Provo, Utah, the conservative movement has been forced to grapple with not just profound loss, but also the spectacle of one of its former stars unraveling in real time. Candace Owens, once a close collaborator and friend to Kirk—who even texted her for dating advice years ago—has transformed her podcast, *Candace*, into a platform for increasingly bizarre conspiracy theories about his death. What began as "just asking questions" has devolved into a relentless barrage of unsubstantiated claims, many of which directly implicate Kirk's organization and, more disturbingly, target his widow, Erika Kirk, with personal venom that borders on the grotesque.
It's irritating enough to watch Owens hijack a national tragedy for clicks and clout—her episodes on the topic have consistently topped charts and raked in sponsorships, Super Chats, and subscriber growth, literally profiting off outlandish claims that even critics like Tim Pool have called an attempt to "eviscerate" Kirk's legacy for financial gain—but her attacks on Erika, a woman thrust into leadership at TPUSA amid unimaginable grief, cross into something truly repulsive. Erika has three young children and has spent the last three months not only burying her husband but also steering the nonprofit he built through its darkest hour. Yet Owens, from the safety of her microphone, has chosen to portray her as suspicious, opportunistic, and even "jealousy-ridden." It's a low even for someone who's made a career out of provocation. One can't help but feel a quiet disgust at the spectacle: a podcaster profiting off pain while a family mourns.
Owens' theories run the gamut from the geopolitically outlandish to the pettily personal, often laced with "vibe checks" that pass for evidence in her world. Here's a rundown of some of the most egregious examples, drawn directly from her podcast episodes—because if she's going to cite timestamps and episode numbers, so should we, if only to highlight the absurdity.
Post-Assassination Decline
The "Egyptian Planes" Fiasco
Barely a week after the shooting, Owens dove headfirst into international intrigue, claiming Egyptian aircraft suspiciously shadowed Kirk's travel itinerary in the days leading up to his death. In Candace Ep 235: They Are Lying About Charlie Kirk (September 15, 2025), she alleged that "Egyptian planes" flew into multiple U.S. cities where Kirk or TPUSA figures were speaking, including Provo, just before the assassination. "All will be revealed," she teased, citing anonymous tips about flight logs and hotel bookings at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Orem, Utah. By Ep 268: Charlie Kirk And The Crossing Of The Delaware (November 19, 2025), she'd escalated, linking it to "Theo Von and Joe Rogan discuss[ing] conspiracy theories" and implying a foreign plot tied to Kirk's criticism of globalist agendas.
This culminated in Ep 278: UH-OH! Erika Kirk Goes Off On 'Conspiracy Theorists (December 10, 2025), where Owens mocked Erika's Fox News interview debunking the theory—Erika quipped she'd rather have an In-N-Out burger than board some shadowy flight—and accused her of "dodging the question." It's the kind of breathless speculation that ignores the FBI's clear statement: 22-year-old Tyler Robinson acted alone, motivated by personal grievances. But facts have never been Owens' strong suit.
Internal Betrayal at TPUSA and "Tracked for Years"
Owens has repeatedly painted Turning Point USA as a nest of vipers, claiming Kirk was "betrayed by the leadership" who eulogized him. In Ep 272: Turning Point Has Been Keeping A BIG Secret. Did Charlie Know About It? (December 2, 2025), she tearfully alleged a "secret" within TPUSA that Kirk might have discovered, tying it to "water cooler talk" and French intelligence ties—because why not throw in Macron's France for good measure? This built on Ep 256: Charlie Kirk Was Being Tracked For Years (November 10, 2025), where she claimed surveillance by "infiltrators" predated the shooting by years, possibly linked to military or foreign actors.
Her more recent salvos, like Ep 277: Charlie Kirk’s Last Trip To Asia (December 9, 2025), zero in on Kirk's security chief, Brian Harpole, whom she accuses of being at an Arizona military base on September 9—implying a setup during Kirk's Korea trip. And in Ep 276: Who Stood To Benefit From Charlie Kirk's Assassination? (December 8, 2025), she ponders motives with guest Milo Yiannopoulos, floating TPUSA insiders as prime suspects. It's a house of cards, propped up by "tips" from her inbox, but it conveniently absolves the lone gunman narrative while smearing Kirk's lifelong work.
The Doctored Texts and Missing 911 Call
Owens has fixated on minutiae to sow doubt. In a September 17, 2025, YouTube clip tied to Ep 235, she ignited a firestorm by claiming Robinson's confession texts to his roommate were "doctored" by the feds—texts where he ranted about Kirk's "hatred." Fast-forward to December, and in posts amplifying Ep 279: Erika Kirk Tells Me To 'Stop' (December 13, 2025), she questions the absence of a 911 call from Harpole's team en route to the hospital: "Did no one from their team call 911 after Charlie was shot?" Prosecutors say the call happened; Owens says it's a cover-up. The irritation mounts when you realize this isn't journalism—it's poorly written fanfiction.
The Woman with the Shooter and Other Loose Ends
Early on, in Ep 246: A Woman Was Seen With Charlie Kirk's Shooter (October 1, 2025), Owens hyped "breaking news" of a mysterious woman spotted with Robinson, hinting at a handler. By Ep 264: What Did Charlie Kirk Discover Near The End? (late November 2025), she'd woven in Netanyahu's alleged pressure calls on Kirk over Tucker Carlson ties, plus threats from donors. And don't forget Ep 273: BREAKING: TPUSA Throws Down The Gauntlet! Publicly Invites Me To Ask Questions, where she gloats over TPUSA's debate invite, only to pivot in Ep 275: Woah: It Was Erika Kirk Who Called For TPUSA To Invite Me!? (December 5, 2025) by claiming Erika herself orchestrated it—as if that proves guilt.
The Macron Obsession: Off the Rails and Into Retaliation
Owens has gone completely off the rails with a constant fixation on French First Lady Brigitte Macron, pushing the absurd claim that she is secretly a man. It's a conspiracy so flimsy and baseless it's almost comedic—needless to say, the Macrons are suing her for defamation.
Then, in late November 2025, in a transparent bid for retaliation, as the lawsuit intensified, Owens suddenly dragged French intelligence and the Macrons into Charlie Kirk's assassination. She claimed on X and in conveniently paywalled podcast segments that the shooter trained with the French Foreign Legion in a plot tied to Macron's circle. She's obviously getting back at the Macrons for the suit by smearing them with murder accusations, while hiding the worst of it behind A Club Candace fee to profit from her baseless allegations.
The Debate Dodge: All Talk, No Backbone
Owens' hypocrisy reached new heights with her so-called willingness to "debate" TPUSA on Kirk's death. In Ep 273: BREAKING: TPUSA Throws Down The Gauntlet! Publicly Invites Me To Ask Questions (December 3, 2025), she crowed that she'd face off "anytime, anywhere" against the organization she accuses of covering up her husband's murder, framing it as a chance to expose their "lies" live on air. "Bring it," she taunted, predicting an easy win that would vindicate her theories and humiliate Erika's leadership.
Owens assured viewers she'd debate TPUSA "anytime, anywhere" to prove their guilt and destroy them on air.
TPUSA immediately called her bluff with a December 4 invitation to a livestream rebuttal on The Charlie Kirk Show—moderated by Blake Neff, complete with fact-checkers and open questions from Kirk's team. Her response? Silence, then weak excuses on X about a "rigged" format (falsehoods always claim truth is the issue) and demands for her own rules.
In an almost immediate attempt to foist the blame elsewhere, she claimed TPUSA was the one afraid — of course, saving the full rant for paywalled Club Candace episodes that let her continue her self-humiliating tirade unchecked while pocketing subscription fees from the gullible.
Classic Owens: all bravado when there's no real risk, instant retreat when challenged, leaving everyone else thoroughly irritated by the transparent cowardice.
The Disgusting Attacks on Erika Kirk
If the theories are exhausting, Owens' pile-on against Erika is enraging. In her December 11, 2025, episode, UH-OH! Erika Kirk Goes Off On "Conspiracy Theorists". Owens ranted that Erika's pushback on conspiracies gives her "Meghan Markle syndrome"—a bizarre dig implying performative victimhood. She sneered, "None of this is passing the vibe check," while questioning Erika's privacy pleas after the widow shared a casket video: "This is the same person who had someone record her over Charlie Kirk's casket." In Ep 279, Owens escalated, claiming TPUSA's Andrew Kolvet warned her of threats and that Erika "lied" about Kirk not predicting his death.
Worst of all, Owens has implied Erika's rise to TPUSA CEO is suspect: "You don’t just get to be widowed into chairman and CEO," she scoffed in a December 12 rant, doubling down by calling *The Charlie Kirk Show* a "fake" shadow of the original amid falling ratings. She even dredged up old texts to suggest Kirk was "in love" with another woman pre-marriage, fueling ugly jealousy rumors. Erika, who begged Owens to "stop" in a CBS interview, doesn't deserve this—trading barbs with a podcaster while promoting Kirk's final book on the Sabbath? It's cruel and beneath even Owens' already subterranean standards.
And if Owens isn't careful with these direct accusations of cover-ups and suspicious behavior, Erika Kirk or TPUSA could absolutely sue her for defamation—legal experts note strong potential grounds under "actual malice" standards for public figures, given the reliance on debunked theories and anonymous tips despite official investigations.
Owens' "investigation" has postponed TPUSA events, tainted potential jurors, and fractured alliances—Tim Pool even called her out for a Washington Post hit piece. The FBI, under Kash Patel, has dismissed foreign ties and confirmed Robinson's solo act. Yet Owens persists, urging refunds from TPUSA donors and vowing "full confession[s]" from the government—all while her monetized episodes (complete with ads for everything from gold kits to skincare) surge in views and revenue.
If Candace Owens were truly interested in truth, she'd have shown a shred of empathy by now. Instead, she's chosen vitriol — and profit — every single time.
Charlie Kirk deserved better than this circus. Erika Kirk deserves peace, not a bitter podcaster prodding her relentlessly.
Owens might chase boogeymen forever, but the light of Kirk's legacy endures—unshadowed by her spite.
