
French president’s attorney says influencer’s claims fit “reckless defamation” pattern
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Will Sommer
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Anushka Mutanda Doughty
Hello and welcome back to Fame Under Fire with me, Anushka Mutanda Doughty. This week, assassination claims and the ongoing feud over Charlie Kirk's murder. In the universe of the US right wing influencer Candace Owens, which is ever expanding, there are a few allegations she's known for making or repeating to her millions of followers. Number one, you guys know this. Brigitte Macron, the French president's wife, was born a biological man and then transitioned to a woman. If you don't know what I'm talking about, we have a whole episode on it. So go back and listen.
Candace Owens
You are officially a very goofy man, Brigitte. But I got to give it to you, you've definitely got balls.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
Brigitte Macron denies this and has filed a defamation lawsuit against Candace Owens in Delaware. Number two, this is something else Candace Owens has been repeating. The assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was not all it seems and involves the French government, the Israeli government, and Turn Point usa. That's the nonprofit that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college and university campuses, which Charlie started and Candace used to work there as well.
Candace Owens
There were, for whatever reason, 12 Israeli cell phones on the ground at Utah Valley University the day that Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
Now, US Media have reported that Candace has provided no proof for the allegation that there were 12 Israeli cell phones on the ground that day. The Israeli government have called the idea that they were involved in the assassination of Charlie, Charlie Kirk a monstrous lie. The French government haven't responded and Turning Point USA have called it absurd. Now, the third thing you might know, Candice, for at the moment is a recent claim. She said that there was an assassination plot against her paid for by the Macrons and planned by the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group, that's France's elite counterterrorism and hostage rescue unit. Her initial tweet alleging this has been viewed more than 44 million times.
Candace Owens
Two days ago I was contacted by a high ranking employee of the French government. In short, this person claims the Macrones have executed upon and paid for my assassination.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
The gendarmerie told French media this is fake news. The Macron's attorney, Tom Clare has called it deranged. On Monday, Candace sat down with Erica Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow and the new CEO of Turning Point usa. We know what Erica has had to say about conspiracies surrounding her late husband.
Will Sommer
Stop.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
That's it. That's all I have to say.
Candace Owens
Stop.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
Joining me now to walk us through this is Will Sommer, a senior reporter at the Bulwark who covers and reports on disinformation, conspiracy theories and right wing media. Hi, Will.
Will Sommer
Hi. Thanks for having me.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
I just want to get in there before the commenters do and say why we are covering this. Why is Candace Owens important?
Will Sommer
Candace Owens is a massively popular podcaster and YouTuber in the United States. She's a long running right wing activist of a about a decade. Her recent, most recent live stream about Turning Point USA had like 100,000 concurrent viewers. So I mean, this is someone who has a lot of influence. And I think the larger takeaway here is, you know, yes, this is YouTuber drama. This is sort of a soap opera. But it's one that I think Republicans are really concerned about because it is having this effect of sort of dissolving the good feelings the party had after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The sense of mourning and coming together. And now it's sort of dissolving into backbiting. And you know, look, I mean, they have elections for Congress and I think there's concern that this could hurt Republicans.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
And you mentioned that Charlie Kirk, obviously Candace and Charlie had a long standing friendship and she used to work at Turning Point usa. Charlie was kind of known for prioritizing conversation about Republican viewpoints in schools and college campuses and university campuses. That's certainly how he described himself. Let's have an open debate about what he believes in and what Turning Point USA stood for. What was Candace's relationship like with Charlie for people who don't know?
Will Sommer
So Candace Owens emerged in the sort of the Internet fever swamps, perhaps these sort of culture war fights over video games. Were video games too liberal? Were they too conservative? Whatever. And then from there, she kind of entered the world of right wing media more broadly, thanks to Charlie Kirk, who obviously was a very successful young Republican activist and brought her in sort of as his sidekick, perhaps his co star. And so she in particular worked to try to convince black Americans to leave the Democratic Party. And what she called, you know, you guys had Brexit, they called this blexit, so black exit. And so she tried to convince them to leave. And that's kind of how where she. She built up a lot of her audience with Charlie Kirk. They had this friendship with Kanye West. They were clearly very close at one point.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
Yeah, I mean, if you go and look at Candace's social media or her YouTube, it's hundreds of videos of her and Charlie and pictures together, and the friendship that they had is very clear. So we just heard about Candace and Charlie's relationship. Can you walk me through what happened to Charlie Kirk on the day of the assassination, the official line and then some of the questions that Candace has started to ask?
Will Sommer
Sure. So let's start with the line from the FBI, from local law enforcement. So on September 10th, Charlie Kirk was giving a college event at Utah Valley University in the state of Utah. According to the FBI, a sniper nearby, a young man named Tyler Robinson, who was on a nearby rooftop while Charlie Kirk was speaking. He shot Kirk through the neck. Kirk was killed essentially instantly. The video was captured very broadly. A lot of people saw it all over the world. Within a few days of the assassination, Candace Owens started to say, well, you know, did it really happen this way? I don't really believe Tyler Robinson did this. And she started to initially point fingers at Israel, which she has sort of. She's been a very outspoken critic of Israel and is also very anti Semitic. I mean, she goes much beyond, I think, typical criticism of Israel. And so suddenly she was bringing this conspiracy theory element before Charlie Kirk was even buried, she was bringing this story up.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
So you say she's questioning. You know, I don't think this is what happened. What are some of the theories that she put forwards?
Will Sommer
So, you know, it can often be a little hard to describe her conspiracy theories because there isn't sort of one single idea that she has. She sort of cycles through things, I think to be frank, I think she's looking for whatever is gonna keep people tuning in. There's gotta be some new revelation on each episode of her YouTube show. So she has posited that Charlie Kirk was maybe shot from an underground tunnel. There are utility tunnels on campus. Maybe someone from a trapdoor shot him. Possibly. Was there a cult surrounding the insect, the bee, Like a beehive? There's a lot of bee symbology in Utah because they're Mormons. They love bees and beehives. And so essentially, she's seen all these bees and she said, this is a cult. You know, how could this happen? So it's a very sprawling conspiracy theory.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
And she keeps returning to the idea of Israel having some involvement. Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has flat out denied this, actually came and directly addressed this.
Will Sommer
Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, said that the bigger the lieutenant, the faster it will spread. Well, somebody has fabricated a monstrous big lie that Israel had something to do with Charlie Kirk's horrific murder. This is insane. It is false. It is outrageous.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
But Candace is saying, actually, I have a basis for this allegation. There is text messages that support this theory that she has. Tell me a little bit about that.
Will Sommer
Sure. So Candace argued, and this was a big revelation at the time. She said, well, I know that in the weeks and days leading up to his murder, Charlie Kirk was getting increasingly fed up with Israel. I mean, Turning Point usa, Charlie Kirk were seen as very staunch defenders of Israel and Jews. But in the final months before his death, Charlie Kirk, she claimed, was basically saying, we need to get some distance between Israel. Young Americans in particular were getting fed up with the war in Gaza. And so she presented text messages where Charlie Kirk said, I'm getting sick of this particular donor because he doesn't want. Want me to host a. An anti Israel speaker. Or he was saying, you know, essentially that he felt that Israel was being very demanding and that pro Israel donors were really exerting a lot of control over his organization.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
And for a lot of people who are critical of Candace, this falls into a pattern of allegations. She's been accused of anti Semitism by the Anti Defamation League. They say she embraces and promotes anti Semitic tropes and anti Israel rhetoric in her videos. But there is also a large group of people, her followers, people within Turning Point USA who were asking questions as well. She wasn't just shouting in to avoid people who were saying, you're crazy.
Will Sommer
Yeah, I mean, I think there's been a lot of tumult within Turning Point USA after Charlie Kirk's assassination, I mean, I think there was this moment of unity, but then was replaced with kind of like a lot of factionalism, a lot of discontent. I mean, the reality is there were. I mean, Charlie Kirk really does seem to have been at odds with his pro Israel donors. In the weeks leading up to his assassination, there was a meeting in the Hamptons hosted by the billionaire Bill Ackman, where according to Candace Owens, that sort of the pro Israel elements of the group sort of braced it. Charlie Kirk and said, you know, you need to get in the party line here. Bill Ackman has said that it wasn't really like that, but that there was this meeting. So I think often with these conspiracy theories that are successful, there is kind of a kernel of truth here. And I do think it's true that Charlie Kirk was growing a little discontented with his relationship with Israel. On the other hand, she really has not presented any proof that they killed her.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
But she does say the text messages that she shows, they have been confirmed by Turning Point as authentic.
Will Sommer
Yeah, right. So Turning Point did validate, you know, or verify a lot of the text messages Charlie Kirk sent where he was saying, you know, these, these Jewish donors are in some ways their worst enemies. Or these pro Israel donors because they're so demanding, they want to exercise so much control over the organization. And so, I mean, that is true that her claims that he was. Was sort of having a falling out with Israel, which were initially treated when she said them as just impossible. I do think a lot of that is bo.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
Well, look, Turning Point USA have denied any involvement or wrongdoing. Blake Neff from Turning Point USA addressed the allegation in a video posted on X, saying they showed a total reckless disregard for the truth. And he added, we thought that her fabrications were so absurd that no one would believe them. The French government have not responded to her claims. But there was a reaction when Candace started saying this, particularly within the sphere that she exists in this sort of right wing influencer space online. What were some of the reactions?
Will Sommer
So over the past several months, Candace Owens has sort of increasingly approached criticizing Turning Point USA and even Charlie Kirk's widow Erica directly. And so initially it started with Israel and she got kind of closer and closer. And obviously, I think privately a lot of right wing media people that I talk to, really horrified from the beginning that she was doing this. I mean, this kind of twisting of Charlie Kirk's legacy, this sort of commercializing of the death, turning it into this sort of Investigation where she's making, I would say, minimum tens of thousands of dollars, and I think likely a lot more than that. From her videos, people were horrified, but most people were quiet because they were concerned that she would turn on them. More recently, though, in the past few weeks, Turning Point USA essentially said enough is enough, and they sort of challenged her to this showdown. You mentioned Blake Neff. He said, come meet us and we'll debate all of your conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk on a livestream for the whole world to see.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
Then this builds up to this meeting with Erica Kirk, who's the new CEO of Turning Point usa. Just for people who are completely new to this story, it feels like there would be a large amount of backlash to start questioning a grieving widow. But a lot of the discourse online, there has been a large amount of discourse questioning Erika Kirk, her motives and her reactions.
Will Sommer
It can be hard to believe, and in a way, it's still kind of hard to believe myself. You know, initially, I think Erica Kirk, who pretty quickly was made the CEO of Turning Point, was really seen as her husband's heir. Even Candace Owens, I think, was sort of suggesting, well, you know, maybe all these other Turning Point USA people were corrupt or they betrayed Charlie Kirk, but not Erica. And then she started kind of changing her tune. She was saying everything in Charlie's life was a lie, maybe everything was fake, presumably including his wife. I think Erica Kirk has been hurt, but she's had a couple pretty unflattering interviews. I don't think she's as charismatic as Candace Owens, which I don't think is hard to be, because, I mean, Candace Owens, I think, is very charismatic, whereas Erica Kirk, I think, is obviously going through a lot. And I think her attempts to push back on Candace Owens, I think has prompted people to say sort of, well, okay, she's a figure in the arena now, and now we can target her as well.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
There is a large group of people as well who were sort of voicing concern that Candace was going to step into a sit down, not streamed, not live, not on camera with Erica Kirk and people from Turning Point usa, There was no indication that anybody was going to harm Candace. Erica, Turning Point us, Anybody, Anybody at all. However, if you look in the comments section, when she announced that she was going to have this sit down, Candace, be careful. Candace, are you taking security with you? Will you have bodyguards? So there was this level of fear about it. And then Candace, after her sit down.
Candace Owens
She posted this 4 1/2 hours later. I'm alive. I'm alive. I'm totally fine and I am sorry. I was gonna do a show for you guys this evening but I am truly exhausted.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
And even the comments underneath that are saying they got Candace. People are skeptical of her motives for posting that and why it wasn't live streame and why there were no cameras in the room. But now she has streamed for an hour going through what she says. She spoke to Erica Kirk and other people at Turning Point USA about what are some of the things she says happened in that room.
Will Sommer
So this was a meeting that was brokered by the right wing podcaster herself, Megyn Kelly. No recorders were allowed, were told. Maybe they secretly recorded it. I really, people in this world love to secretly record each other so I wouldn't put it past them. They were allowed one aid each. Candace Owens brought her husband at one point brought her cousin, it swapped him out. Erica Kirk had a Turning Point USA employee. I think also what's maybe not being discussed here is whether Turning Point suggested they might sue her if she kept it up. Candace mentioned that there was a lawyer at one point. So you know, I think that's very believable. But you know, overall she, she had her kind of first broadcast after the meeting and I think it's interesting that her fans as you mentioned, are acting like they've really been betrayed, like she sold out. I mean I think if you look at her words, she's more or less, she's back down a little bit. She said, well maybe I shouldn't have called Turning Point USA a God forsaken organization and told people not to donate to it. I think the most direct attacks on Turning Point but then she still put up faces of the staffers and said this guy's suspicious. I don't believe this guy's a liar. I mean I don't think she's necessarily totally abandoning her conspiracy theories, but I think what's interesting about the fact that her audience feels betrayed is that that suggests to me that in the same way that Candace Owens is sort of this creation of right wing media that is now turning on it, I think potentially her audience is turning on her now as well.
Noola McGovern
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Anushka Mutanda Doughty
Okay.
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Noola McGovern
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Noola McGovern
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Anushka Mutanda Doughty
It's interesting, isn't it? I was going to ask you, do you think the conspiracy theory in and of itself actually will outlive Candace, who is the mouthpiece for it? Because when you look the top comments, the top liked comments are they got her. She's yeah, they've got Candace. They showed her something, they scared her. She's going to back down. And we all know what that means.
Will Sommer
Guys, you know, I think the private nature of this meeting could really backfire on Candace Owens because people, you know, she's saying we're all in this together. We're all part of the Candace intelligence agency, as she called it. And there was this sense of, you know, the audience is sending her tips, what have you, and then suddenly the leader of this movement meets privately with, you know, someone she's portrayed as sort of the villain, and then suddenly says, well, you know, maybe I went a little far. So I do think when you have a conspiracy theory that, to be frank, is based on zero actual evidence, I think it's in some ways inevitable that it ultimately will turn on its leader once that person tries to apply any sort of breaks to it.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
People within Turning Point who support it, who pay, you know, pay to support it, who are members, they were asking questions as well. Before all of this. Before Candace.
Will Sommer
That's right. I mean, I, I think there is this sense of, you know, rudderlessness at Turning Point usa. I mean, Charlie Kirk was a very uni figure in American politics. He was a media figure, he was an activist. He had a lot of ties to the Trump administration. He was a very successful businessman in a way. I mean, Turning Point USA brought in a ton of money. In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination. I think there's been a lot of discontent and factions that have emerged, both among Turning Point staffers, but also among right wing media personalities who were friends with Charlie Kirk, who were affiliated with him. I mean, there's clearly a vacuum that's been created in sort of who will be the new face or who will absorb his followers and his power. And so people like Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News host who's now a successful podcaster, Tucker Carlson, again former Fox, now a podcaster. But also even some of Charlie Kirk's enemies, people like the white nationalist Nick Fuentes. I think there's a real scramble on for influence after the assassination. I mean, to be frank, these are not people who really stand on ceremony.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
She's also been talking to other people. She recently did a sit down interview with Russell Brand. Now, our listeners might already know this. Russell goes on trial in the UK in June on charges of rape, sexual assault and indecent assault. He's pleaded not guilty and told his followers that he's grateful for the opportunity to defend himself in court. And since the COVID pandemic, he's developed kind of a cult following for his views on politics and society, with videos challenging mainstream media reporting and often amplifying conspiracy theories. So, you know, a lot of people saying this is a natural fit for these two to sit down together and talk to each other. Let's hear some of what she had to say to him.
Will Sommer
Do you think these things are connected.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
Brigitte Macron's true identity and Charlie Kirk's murder?
Candace Owens
Yes, I think it's all connected. And I think in many ways we already live in this sort of one world government system. Maybe it's two worlds, but with, in terms of the West, I don't think there's any difference in the governments. And that's kind of the point that we're making. And maybe why the Charlie Kirk case is so crucial, because it's showing us that, wait, what is the divide here between America and Israel and France? Right.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
Then we start to see Candace bring in some of her, you know, here's one I made earlier conspiracies about the Macrons and how this is all interconnected and the French government has a part to play in the assassination of Charlie Kirk. What kind of a reaction has that globalization of the conspiracy theory had on the ground?
Will Sommer
It makes the conspiracy theory exciting, I think, for people outside of her bubble, even people who are Trump supporters, it looks a little crazy, even crazier than usual, because it says really the whole conspiracy theory, the whole Charlie Kirk assassination was really ultimately about Candace Owens and her telling that it was about sending her a message or it was sort of taking it back to the Macrones, who she's been investigating this whole time. But at the same time, I think for her audience, I think people are really enthralled by this story.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
But then it goes one step further because she says that there's also been a plot against her life. An assassination attempt that's been verified, she says, by people in government that the French ordered and paid for an assassination attempt on her.
Will Sommer
Yeah. So now Candace Owens hurt, she added more to the conspiracy theory and she said this isn't just about this assassination. That's in the past. This is about a live attempt on my life. Israel and France, the Macrons death. They've dispatched a multinational team of assassins to take me out. Now look, I don't know if she got an email from some crank and she fell for it or what, but she is, she has claimed that she's currently being hunted by assassins. I'm not sure I buy it. She is still living her life very normally. She was seen, you know, going to a tourist attraction. She went to Tucker Carlson's Christmas party, which doesn't appear to have taken place in an armed compound or something like that. But you know, I think she's a great show woman. She's great at kind of keeping people enthralled and always adding a new twist to the story. And the idea that she's currently being hunted by assassins is certainly a big twist.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
But I mean, for people who listen to Candace Owens and certainly exist in that corner of the Internet, who are anti establishment in many ways and cast a skeptical eye over governments and broader organizations that seem to align themselves with establishment, it makes sense that people would target Candace as this individual journalist reporting what she says is the truth.
Will Sommer
I mean, yeah, she's argued, I think, you know, that her investigation into the Macrones and Brigitte Macron being trans or what have you, I mean, she's essentially said that this is uncovering a centuries old cabal that, you know, basically controls the world. So at that point, you know, why wouldn't they try to take her out?
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
I'm going to give you a whole long list of denials here because I don't think it's a surprise to anybody. But the Macrons deny this. The response from the Macron's lawyer, Tom Clare, who we've spoken to on the program about Candace's previous allegations that Brigitte Macron was born a biological male. He said this deranged allegation is right out of Ms. Owens playbook. We're not going to dignify it with a response beyond noting that it does further fit her pattern of reckless and irresponsible defamation of our clients. The US Government have not responded to the claims. In an interview with talk show host Megan Kelly, FBI Director Cash Patel says they were investigating the claim. At this time, the FBI doesn't have credible information, he says, to connect any foreign government. But we continue the investigation. We're not done just on. I mean, that's not a no. Do you think that response is sort of adding credibility or fuel to the fire?
Will Sommer
Yeah, I mean, I think people look at that and if you're already inclined to believe Candace Owens, you say, oh wow, you know, Cash Patel's essentially saying that, you know, they're responding or at least that there's something secret here that he can't address. The Defense Department had a similar response where they said, well, you know, not that I'm aware of as the spokeswoman, but. But essentially, who knows? I asked the White House, I asked the Director of National Intelligence, I asked the FBI and didn't receive any responses. So, I mean, let's look at this in practical terms. What Candace Owens is describing would be one of the greatest diplomatic scandals in history. A NATO ally, the head of a NATO ally country dispatching a team of assassins to take out a major political commentator on American soil. And the American government is doing nothing about it. They're just allowing it to happen or allowing something to happen in the shadows. I mean, I mean, it really does not pass the smell test. On the other hand, I think the fact that the FBI, the Defense Department, the White House are either saying we're not going to comment on that or we're not sure about that. I think it is telling that they are essentially scared of Candace Owens. They don't want to be sucked into her conspiracy theory. They're saying, you know what? Keep us out of it.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
Now look, we asked Candace Owens PR team to respond to a host of allegations about her. The claim that her allegations are deranged and merged fact with fiction. That she scattergun theories and then quickly moves on when they are proven to be false. That she has made anti Semitic comments and that she's making a lot of money from her allegations, which are hurtful to Charlie Kirk's friends and family. They responded and pointed us to watch her latest show, the live stream that she did addressing what happened with Erica Kirk. But those specific points weren't addressed in that live stream. I think it's going to be very interesting what happens as we move forward with this. Just because of the response from her base who was so dedicated to her. And I mean, she had like GoFundMe links and they were buying her merchandise. I mean, she really had created a really large community here. And now the tide appears to be turning. So I will, you know, we'll keep a close eye on this. I'm also interested to see if the Macrons will include those allegations about her saying that they put a hit out on her life in an amended complaint in that civil lawsuit that they filed in Delaware. Will, thank you so much for walking us through this ever expanding universe.
Will Sommer
Thanks for having me.
Anushka Mutanda Doughty
That was Will Sommers, senior reporter at the Bulwark. And that's it for this episode of Fame and Defense from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Mutandadi. Now, we will see you again in the new year. So until then, thanks for listening.
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Host: Anushka Mutanda-Doughty (BBC Sounds)
Guest: Will Sommer, Senior Reporter at The Bulwark
Release Date: December 18, 2025
This episode tackles the swirl of conspiracy theories surrounding right-wing US influencer Candace Owens, particularly her recent claim that the French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte commissioned an assassination attempt against her. The discussion expands into the aftermath of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk's assassination, the ensuing online drama and factionalism, and the increasingly blurred lines between fact and fiction in the influencer age. Host Anushka Mutanda-Doughty is joined by disinformation expert Will Sommer to unpack Owens' role in amplifying unsubstantiated claims, the larger impact on right-wing politics, and the responses from all parties involved.
Allegations in the Spotlight:
Candace’s Audience:
Owens is influential, with 100K live viewers per YouTube stream. Her controversies now concern mainstream Republicans, not just "YouTuber drama," because they're affecting party unity, especially after Kirk's killing.
“This is someone who has a lot of influence... It's one that I think Republicans are really concerned about because it is having this effect of dissolving the good feelings the party had after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.” —Will Sommer (03:52)
Official Narrative:
On Sept 10, at Utah Valley University, Charlie Kirk was killed by sniper Tyler Robinson, per the FBI and police.
Owens’ Challenges:
Owens rapidly began promoting alternatives:
“She has posited that...maybe someone from a trapdoor shot him. Possibly...there's a lot of bee symbology in Utah...So essentially, she's seen all these bees and she said, this is a cult.” —Will Sommer (07:06)
Reactions to Israeli Links & Text Messages:
“Turning Point did validate...a lot of the text messages Charlie Kirk sent...” —Will Sommer (10:32)
Discord Intensifies:
After Kirk's murder, TPUSA fractured into factions. Many in the right-wing media were horrified by Owens’ monetization and publicizing of conspiracy theories, but feared speaking out.
"This kind of twisting of Charlie Kirk's legacy, this sort of commercializing of the death...Where she's making, I would say, minimum tens of thousands of dollars, and I think likely a lot more than that." —Will Sommer (11:25)
Erica Kirk, Conspiracies, and Online Vitriol:
Erica Kirk (Charlie’s widow, now TPUSA CEO) originally allied with Owens, but soon Owens alluded to conspiracy around Erica herself. Online discourse turned toxic, with even Erica’s motives questioned.
Off-Camera Sit-Down:
After online pressure, Owens and Erica Kirk met behind closed doors—no cameras or livestream, only one aide each and possible legal representation.
“I’m alive. I’m alive. I’m totally fine and I am sorry. I was gonna do a show for you guys this evening but I am truly exhausted.” —Candace Owens (14:09)
Will Sommer notes the audience’s sense of betrayal after Owens appeared to soften her rhetoric:
“Her fans...are acting like they’ve really been betrayed, like she sold out...her audience feels betrayed is that that suggests to me that...potentially her audience is turning on her now as well.” (14:42)
Expanding the Conspiracy:
Owens recently claimed that a "high-ranking French government employee" warned her of a Macron-backed assassination attempt. The French elite force GIGN named by Owens called the story "fake news."
Will Sommer underlines the implausibility:
“What Candace Owens is describing would be one of the greatest diplomatic scandals in history. A NATO ally...dispatching a team of assassins to take out a major political commentator on American soil. And the American government is doing nothing about it?...It really does not pass the smell test.” (23:23)
Connecting Everything:
In an interview with Russell Brand, Owens tied together the Brigitte Macron trans theory, Charlie Kirk’s murder, and claims of a Western “one world government” conspiracy that's out to get her.
“Yes, I think it’s all connected. And I think in many ways we already live in this sort of one world government system...in terms of the West, I don’t think there’s any difference in the governments. And that’s kind of the point…” —Candace Owens (19:47)
Vacuum & Scramble for Influence:
With Kirk gone, Sommer explains the post-assassination scramble for leadership and audience, involving major and fringe right-wing personalities.
“There’s clearly a vacuum that’s been created...who will be the new face...So people like Megyn Kelly...Tucker Carlson...even some of Charlie Kirk’s enemies, like the white nationalist Nick Fuentes. I think there’s a real scramble on for influence after the assassination.” (18:10)
“This deranged allegation is right out of Ms. Owens playbook...it does further fit her pattern of reckless and irresponsible defamation of our clients.”
—Tom Clare, Macrons’ lawyer (22:33)
“She sort of cycles through things...she’s looking for whatever is gonna keep people tuning in. There’s gotta be some new revelation on each episode...”
—Will Sommer (07:06)
“The leader of this movement meets privately with someone she’s portrayed as the villain...and then suddenly says, well, maybe I went a little far. So...once that person tries to apply any sort of breaks to it...it ultimately will turn on its leader.”
—Will Sommer (17:21)
The episode lays bare the dizzying escalation of narrative and counter-narrative between Candace Owens, her supporters, detractors, and the global political figures caught in her crosshairs. As disinformation expert Will Sommer and host Anushka Mutanda-Doughty highlight, the saga reveals darker shifts in the right-wing influencer universe: monetizing tragedy, the volatility of online followings, and the difficulty of putting conspiracy-djinns back in the bottle—even when the truth is publicly, repeatedly, and forcefully stated. The Macrons, Turning Point USA, and Charlie Kirk’s widow remain targets, while the potential fallout for US political unity and public discourse is still unfolding.
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