Candace Owens is facing new backlash after revealing a new weapon in her arsenal in her fight against Charlie Kirk’s widow and Turning Points USA CEO Erica Kirk, who took over his role after his assassination last year: a multi-part docuseries that looks to uncover the former beauty queen’s past and motives. Trailer for Charlie’s brideReleased late Monday, it sparked a swift backlash, with many right-wing conservatives calling the far-right critic and podcast host “evil.”
Owens, who worked under founder Charlie Kirk at TPUSA as communications director for the conservative political nonprofit college organization until 2019, shared her thoughts about Erika Kirk on the podcast she hosts, Candaceshortly after he was shot and killed last fall at a speaking event at Utah Valley University. The 37-year-old widow, whose broad approval among GOP lawmakers crystallized when she received a standing ovation at President Trump’s State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday night, initially came under scrutiny for some of her behavior in the wake of her husband’s death; The details of these moments and Erica Kirk’s masked past appear to be the blood Owens smelled in the water as she looked to discredit and expose the right-wing pundit’s widow.
Trailer for Charlie’s bridewhich appears to be a multi-episode documentary series, goes for the widow’s jugular. Beginning with news reports of Charlie Kirk’s murder, Erica is seen crying for her husband in a few short clips but smiling in the next, wearing a sparkly pantsuit as she steps out on stage at the TPUSA AmericaFest convention in December. Later, she posed for souvenir photos with fans at a replica of her late husband’s famous “Discuss Me” booth and tossed the crowd some of the 50,000 commemorative Charlie Kirk hats sold at TPUSA events.
Erica Kirk’s behavior in this period of grief has certainly been questioned, and not just by Owens and other far-right commentators. the The Washington Post She published a headline article titled “Erica Kirk walks a fine line in a sparkling suit,” and her moment of mourning at her late husband’s coffin certainly raised eyebrows. The trailer allows Kirk to offer her own interpretation: “Everyone grieves differently, so if someone is acting weird, don’t read into it,” the widow says in a Zoom interview.
While some raised questions about Erika Kirk, then moved on and forgot about it, Owens apparently saw a widespread conspiracy — or perhaps an opportunity — and spent months talking up conspiracy theories related to Erika Kirk. The rest of the trailer taps into these things while continuing to suggest that Erika Kirk is up to no good. Conspiracy theories and possible companions are then spread – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Roman Church accused in the child trafficking scandal. The film concludes with footage of Erika Kirk, edited to appear more sinister when she bested the powerful conservative organization last year, shown alongside several speakers (not Owens in particular) questioning her actions.
The backlash to the trailer has been loud and angry. It also grows entirely directed at Owens, who has been described as a “villain” by many critics and commentators for producing the series, for sharing the trailer, and for suggesting that a plot to kill and replace Charlie Kirk at TPUSA had taken place.
Meghan McCain wrote on Channel
Ben Shapiro posted a video on X to make sure all listeners know he thinks Owens is “evil” too. Owens and the populist right-wing thought leader have been arguing for some time, and the subject of Charlie Kirk’s death is central. The rift between them has been a central fault point in the rift that has emerged in the far right during President Trump’s second term, and the stakes appear to be rising in Shapiro’s latest episode.
“She’s an evil, conniving person,” Shapiro told his audience. “She clearly describes Erica Kirk as a 15-year-old pedophile. She has been suggesting for some time that TPUSA was complicit, if not in Charlie Kirk’s murder, then in covering up Charlie Kirk’s murder. These are the things Candace Owens was doing, because Candace Owens is a real vampire.”
Shapiro suggested that Erika Kirk “file a lawsuit against Candace Owens over this kind of thing.” While there are no records indicating that she has filed any legal complaint in the matter, Owens is suing French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, over her claims that the latter is in fact a man.
