What happened to Candice Owens
Executive summary
Candace Owens, the American right‑wing commentator, has in recent months been at the center of multiple public controversies: an Australian speaking tour was blocked by the Australian government and the tour promoter has since gone into liquidation with ticketholders still awaiting refunds [1], she has advanced unproven conspiracy theories about the assassination of Charlie Kirk that have alienated former allies [2] [3], and she faces legal and reputational fallout from defamation claims tied to statements about France’s first lady [4] [5].
1. The Australia tour that never was — visa denial and financial fallout
Australia’s immigration minister denied Owens a visa in 2024 and that decision was later upheld unanimously by Australia’s high court, a move that scuttled a planned national speaking tour and left ticket buyers unpaid, and the promoter behind the cancelled tour has since gone into liquidation with refunds unresolved more than a year later [1].
2. A fall from inside the right‑wing ecosystem — estrangement from Turning Point USA
Owens, who rose to prominence working with Turning Point USA, has publicly fractured with that organization and with other right‑wing media figures after making controversial statements about its founder and allies, a rift reported as intensified by recent allegations she has made about Charlie Kirk’s killing [2] [6].
3. Conspiracy claims about Charlie Kirk — public backlash and credibility costs
She has promulgated an “official theory” about Charlie Kirk’s assassination that linked disparate actors and prompted widespread blowback across conservative and mainstream outlets; critics within the MAGA and influencer ecosystem have called the claims unsubstantiated and damaging, and social coverage shows Owens’s assertions have fueled anger and ridicule from former supporters [3] [7].
4. Legal exposure over comments about Brigitte Macron and online harassment
Owens is the subject of an ongoing defamation lawsuit filed by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte concerning Owens’s repeated claims about the First Lady’s identity; French courts recently convicted several people for cyberbullying Brigitte Macron over similar claims, a development Owens framed as politically motivated even as legal pressures against her continue [4] [5].
5. Amplification of controversial messaging and accusations of antisemitism
Multiple outlets and analyses have documented a rise in Owens’s anti‑Israel and antisemitic messaging, with media like The Jerusalem Post and Britannica citing increases in such content attributed to her and others; those developments have contributed to diplomatic pushback and public criticism, including comments in foreign legislatures denouncing her rhetoric [8] [6].
6. Infighting with fellow conspiracy purveyors and the erosion of alliances
High‑profile disputes with other conspiracy figures, including an escalation with Alex Jones who publicly attacked Owens and accused her followers of harassment, illustrate how Owens’s recent narratives have strained alliances inside the fringe media ecosystem even as they keep her a prominent, polarizing figure [9].
7. What this means for Owens’s platform and for observers
Taken together, the Australian visa debacle, the tour promoter’s liquidation, the Macron defamation matter, and the fallout over her Charlie Kirk theories show a pattern: Owens continues to command attention and a media platform, but that attention increasingly translates into legal risk, lost institutional partnerships, and alienation from previous conservative allies rather than unambiguous amplification [1] [4] [2] [6].
8. Limits of available reporting and unanswered questions
Public reporting establishes these controversies and legal actions, but available sources do not provide exhaustive information about Owens’s private finances, the full legal strategy in the Macron suit, or definitive evidence supporting her claims about Kirk; where reporting is silent, this analysis does not speculate beyond the documented record [1] [4] [2].