Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Are leaders like Candace Owens or Will Witt affiliated with the LDS Church?
Executive Summary
The claim that public figures such as Candace Owens or Will Witt are leaders affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is not supported by the available reporting: Candace Owens has been publicly reported as converting to Roman Catholicism in April 2024, not joining the LDS Church, and reporting on Will Witt does not establish any LDS affiliation, instead describing his Christian conversion more broadly [1] [2] [3]. Contemporary coverage through January–March 2025 and later discussions emphasize Owens’ baptism at the Brompton Oratory and profile her as aligning with Catholic institutions, while material on Witt centers on his conversion to Christianity without reference to LDS membership; therefore the broad claim that either is an LDS leader is unsupported by the cited records [1] [4] [3].
1. What people are actually claiming — a simple provocation or a factual assertion?
Several summaries and social posts phrase the allegation as if Owens and Witt are “leaders” of or “affiliated with” the LDS Church; that is a specific organizational claim implying membership, public role, or formal endorsement by the church. The materials reviewed list that assertion as the proposition to verify and treat it as a factual question to be checked against biographical and reporting sources [5]. Claims framed as organizational affiliation require direct evidence such as church membership records, public statements by the individuals acknowledging LDS membership, or the LDS Church listing them as leaders; none of the reviewed sources supply such evidence for either figure [5] [1].
2. Candace Owens: recent reporting points to Catholic conversion, not LDS ties
Multiple pieces document Candace Owens’ religious journey and report that she was baptized at the Brompton Oratory in April 2024, a Roman Catholic venue, and that subsequent profiles describe her as embracing Catholic practices and rhetoric [1] [2]. Reporting from January–March 2025 reiterates this conversion narrative and frames Owens’ public messaging in the context of Catholic identity, not Latter-day Saint identity [1] [4]. Contemporary, dated sources tie Owens to Catholicism rather than the LDS Church, and there is no reporting among the provided documents that places her in formal roles within the LDS organizational structure [1].
3. Will Witt: public faith story without LDS confirmation
The pieces that mention Will Witt characterize him as a conservative commentator whose personal story includes a shift from atheism to Christianity and involvement in faith-centered public work; the transcripts and interviews available do not identify him as an LDS leader or a member of the LDS Church [3]. The corpus includes an interview-style transcript focused on Witt’s conversion and how it informs his public persona, but it does not contain any statement that he is Mormon or connected to LDS leadership [3] [6]. On the evidence at hand, Witt’s public faith is described in general Christian terms; linking him to LDS leadership is unsubstantiated [3].
4. Why the confusion may arise — overlapping conservative networks and faith signaling
Misattribution of religious affiliation often springs from overlapping conservative media networks and visible faith signaling; commentators who speak frequently about religion and social conservatism can be mistaken for belonging to a particular denomination. Both Owens and Witt operate in conservative media ecosystems where pro-Christian rhetoric is common; this ambient association can be conflated with formal institutional membership and lead to erroneous claims about LDS ties [5] [3]. The documents show profiles and interviews emphasizing religion in public life but do not provide the organizational details necessary to confirm LDS affiliation [5] [4].
5. Bottom line, evidentiary limits, and how to verify further
Based on the sources provided, the statement that Candace Owens or Will Witt are leaders affiliated with the LDS Church is not supported: Owens is reported as a Catholic convert with baptism in April 2024, and Witt’s materials describe a Christian conversion without LDS identification [1] [3]. To definitively settle any remaining doubt, one should consult direct primary evidence such as a clear public statement from the individuals about LDS membership, authoritative biographical records, or official LDS Church documentation; the reviewed sources do not contain such primary confirmations [1] [3].