By Kristin Anderson // EEW Magazine Online

American conservative political commentator Candace Owens has been making headlines after leaving The Daily Wire, a media outlet co-founded by conservative media personality and high-profile Jewish man, Ben Shapiro, following her criticism of Israel's conduct during the war in Gaza.

Owens's exit was further fueled by antisemitic accusations made against her by Andrew Klavan, novelist, conservative political commentator, and host of the Daily Wire podcast, The Andrew Klavan Show.

Owens, a 35-year-old conservative media firebrand, has strongly refuted these accusations, using various platforms to clarify her stance and assert her commitment to Christian values.

“Factually speaking, I have never said something that is antisemitic, and had I said something that is antisemitic, Andrew Klavan would have simply showed the clip,” Owens stated during a conversation with British journalist Piers Morgan. Owens, who recently revealed her conversion to Catholicism, argues that her usage of the phrase “Christ is King” is a reflection of “basic Christian doctrine,” not antisemitic sentiment.

During her interview with the 59-year-old British journalist, Owens addressed the controversy surrounding the phrase “Christ is King,” which has been co-opted by some white supremacists and antisemites as a racist affront to Jews. She explained that she began using the phrase before the recent scandal and emphasized that it was intended as a call for peace.

“I posted a standalone Bible verse—this is just a pure fact—calling for peace. And [at] the end of the verse, I ended it and said ‘Christ is King’ last November. Andrew Klavan references that,” Owens said.

Piers Morgan challenged Owens, accusing her of using the phrase provocatively towards Jewish people, specifically Ben Shapiro. Owens defended her actions, stating that the tweet was sent in response to Shapiro's comments calling her “faux sophisticated” and “a disgrace.” At the time, Owens was 38 weeks pregnant and chose to respond to the media firestorm by tweeting a message she felt represented her perspective: “I wanted to respond to all of these media members by saying, I’m calling for peace. Christ is king of my heart, I don’t need this right now. That was it.”

The outspoken political pundit and host of her new independent podcast, Candace, has also criticized Israel for supplying arms to Azerbaijan, which she claims are used against Christians in Armenia, the oldest Christian nation in the world. “The biggest issue, by the way, that I have with Israel in talking about them being above reproach is the fact that they are supplying the arms to murder Christians in Armenia,” she stated in her interview with Morgan. Owens expressed frustration with the media for not covering the persecution of Christians as extensively as other issues.

Owens’s rise to prominence began with her pro-Trump commentary in 2017, earning her a reputation as the "new face of Black conservatism." The cultural commentator has been known for her critiques of the Black Lives Matter movement, identity politics, cancel culture, and structural racism—topics central to ongoing cultural debates. She joined The Daily Wire in 2021 and hosted a weekday commentary show until March 2024, when the relationship ended without a detailed explanation from the Daily Wire.

In her defense against antisemitic accusations, Owens stated, “The reason why this even became a scandal is because of Andrew Klavan. Andrew Klavan did an episode called ‘Because Christ Really Is King’ and then he accused me wrongly of spitting that phrase at a Jew. That simply never happened.” She accused Klavan, 69, of creating the controversy “out of thin air” and reiterated that her tweet was a call for peace.

As tensions remain high regarding Western views on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Owens continues to use her platform to advocate for what she terms “equality” in media coverage of global issues. “When there is wall-to-wall coverage of Christians being killed in Armenia, Christians being killed in Nigeria, and the treatment of Christians in America and all across the globe today, then you ask me if I will use my platform and I will use my voice to speak about what’s happening in Israel. How about that?” she challenged.

Owens emphasized her commitment to speaking up for persecuted Christians worldwide, urging other Christians to do the same: “I’m a Christian first, and so my concerns are going to be with what’s happening to Christians all around the world, because it is us, we are the #1 most persecuted religion in the world. And all Christians watching this need to realize the time is now to start speaking up, because we have been silenced about the things that are happening to us for a very long time.”

The controversy surrounding Owens and her views highlights the complex interplay between political commentary, religious beliefs, and media representation in today's polarized climate.