Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point founder and CEO Charlie Kirk, and social media personality and podcaster Candace Owens met privately on Monday to defuse tensions between the two over conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of Kirk.
Both Kirk and Owens shared social media messages in which they claimed they had a “productive” discussion. Kirk’s message was short and to the point, while Owens provided a little more detail about the conversation, stating that “tensions were thawed.”
“Had a very productive conversation with @RealCandaceO,” Kirk posted. “More to come from both of us. Looking forward to AmFest this week. Time to get back to work.”
Owens mentioned the length of the meeting and expressed some regret for not talking sooner in her post.
“Erika and I had an extremely productive 4 1/2 hour meeting that I think we both feel should have taken place a lot earlier than it did,” Owens said. “We agreed much more than I had anticipated. Of course, we also disagreed on various points and people as well. Most importantly, we were able to share intel and clarify intent.”
“I will of course have a full rundown for you all tomorrow as I am currently exhausted, but I wanted to quickly let you guys know that absolutely nothing was held back and the immediate result was that tensions were thawed.”
Owens was a former employee of Turning Point USA and claimed that Charlie Kirk was her friend. Since his assassination, Owens has made several unsubstantiated claims about his murder, suggesting multiple conspiracy theories, including that the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, was not the actual assassin.
Kirk and Owens engaged in a war of words last week, with Kirk specifically gaining attention for her appearances on Fox News in which she expressed “righteous anger” and told those who engaged in conspiracy theories about her husband’s death to “stop.”
During a CBS Town Hall on Saturday hosted by new CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, Kirk was asked by Weiss if she had a message for Owens.
“Stop,” Kirk replied. “That’s it. That’s all I have to say. Stop.”
