Why did Candace Owens leave Daily Wire? Details explored as podcaster’s claims about Brigitte Macron gain global traction

American commentator Candace Owens made headlines in March 2024 when she parted ways with The Daily Wire, the conservative media company founded by Ben Shapiro. While her departure was initially framed as a mutual decision, subsequent events, including her conspiracy theories about France's First Lady, Brigitte Macron, have renewed scrutiny of Owens’ career trajectory and the reasons behind her exit.

Candace Owens joined The Daily Wire in 2021, emerging as one of its most polarizing figures. She was known for engaging in conspiracy theories about various topics, from vaccines to immigration. Her rhetoric sharpened after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, during which she began criticizing Israel, claiming that a "small ring" of Jewish elites controlled Hollywood and Washington, DC.

Ben Shapiro, the co-founder of The Daily Wire, publicly criticized Owens’ statements as “disgraceful.” Owens responded with subtly veiled comments, referencing the antisemitic trope that Jews prioritize money over morality, quoting,

"You cannot serve God and money."

Shapiro replied, saying that if she felt uncomfortable with the firm, she should resign. Weeks later, she appeared on Tucker Carlson's show, accusing Shapiro of "ad hominem attacks.” On March 22, 2024, The Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing announced on social media that they had parted ways with Candace Owens. Owens confirmed the split on X, writing,

"The rumors are true— I am finally free."

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Candace Owens' career trajectory after leaving The Daily Wire

After leaving The Daily Wire, Candace Owens started her independent podcast, Candace, in June 2024. She then promoted a conspiracy theory claiming that France's First Lady, Brigitte Macron, was secretly a male named Jean-Michel Trogneux. Owens dedicated episodes of her podcast and social media posts to this theory, despite pushback from fact-checkers.

On July 23, 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States, calling Owens’ claim “verifiably false” and accusing her of encouraging harassment. The lawsuit referenced her eight-part podcast series, Becoming Brigitte, which examined the conspiracy in detail.

Owens dismissed the lawsuit and discussed it on her podcast in a July 28 episode, claiming that Brigitte Macron's death would be faked rather than the case going to discovery.

"I know that the process is supposed to be the pain, that they want to drag this out. I can't see them wanting to make it to discovery. I just don't see that happening," she said. "I think they'll fake kill Brigitte first. They'll be like, ‘Oh, Brigitte passed away from stress because of what Candace did. Oh, nobody can talk about her being a man anymore because Brigitte's gone.’ "

On August 1, 2025, Candace Owens appeared on The Tucker Carlson Show and claimed that President Donald Trump personally asked her to stop mentioning Brigitte Macron. Owens explained that Trump's message was that Emmanuel Macron had indicated during diplomatic discussions that the accusations distressed his wife.

Owens said Trump told her, “She’s old, and this is really impacting her,” to which she replied,

“Respectfully, Mr. President, it’s not my fault that he married somebody with a p**is.”

She agreed to reduce her coverage temporarily but did not retract her claims.

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Candace uploads episodes daily.

Edited by Shreya Das