Ben Shapiro Calls Candace Owens’ Israel Remarks ‘Disgraceful’
Conservative political commentator Candace Owens has found herself at odds with her boss, Ben Shapiro, after a slew of comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict, which have sparked criticism within conservative circles.
On Tuesday, Shapiro, the host of the widely followed conservative podcast “The Ben Shapiro Show” and the founding editor-in-chief of the Daily Wire, addressed Owens’ remarks in front of a live audience and described Owens’ commentary on the ongoing conflict in Gaza as “disgraceful.”
“The question is about Candace Owens. I think her behavior during this has been disgraceful, without a doubt,” Shapiro, who is of Jewish descent, said.
As seen in a video shared to X, his statement was met with resounding applause from the audience.
Shapiro further elaborated on his criticism, stating, “I think that her faux sophistication on these particular issues has been ridiculous.”
He also hinted at Owens’ continued employment at his company, even though her current status at the company cannot be verified, as the exact timing of the video is not known.
Ben Shapiro calls Candace Owens "absolutely disgraceful"@benshapiro has stepped up to the plate to publicly disavow the vile anti-Semitism spewed daily by @RealCandaceO. Is this the beginning of the end of her career at @DailyWireNews? pic.twitter.com/rwxSw65xJv
— MAGA Posting Their Ls 🇺🇸🐊 (@LoomerLs) November 14, 2023
Owens’ recent comments regarding the Israel-Hamas war have drawn intense scrutiny, with this being just the latest incident. She began her controversial posts shortly after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas initiated a surprise attack on Israel, resulting in the death of over 1,400 Israelis and a counterattack by Israeli Defense Forces.
About a week after the unprecedented attack, Owens engaged in a heated exchange with conservative journalist Megyn Kelly over whether college students advocating for Palestinians should face professional consequences.
Kelly had tweeted in support of the idea that college students who protested in favor of Hamas should be blacklisted from job opportunities, tweeting, “We don’t hire those who do the killing and we don’t hire those who applaud the killers while the savagery is underway.”
Owens, however, took issue with the idea, saying, “This is incredibly disingenuous, Megyn. You know that many of those students are not out there because they want babies to be murdered.”
She argued further, “College kids are stupid. I used to be radically pro-choice. Glad I didn’t get put on a ‘conservative’ black list for wanting babies murdered. As it turned out, I was just young and temporarily brainwashed from a public school education coupled with mainstreamed Hollywood lies— and not because I legitimately wanted to see infants torn from their mothers’ wombs.”
Oh stop it. This is incredibly disingenuous, Megyn.
You know that many of those students are not out there because they want babies to be murdered.
College kids are stupid. I used to be radically pro-choice. Glad I didn’t get put on a “conservative” black list for wanting… https://t.co/fxvnxUmSZY— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) October 15, 2023
The exchange between the two media personalities escalated, with Kelly accusing Owens of attacking “someone who has been nothing but nice to and supportive of you.”
This is how it works you see. You attack someone who has been nothing but nice to and supportive of you. Then when that person calls you out, you just keep saying “I am the mature one!”
Take care Candace. I wish you well. https://t.co/iJ0Stp4h2e— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) October 15, 2023
Owens further provoked controversy during an episode of her “Candace Owens Podcast,” in which she discussed the conflict in Gaza with Jewish comedian Ami Kozak. On the show titled “Am I Anti-Semitic,” she claimed that Muslims in Israel are forced to live in “Muslim quarters.”
“I grew up in my grandparents’ house, my grandfather grew up in a segregated South, and so when I’m walking through Jerusalem, and you see, and they say ‘these are the Muslim quarters, this is where the Muslims are allowed to live,’ that doesn’t feel like a bastion of freedom to me,” she said.
However, Kozak disputed her claims, clarifying that there are no restrictions on where Muslim citizens can live in the city. As he explained, there are different ethnic communities in Jerusalem and people usually choose to live wherever they want based on their ethnic groups.
Owens’ most recent criticism resulted from her suggestion that support for Israel was driven by financial incentives, a claim that has been labeled as “anti-Semitic.”
She also asserted that support for Israel had “virtually collapsed socially,” citing pro-Hamas protests as evidence, despite the fact that public support for Israel remains strong within the United States.
This is anti-Semitism, by the way.
The idea that money is always behind support for Israel is pure anti-Semitism.
— Ian Haworth (@ighaworth) November 14, 2023
